You don’t have to be an entrepreneur to be entrepreneurial
Have you ever thought to yourself: “I wish my employees were more entrepreneurial?”
Immediately followed by the question: “If they were entrepreneurial, wouldn’t they start a business instead of work for me?”.
Not necessarily: there is a difference between the words entrepreneur and entrepreneurial.
Let’s explore it.
Know how to spot opportunities
Let me start by describing what this is not.
- It is not a need to be “Creative” – note the capital C.
- It is not the ability to come up with a new idea every day or week or month
- It is not the skill of “thinking outside the box”
I have seen too many people alienated by these expectations, but the truth is: none of this is required to be able to spot new opportunities.
All you need is a desire to change.
Not everything, and not every day.
Just the open-mindedness to try to change some of the things, some of the time. When the opportunity for improvement presents itself.
Know how to understand others
All the best ideas will mean nothing if they can’t be shared.
Communicating your ideas, being able to create change, requires you to understand what your audience wants. Yes, the good old WIIFM.
To be entrepreneurial you must know how to see another’s point of view, and what value they want out of a situation. That is the first step and the foundational step to communicating effectively.
Know how to manage yourself
The famous “self-starter”.
An entrepreneur is a person who started a business and runs a business.
Being entrepreneurial does not require you to run a business, but there is a foundational requirement of being able to make decisions and manage your workflow.
You should never be an island, don’t forget all the resources you have to work with you in decision making and productivity.
What you have to know to do on your own is to set boundaries: to know when it is time to move forward with something, to work to a deadline, and to generally get things done.
Bonus: Know that you don’t know everything
Always be learning.
Always ask questions.
Always take an opportunity to brainstorm.
Being entrepreneurial means knowing how to manage, understand, and change yourself, not just others.
Not just for entrepreneurs
Whether you work as an employee, whether you run your own business, whether you are trying to get promoted, whether you are looking for a new or first job, whether you are a freelancer or independent professional: being entrepreneurial will serve you well.
Sometimes you need an extra brain to make sure you are working towards your goals. Contact me to begin regular check-in meetings.