A few years ago, I wrote a little piece titled “Driven to Construction”. It considered the 3 forces that drive entrepreneurs:
- A burning desire to achieve,
- A burning desire to create and build things of value, &
- A need to be recognized as a different type of contributor.
Some key thoughts:
Entrepreneurs are driven to innovate and construct products and services; entrepreneurs are absorbed in creating new products and services, which must contain value for others. Invention on its own is not enough. Inventors are a different breed of cat. Innovators make adjustments to existing ‘methods & ways’ in order to deliver new forms of value to other people, especially clients.
Entrepreneurial drive may contain an inventor flavour; entrepreneurial drive must contain an innovation flavour.
Entrepreneurial drive is a most-important source of economic growth. Entrepreneurial drive is a key to re-energizing economic growth and to sustaining economic growth. Entrepreneurial drive is fundamental to individual businesses’ health and wealth.
The entrepreneurial dilemma...it is difficult to institutionalize the entrepreneurial way of doing business. In other words, the entrepreneur has it but has trouble passing it on to others. In fact, it seems impossible to generate an entrepreneurial spirit in someone who doesn't possess the 3 forces outlined above.
So, if you are an Entrepreneur and you are having difficulty spreading it to others then consider their internal drivers:
- Are they Achievers?
- Are they Builders?
- Do they stand out as Different?
Achievers: the existence of the drive is more important than its specific direction...it is much easier to focus or re-focus a strong drive to achieve than it is to create a strong drive to achieve.
Builders: the existence of the drive is more important than its object...it is much easier to focus or re-focus a strong drive to build than it is to create a strong drive to build.
Different: many entrepreneurs are odd characters, who are very comfortable with the fact they are not viewed as standard/normal/average people. They notice how others perceive them. They are motivated if not delighted by the fact they are viewed as a different type of contributor.
More about the entrepreneurial dilemma…many entrepreneurs and many organizations struggle to build a culture of entrepreneurship. Some people, including some entrepreneurs and leaders, argue it is not even possible to build such a culture because entrepreneurs are born, not made. Regardless, few deny the pace of business-change is fast and innovation is an essential ingredient of business success. So, whether or not your business culture becomes truly entrepreneurial or falls short of that mark, it is essential to focus on building a culture that promotes innovation:
- Innovation that allows your business to attract and impress ideal clients
- Innovation that breeds confidence greater than that possessed by your competition
- Innovation that maximizes your people’s ability to be self-motivated
To do this, take a close look at yourself and take a close look at your key people. Never lose track of the fact that small adjustments within the leadership team can generate positive change throughout an organization.
As you take a close look at yourself and the people on your leadership team consider:
These 3 attributes are the vital ingredients. Seek them out. Build on them.