The Heart of Entrepreneurship by Howard Stevenson and David Gumpert

By placing opportunity seeking and exploitation at the center of the definition of entrepreneurship, this article changed the way we think about entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship. The simple but effective juxtaposition of ‘the promoter’ and ‘the trustee’ highlights how entrepreneurs act in contrast to traditional managers. The simple, direct walk-through of the key differences in orientation and action between promoters and trustees -- presented so effectively in Exhibit 2 -- never fails to enlighten. Undergraduates, MBA’s, executives and entrepreneurs who read this book will appreciate what really matters when they want to create a venture or re-energize the entrepreneurial spirit in their organization.

The Heart of Entrepreneurship by Howard Stevenson and David Gumpert. Harvard Business Review. March 1985