Why would you want to think like an entrepreneur in a paid job? Success! The end game of entrepreneurship is profits and for an entrepreneur to be successful, he must solve a problem, meet a need and make money while at it. It is only natural to borrow from the entrepreneur’s model to be successful in your paid job.
For you to be an accomplished professional, you need to think like an entrepreneur and take decisions an entrepreneur would take. That may seem hard but it truly is not as hard as it sounds. The consummate professional who wants career advancement may do well to follow the steps below;
Ownership: The entrepreneur owns the business while the employee is employed by the business. The business owner sets goals which are reviewed from time to time for the purposes of; evaluating and controlling performance, determining the progress of the business, making plans for advancement etc. The consummate professional should have a sense of ownership and as such set SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time bound) goals. Set goals should be reviewed at the expiration of specified period to evaluate one’s performance, determine progress and to derive goals for the next phase.
Commitment: When entrepreneurs set up businesses, they put in a lot of man hours into their business to make sure it is successful. They dedicate time and effort to the business while calculating and taking worthwhile risks which are geared towards moving the business forward. The consummate professional should be dutiful, focused and dedicated towards making sure that organizational goals are met. This may mean working more hours than agreed with your employer on occasion, volunteering when there is urgent and unavoidable need or making sure deadlines are met within specified time frame.
Innovation: It is believed that entrepreneurship is the answer to innovation. Successful entrepreneurs are mostly successful because of the value they offer which others do not. This value offered is mostly a direct result of innovative ideas or technology introduced. As an employee, you will be more of an asset in your paid job when you infuse innovative ideas that further drive results. It may be the introduction of new technology, re-organization of work processes or the creation of a value in addition to existing value chain.
Adaptation: Business is affected by different factors from time to time. It may be socio-economic, political or technological or legal. This means that factors ranging from cultural differences, government policies, foreign exchange may affect your job realities. As a professional, you need to be able to adapt to changing times and conditions to function optimally at your job. This may mean that you need to expand your scope of competencies or learn new things on the job.
You can take your career to the next level by trying out the steps mentioned and the sky will be just another rung in the success ladder.