In addressing this problem, the coach can encourage a managerial entrepreneurial client to not only express her frustration and anger but also become more fully aware of the interpersonal dynamics associated with the monkey’s leap. Does the client take on the monkey when she is praised for being a wonderful helper or listener or when she is feeling sorry for the other person? Does the monkey leap onto her shoulder when she is asked to give advice or when the other person declares that the problem is unsolvable or too big to handle? Having identified the dynamics that occur, the coach can assist his client to identify alternative ways in which to keep the monkey from leaping over to her shoulder. Some role playing can be of value and the coach can model effective interpersonal relationships by not himself taking on the monkeys of his client!

A second coaching strategy to use in addressing the interpersonal disappointment of a managerial entrepreneur is based in the process of appreciation. The coach can help his client recognize the strengths of her colleagues: “catching other people doing it right.” This appreciative perspective holds several benefits. First, if a client can recognize the strengths in her colleagues, then she is less likely to take over their problems and the monkey is more inclined to remain on the shoulders of her colleagues. Second, the appreciative approach helps a managerial entrepreneur set more realistic expectations regarding her co-workers. Managerial entrepreneurs often have very high standards for other people regarding their emotional IQ and feel ignored, misunderstood or dismissed when their colleague doesn’t seem to be listening, empathizing or cooperating. While the managerial entrepreneur might possess high levels of emotional and interpersonal intelligence, she might be ignorant in one area of interpersonal relationships – namely an appreciation of the struggles other people have in their own interpersonal relationships and in their own emotional life. A coach can be of great benefit to his client in helping her become “smarter” about the “stupidity” manifest by other people in her life. A little empathy can go a long ways and can help a managerial entrepreneur be even more effective in her work with other people.

Autonomous/Independent Entrepreneur

In contrast, to the managerial entrepreneur, the autonomous or independent entrepreneur (as the name implies) prefers to work alone or prefers to work in a small, flexible organization. These people have a primary need to work under their own rules and are driven by their own steam. Like the technical/functional entrepreneur they are not likely to see their sea anchor move very far. They remain rather stable in their anchor because they have made up their own rules. They avoid standards and look for settings in which their individual and unique contributions are acknowledged and honored. This is a particularly difficult kind of entrepreneurship in that these men and women often do not have much of a social, influence or distribution network; furthermore, they usually do not have much interest in marketing.  As a result, either they live their life in quiet despair (waiting to be “discovered”) or they are very fortunate to be discovered by someone who does have more of an interest in promotion of their product or service. In many cases, unfortunately, the discoverer will gain most of the financial benefits of the product or service and may even be misrepresented as the source of the new product or service.

What about coaching the autonomous entrepreneur? The first challenge is usually one of getting this entrepreneur to recognize that they could use some assistance. Their desire for autonomy often includes a reluctance to seek any kind of outside support. If the autonomous entrepreneur does seek out a professional coach, then the coaching challenge is often opposite to that posed by the managerial entrepreneur. The boundaries are not too loose or ill-defined; rather the boundaries are too tight. The autonomous entrepreneur needs to let other people into his work life. The coach can serve as a model for the reluctant client—showing that it is possible to ask for assistance and not give up one’s own identity or freedom.