This article highlights the leadership and managerial skills of a researcher which helps him become a good manager and even better Entrepreneur.

1. What makes a Researcher a Good Entrepreneur choice?
By
Manoj Kumar Singh
Director and CEO, SINGH BIOTECH LLP
Twitter: @man_biotech
Website: www.singhbiotechllp.com
Source: www.peerie.com

2. How could a researcher be a better choice for running a company? These are two
different set of people who have totally distinct field of expertise.
A researcher dwells into the questions why and how things happened, trying to find the
answers to it. An entrepreneur thinks more on what and how goals can be achieved. He
plans his strategy around this goal.
When these two names are taken together we will have a totally different picture of
both into our mind. One picture of a researcher who is wearing a white apron working in
the laboratory carryout experiments for his research or is somewhere in the field
collecting his samples with utmost precision. An Entrepreneur is seen as more formally
suited individual sitting in his cabin marshaling his team towards a goal or is sweating
out in the field to sell his product.
However to this common disbelieve that a research is different from the entrepreneur,
maximum number of worlds entrepreneurs are actually researchers who worked to find
the solutions to the problems, ending up as the successful entrepreneurs. Some of the
best examples of present era are Bill Gates, Paul Allen, Vinod Dham, John Craig Venter,
Mark Zuckerberg, Dr. Roger Newton and many more.
A researcher comprise of great skill sets which when added with the management and
business development skills becomes the perfect combination for running a business
successfully. There cannot be any comparison between a researcher and an
entrepreneur; in fact they both encompass similar sets of skills. A mere degree in
management doesn’t make you are good manager but an experience does:
1. Both are Good Planners- Be it planning for research or for business it requires a
well planned layout to know how to move ahead. A researcher and an
entrepreneur know importance of planning and how to plan to achieve their
objectives.
2. Eye For Details- Any miss in the details can lead to a total failure in the objective
of a research and same with the business. They both have a precise eye on the
minutes of the details in order to implement the plans accurately.

3. 3. Time Management- A researcher has many responsibilities other than the lab
work. He has to be a good time manager in order to fulfill other responsibilities of
academic and administration. An entrepreneur knows how to juggle the time in
between the different tasks at hand and prioritize them.
4. Good Writing Skills- Writing research or grants proposals, reports, articles, and
emails equip scientists with good writing skills which add as a benefit in running a
business as both involve proper understanding of data and emulate it.
5. Good Communication Skills- They both develop a solid communication skill due
to their daily interaction with different people and convincing required at
different stages of their career.
6. Critical Thinking Skills- It is one of the most important soft skills required for the
success of any project. A researcher acquires a greater ability for critical thinking
and constantly uses it into the result interpretation.
7. Team Building Ability- A good scientist knows clearly the objectives of his
research project, so hires the right skill set people to form his team. This is
equivalent to hiring the right managers and workers for your business.
8. Analytical Skills- Modern day research has evolved a lot and requires great
analytical skills to properly analyze the large amount of data created as a result of
constant research done presently and in the past. An entrepreneur analyses with
great precision the market analytics to ensure his business profitability.
9. Patience- The results of many experiments are not instant, they require some
incubation period. Likewise any successful business project requires a gestation
period before it starts to produce some revenue.
10.Perseverance- Even the minor hitches in the way do not waver people on a
mission. Research teaches one to persevere even when the outcomes are not
according to the previous predictions. To establish a successful enterprise one
need to persevere even during the bad days.
11.Self Motivated- These people are self driven individuals who find motivation
even in midst of disappointments. They never let the failure to hinder their self
confidence as they trust their ability and believe in moving forward all the time.
12.Good Presentation Skills- In research one has to constantly update the higher
authorities on the recent developments of the research and also have to present
these findings at the conferences etc. All this require good presentation skills

4. which form a major part of business proposal presentation for funding or
marketing.
13.Good Delegation Skills- Both the researcher and the entrepreneurs master the
skills to delegate, as they are aware to achieve the bigger picture you need to
work smartly and should know what and when to delegate to subordinates
trusting their abilities to complete the task at hand.
14.Flexibility- They both know how to be flexible and change the plan as per the
latest development.
15.Visionary- They have vision which gives them power to see beyond. Even hurdles
in the path do not stop them as they have a sight for the future on which they
work continuously.
16.Good Management Skills- A researcher has to be a master manager of a lab, a
team, grants or funds and instruments chemical suppliers which are similar to
vendor management, finance management, team management and business
development mastered by the entrepreneur.