I have come to the understanding that anything and everything ever accomplished by people, associations, institutions, organisations, nations, is at the mercy of energy. While leadership may provide the objectives of and directives for a cause or a project, energy deploys resources and delivers results according to its level at every point in time. The greatest enemy of strategy is lethargy. Energy is the driver of everything including the economy. Without the force of energy, value chains cannot exist and without the energy of force, a chain of values cannot be created. Ideas are frustrated and inventions castrated due to energy deficiency. Without energy, there is no efficiency, without it (heat), there is no sufficiency. Without energy, there are no resources, without it (heat), there are no results. Without energy, there is no creativity, without it (heat), there is no productivity. Without energy, there are no productions, without it (heat), there are no products. There is money in energy, and there is energy in money. If you can’t make money, at least make energy count. It takes wisdom and energy to create wealth. Wisdom is the principal raw material for wealth creation while energy is the ‘vice principal’. Wisdom is not energy and energy is not wisdom. The word entrepreneurship (noun) is from a thirteenth-century French verb, ‘entreprendre’, meaning “to do something” or “to undertake”. Wisdom is everything about knowing what to do. Wisdom is not complete without a corresponding action (Energy). Wisdom understands but energy undertakes. Wisdom complements but energy implements. Wisdom sees, but energy seizes opportunities. Entrepreneurial leaders work effectively by deploying energy wisely to achieve relevant, useful and necessary goals.
Physical food when eaten can trigger the release of intellectual energy. Intellectual food when taken can trigger the release of physical energy. Spiritual food (God’s Word) can trigger the release of both intellectual and physical energy. Energy, simply put, is the ability to work. Energy is also the stability of the worker. The continuity and sustainability of work is determined by the stability of energy in the worker. The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines energy as the ability to put effort and enthusiasm into an activity, work, etc. Energy is also the strength and vitality required for sustained physical or mental activity. With respect to entrepreneurial leadership, energy is the motivation behind every motive and the motive behind every motivation. Leadership, according to John C. Maxwell, is influence. Energy is the influencer. Leadership shows the way by providing direction while energy clears the way by swinging into action.
The journey of an entrepreneur does not begin with many, neither does it begin with money; it begins with a meaning! More often than not aspiring entrepreneurs believe that without a substantial amount of money, they cannot undertake any meaningful project. They also expect that when they are starting out, people are supposed to join them in starting or building their dreams. No! Entrepreneurs don’t necessarily need money or people to start, but they do need both to grow. Moving from 0 to 1 is nothing compared to moving from 1-10 which requires resources (human and non-human capital). The primary raw material all entrepreneurs need is a strong meaning/purpose or vision. An entrepreneur must have a strong reason for starting out, without it an entrepreneur will be frustrated during the difficult stages of his journey. Next to vision is passion. Vision and passion are strong factors that determine entrepreneurial success. They are critical energy resource needed to sustain any endeavour in life. They make entrepreneurs not only enjoy what they do irrespective of the challenges that may come their ways; they also serve as ‘shocks absorbers’ in turbulent times. The energy of passion is stronger than the psychological dynamics in motivation. Motivation is external, while passion comes from a deep sense of fulfilment and achievement. Passion cannot be severed from vision. Energy is vision plus passion!
Everything rises and falls on energy. We are either plugged into energy or plagued by lethargy. In essence, the journey of entrepreneurship is the journey of energy. Just like energy exists in different forms; electrical, mechanical, solar, hydro, thermal, geothermal, etc, entrepreneurial energy exits in three forms which include the following:
Emotions. Motivation. Inspiration
The lowest form of energy is the energy of emotion or impulse. This kind of energy is transient or short-lived. It is that kind of energy that makes an entrepreneur get excited one moment about an idea, and the next moment, he is depressed due to the emptiness that lies in such an idea when critically and objectively analysed. Entrepreneurs are supposed to be intentional and not emotional, they are supposed to decipher before they decide.
Motivation is a good energy source, but it is not reliable and sustainable. It is good to be motivated to do certain things, but the entrepreneurial journey requires more than that. It is not enough to wait for motivation to start out, an entrepreneur must understand that he is a leader in his own right, and must therefore learn to manage his life without supervision, but with a superb vision. When vision is in place, motivation is secondary energy source for an entrepreneur. Real entrepreneurs don’t wait for motivation in any form; incentives, infrastructure, funding, enabling environment, aides, even support from family and friends; their biggest motivation is internal and not external. This internal motivation is called inspiration.
“Inspiration is the motion of the spirit of God in man”. – Dr. David Oyedepo. It is the highest and most sustainable source of energy. Inspiration is divinity in humanity. The energy of inspiration gives not only ability to an entrepreneur to think and act productively; it also gives stability to his journey. Unlike motivation which is the motion of the spirit of man in man (for example, mentorship) or the motion of the spirit of things in man (for example incentives), inspiration is from God and its operation is both unconditional (not aided by external factors) and unlimited (aided by eternal factors). Because man is limited, the motivation we get from mentors, role models, books, movies, good associations, religious gatherings, academic environments, etc cannot be compared to the energy that comes from within, which is inspiration. Inspiration is the source of knowledge, understanding and wisdom (energy). The greatest need of entrepreneurial leaders is inspiration. What is your inspiration source?
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