Nature as vital as nurture: iLIVE
In response to Professor Tobie de Coning's contention that we should "forget the notion of 'born' entrepreneurs", a more balanced perspective is required ("Much more must be done to create entrepreneurs", January 13).
The conclusion that "entrepreneurial leaders are made, not born" is a distortion of the findings of the report to which De Coning refers.
The report concludes that "entrepreneurial leaders are defined as much by their early business experience, cultural background and external environment as they are by any innate personal characteristics".
On what basis can they conclude that "nurture is more important than nature" in shaping entrepreneurs?
How do they explain their finding that "20% of the entrepreneurial leaders start almost 50% of all new businesses"? If education and experience were more important than innate aptitudes, one would expect a less skewed statistical distribution. Education, mentors and business experience are important to success, but innate characteristics are as vital, if not more so. One can conclude that entrepreneurs are born and then nurtured.
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