Saturday I said, “It’s innovation, no matter where it’s done, and MAP that drives jobs,” and that I would expand on MAP’s role today.

Ask people what an entrepreneur does and their description will usually say something about starting a company.

But there is a critical psychological difference between entrepreneurs that has nothing to do with investment, revenue or even employees.

• It’s the difference between creating a company and being self-employed—even if you have 50 employees and $50 M revenue.

• It’s the difference between trusting others and what those in the startup world call founder ego—the belief that you can do any job better than anyone you hire.

• It’s the difference between making yourself central to every action and decision within the company or hiring well, delegating and then getting out of the way, so people can do their jobs.

• Simply put, it’s the difference between holding on and letting go.

And it is that difference that often decides not just the company’s success, but whether the founder sticks around or leaves—willingly or with help from the board/investors.

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There is no dearth of information available and that is especially true when you are looking to improve your management skills.

My cyber buddy Elliot Ross writes an excellent blog about tech for tech challenged SMB managers.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote Self-starter Does Not Mean Self-managed and Elliot used it to discuss the same problem in IT.

In his post he hits the bull’s-eye with a phrase that any manager at any level in any size company would be wise to tattoo on their frontal lobe.

There is a big difference between delegating your IT services, and abdicating them.

Substitute whatever your group does for ‘IT services’ and you have one of the best and most succinct pieces of management advice I’ve ever seen.

But knowing it is not the same as applying it—every time for every person in every situation.

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