Critically discuss the following statement: Future exploration of leadership and entrepreneurship should move away from a position of 'being' to a position of 'doing'.
             The simple statement above is actually more nuanced than it first appears. Firstly, leadership and entrepreneurship are both separate fields of research, although they sometimes intersect. Secondly, there is the issue of how to define 'being' and 'doing.' This essay will discuss how the definition of 'being,' in particular, has changed over time.
             It helps to look at theories of leadership and entrepreneurship from a historical perspective. The Reichers and Schneider (1990) model is a useful model by which to frame a study of this type. Their model uses three stages of indeterminate length to illustrate predictable historical sequences for the development of scientific constructs (Hunt, 1999). The Reichers and Schneider model highlights the fact that leadership and entrepreneurship are at different stages of development. Leadership theory is more mature. Furthermore, theories focused on 'being' and 'doing' can be noted at every stage. This essay argues that both positions are important and that abandoning one perspective in favor of the other would only limit our understanding. Therefore, despite calls at various times from both disciplines for a move away from 'being' to 'doing,' both perspectives remain relevant.
             A review of entrepreneurship and leadership literature reveals the same process of theory evolution in both schools of thought. This process of historical evolution begins with a focus on the innate and exceptional characteristics of successful leaders and entrepreneurs in 'traits' theories. In later theories, the concept of historical evolution also pays heed to the effects of followers and of contextual factors upon an original decision to step into entrepreneurs...