Owner Presidents in the Classroom
Is entrepreneurial ability inborn or can it be taught? Business school faculty and policymakers wrestle with this question as promoting entrepreneurship leads to employment growth. My own view is that personality traits predispose individuals to choose entrepreneurship over more traditional employment paths. But as those traits do not ensure success, support in the form of training and mentoring can be helpful. Perhaps the most important contribution of “fast track” development programs is the development of an entrepreneurial community with shared goals. Entrepreneurship is a team sport and connecting with others who are committed to realizing their visions can be extremely helpful in dealing with the inevitable setbacks in launching a new venture.
Today, the Princeton Review released its ranking of the top undergraduate and graduate programs in entrepreneurship. More than 2,000 schools were surveyed to assess their business curricula, student groups and clubs and resources such as access to entrepreneurs in residence and funds available through business plan competitions. I was disappointed that my alma mater, Columbia Business School, didn’t make the list. Columbia offers a Greenhouse Program, effectively an in-school incubator, with access to resources at venture capital funds, accounting firms and other specialized support. Even those of us who don’t plan to return to school can benefit from accessing these resources. This photograph shows my class of the Owner President Management Program of Harvard Business School.