Entrepreneurial Leadership and Performance of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in Benue State, Nigeria

This study examines the effect of entrepreneurial leadership on performance of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in Benue State, Nigeria. Using a quantitative survey design, 400 SME owners/managers were sampled across sectors including food processing, trading, fashion, and ICT. The study adopted Thornberry's five-dimensional model focusing on four constructs: miner behavior, explorer behavior, accelerator behavior, and integrator behavior. Validity and reliability testing yielded a Cronbach's alpha of 0.896. Pearson correlation and multiple regression analyses revealed significant positive relationships between all entrepreneurial leadership constructs and SME performance (r > 0.96, p < 0.001). Regression analysis showed these four behavioral dimensions jointly account for 96.3% of variance in SME performance. The study concludes that entrepreneurial leadership behaviors of managers significantly affect SME performance and recommends training programs on vision creation and communication.