Note: This is first time I am doing a summary of a half-read book. TBH the book could have been a blogpost.

There are 4 type of company builders: Driver, Explorer, Crusader, and Captain

Driver: Relentless, Commercially Focused, and Highly Confident

Entrepreneurship is almost hardwired into their very identity. They are supremely confident individuals, relentless in pursuing commercial success based on their uncanny anticipation of what markets and customers are looking for. They eschew rules and bureaucracy, seeing them as tools to focus the average person, yet often confine the truly gifted, independent-thinking actor. Drivers are willing to do whatever it takes to realize the commercial success inherent in what they believe is their unbounded potential, in fact their destiny.

The Explorer: Curious, Systems-Centric, and Dispassionate

Builders who are Explorers are not necessarily motivated to build a new business from scratch, but they are inveterate problem seekers and solvers.

Once hooked by the problem, they fixate on execution, at least until the next intriguing problem emerges in search of solution. Their management style is hands-on to the point of being overly controlling at times.

The Crusader: Audacious, Mission-Inspired, and Compassionate

Crusaders are primarily motivated by an intense desire to make the world a better place—by solving problems that matter to markets and society. Anchored in a deep-seated ability to empathize with others, Crusaders create mission-based companies with bold, long-range vision. They have a clear mission, and appreciate—indeed, even look forward to—the opportunity to invite others to help bring it to life. In that sense, Crusaders have an unusual mixture of both sensitivity and humility, combined with a confidence in their animating vision for their business.

Crusaders are guided by their founding mission; however, they can struggle with tough people issues. While they are quite effective in attracting dedicated followers inspired by the company’s mission, they frequently avoid conflict, allowing devoted underperformers to languish rather than removing them from the business. On the operational side, Crusaders often find themselves out of their element and don’t always provide the clear direction that other Builder Types do.

The Captain: Pragmatic, Team-Enabling, and Direct

Captains are as much team assemblers as catalysts. These builders are intent on creating a company culture around values and mutual accountability. Comfortable with leading from behind, they trust their colleagues and culture to fulfill the vision for the company whose future they share. Unlike Explorers and Drivers, they find gratification in the we rather than the me.

They are motivated to build enterprises of enduring value through unleashing the productive potential of the individuals and teams around them.

As leaders, Captains believe in setting clear goals and expectations, then delegating responsibility for execution. While they prefer consensus-rooted decisions, they sometimes manifest an iron fist in a velvet glove when their teams underperform.