so, as part of your planning you should ask what type of person needs to be in charge--i.e. do you need a leader? a manager? a worker?
Now, as the owner--what role do you need to fill? If you are a control freak, then rather than building a system that requires you to relinquish control, build one that allows you to be confident in the result--that is the core idea behind SIX Sigma and ISO9000 etc--the system is built to ensure an outcome--so people within the system don't really get micromanaged, but the parameters for acceptable outcome is very tight.
And will someone like myself, who is starting a company and is not a leader by nature, have issues in my company b/c of this? At some point, probably--the key is to be ready to recognize when it happens, and preferably build an organization that compensates for it before hand.
Or do we hope that I am smart enough to hire someone who is a leader? I think you already are.
And I think we have established that ownership does not equate with leadership...so what the heck do I do about that?? Never forget that it is your money/idea/reputation---but frequently, people assume that that means things get done their way--which can be true but is dangerous---so always be willing to truthfully answer the question, do I want to get my way or do I want to succeed.
OK so Tom says you can make a leader...does someone wanna tell me how? I thin you are much more of a leader than you give yourself credit for. It isn't some mystical accomplishment. Even I, GOS, am not surrounded by an eerie white light--you are taking charge of yourself and your ideas, you are moving (forward) and you are anticipating challenges--hmm, sounds like leadership to me---