While on vacation recently with my Norwegian cousin and her family, I discovered the concept of “going viking”. My first thought, probably yours as well, was of raiding and pillaging while sailing about the world in small boats and eating lots of dried fish. Thankfully, the phrase has taken on a new meaning that applies very aptly to the life of entrepreneurs. And, within the new definition of going viking, there is a valuable perspective for our current rough economic times.

Tom Veblen and Kate Rogers provided this new definition of going viking in Viking, the July 2009 Sons of Norway magazine, in an article that illustrates how modern Vikings pursue their passions:

“’to be venturesome, explore, discover; to exert oneself, aspire; to take a stab at, have a go or crack or whack, or shot at; to pursue hard, bold, dangerous or important undertakings’”.

Veblen’s take on going viking was related to the current development Norwegian-American culture on the North American continent, but for me, it resonated as an engaging metaphor for the pioneering spirit that drives so many individuals to build and run successful businesses of their own. Most entrepreneurs will acknowledge this drive, but the delight of entrepreneurship – the`bold’, `dangerous’ and `important’ aspects – is often lost in the day-to-day working on the multitude of responsibilities in manufacturing or designing products and services, delivering to customers, collecting revenues, paying bills and managing employees.

The modern day entrepreneur may long for the imagined freedom of a Viking trip over the seas to escape the often mind-numbing details that fill the calendar of any business owner, but in reality, the head Viking faced many similar challenges whether at sea, in battle, or at home. The Viking leaders had as many jobs to do as the typical entrepreneur. The successful Viking leader had to plan and lead all activities that took them from the home fires to foreign lands, into battles against familiar and unfamiliar opponents and had to see to the division of spoils from the raids. And, the Viking chief headed up HR as he or she negotiated personal disputes, saw to the arrangements for marriage and inheritance among the Vikings and integrated any new members of their group (slaves or otherwise) into village life. The Viking leader had to be a strategic and passionate visionary, excellent in many capacities (sailing, boat making, fighting, negotiating settlements, etc.) and a peacemaker among the highly charged and committed warriors of the tribe. Does this role sound familiar?

The most successful Viking chieftains and modern day entrepreneurs have common traits and behaviors: keeping the vision for long-term and short-term success in mind while also attending to the more mundane operational details with a team made up of people with skills and perspectives that complement the leader’s own capabilities. Effective leaders know when to bear down on the minutiae to ensure a specific tactic is implemented in support of larger plans and can encourage underlings to act independently when the situation calls for their particular input. They insist that subordinates work out their own conflicts until it is clear that any unresolved conflicts may jeopardize the entire enterprise. Such behavior grows new leaders and contributes to a strong sense of morale among all involved in the enterprise. The Viking chief’s job was 24/7 and often as complex as that of any modern day CEO.

While an entrepreneur’s challenges today may not result in physical death, as many of the Viking adventures did, the current economic climate presents some intriguing comparisons to the conditions the earlier warriors faced. The Viking economic landscape was poor – due to limited good farming land, severe climate, and lack of easily retrievable and marketable natural resources – so they sought new opportunities beyond their own shores.

Entrepreneurs today face uncertainty as well – tight credit, slowing sales, and unstable relationships with suppliers. The question then is what would going viking look like today for an ambitious entrepreneur? Entrepreneurs must identify and plan ways to exploit new opportunities for growth and success and then launch their own longboats in search of renewed success. Imagination, courage, skill and perhaps a touch of the Viking wanderlust will see the entrepreneur’s business through to a greater level of success and satisfaction even in today’s rocky world.

Kim Dougherty
Birch Advisory Services International