Think Like An Entrepreneur, Act Like A CEO - Beverly E.Jones

Think Like An Entrepreneur, Act Like A CEO

To launch something new, you need a good plan

“The first day at work is always the worst day.” The first week is always the worst. The first month is the worst month. The first year is the worst year. But this does not have to be so.

These days, companies make little effort on employee orientation. About a decade ago, the human resource departments of many organizations developed an onboarding plan to ensure new hires get to know the stakeholders and key insiders in the organization. This process helps the new hires learn about performance expectations, and learn the company culture. It is also the period leaders help recruits get a good feel for the work environment, and develop realistic expectations about their roles.

Aside from a good onboarding plan and a welcoming boss, it is also important that you come with your own plan to the new job or assignment.

When making your plans, consider the following tips:

• Learn what your boss wants

In your new job, your boss may not know what he wants you to do. As a new hire, you should ask about your expected deliverables and how to report your progress. Do not count on the answers, be a detective, and do some groundwork. Observe how your boss communes with his superiors, how he reports and sends information. Take a look at her schedule, like how she plays catchup on email or the days he tends to come to work late.

To be successful, explore ways to help. Consider the company’s mission and objectives and how you can contribute to the bigger picture.

• Get to know people

When professionals and managers run into problems with projects and new positions, it might not be because of a lack of technical skills. Instead, a disconnect with the company culture or a lack of good working relationships with the right people.

In your first month, be methodical, reach out to your colleagues and teammates and anyone with information to share. Send an email saying, “I am new to this role, I would like to set up a little time to hear your perspective to learn more about your projects and background.”

• Listen and learn

On meeting your colleagues, ask questions, listen to what everyone has to say. Do not talk about yourself and your successes in your previous jobs. Keep an open mind, do not criticize before you understand history. Do not choose sides between warring factions.

• Set short term goals

Create realistic goals for your first few months on the job. In the first year re-establish your boss’s expectations and focus on high priority areas. Identify some relatively easy short term achievements and execute them.

• Be on time

One simple way to demonstrate enthusiasm and respect is to meet all deadlines and show up for every appointment and meeting. This will not be easy, especially if you are running a different schedule and operate in an unfamiliar environment, but it is worth the extra effort.

Think like an entrepreneur, wherever you are

When the author of this book was in her 20s, she never thought she would run a business, what she set out for was job security. She got into the Securities and Exchange Commission where she worked after law school, before being recruited by a law firm.

At the law firm the author realizes, the partners with all the power were those with their own loyal client base, so she began to recruit clients, not realizing she was creating her own little enterprise.

When the chance to become a partner arises in another firm, she took her clients, the new firm did not see her as a new employee; instead, small business to integrate into their operations.

As a managing partner, she was obligated to sell her services, produce billable work, and generate more money than what the firm spends to cover her overhead. She quickly realized that the organization was a combination of small parts, all of which produce products and services that fit into the larger organizational objectives.

Many years later, after joining her largest corporate client as a public affairs executive, she realized that to succeed, she needs to think like an entrepreneur.

The following tips will help you to act like an entrepreneur:

• Know the mission

Entrepreneurs are very passionate people. They set goals and put a plan in place to achieve these goals. To be a goal-oriented individual, it is not enough to understand your own objectives, you need to understand your organization’s mission, prevailing challenges, and how your contribution can help the collective mission.

• Focus on the customer

The success of a new business will be determined by your customers. All you do must be customer-focused. It is your responsibility to know what your customers want, and think. The same holds true for organizations, your success depends solely on the services and products you deliver to your bosses, colleagues, and your customers. Find innovative ways to serve your customers and find ways to expand your customer base.

• Understand business basics

A professional should be familiar with all the functions that make up a business. You should be familiar with the functions that make up a business, the commercial lingo, and other businesslike activities that make up your organization. Ask yourself: “Do I have a mental picture of the operations that bring this company to life — everything from product development to budgeting, marketing, and sales?” Do you understand the role of public affairs and human resources?

• Practice failure

Every successful entrepreneur learns from false starts. When failure comes, they analyze what went wrong and apply the lessons learned to the next opportunity. It is a common saying that “entrepreneurs fail their way to the top.” If you are afraid of failing, you won’t take chances. This will stifle your inventiveness and limit your ability to innovate.

To mitigate your fears, engage in activities where your success is not assured. If you do not have a talent for dancing, you could sign up for a class with your spouse. What if you fail? Both of you can still have fun, and you will find out things can be okay even if you did not succeed.

Listening is your sure-fire, go-to career strategy

Listening is a super career skill. Listening does not mean only mean shutting up long enough for the other person to talk, it is shutting down the voice in your head when it whispers what to say next. Concentrate on the speakers, and hear what they say. Fight the urge to go defensive, and do not interrupt. Philosophers and neuroscientist suggest people go through life aching to have their concerns acknowledged and their presence felt. Attentive listening will help you meet that need and connect with the speaker uniquely.

A good listening skill goes beyond hearing what someone is saying, it entails noticing his body language, signs of emotions, and facial expressions. You need to relax and take a few breaths before starting a challenging conversation. A good rule of thumb is to imagine what it is like to see things from your presenter’s perspective.

If you want to become more resilient, sharpen your listening skills. The following are situations where active listening is a smart way to go.

• When you’re starting something new

If you are meeting new people or joining a new team, it might be tempting to talk a lot, to show off your skills and expertise. The best approach is to ask all the questions and demonstrate excellent listening skills by paying close attention to the answers given.

• When you’re a leader

Listening is a key characteristic of a leader. As you grow as a leader, allow others to talk before you do. As your team members speak, show you are listening by restating a speaker’s point or nodding. Look for ways to let them know you care about their opinion, even though you do not agree.

• When you’re trying to make your case

During a debate, we may ignore the other person’s comment and obsess about the points we are trying to pass across. Avoid that! It is a more effective strategy to understand your colleague's point of view, so you can frame your suggestions with minimum conflict. Collaboration is an important career skill, and it starts with appreciating the opinion of others.

• When you’re in the middle

Have you been in a scenario where you need to pick between two warring sides? It will be a mistake to pick a side, as well as a mistake to go into meetings without aligning with one faction or the other. In this situation, present yourself as one minded listener. Let the warring factions know you are willing to be fair and hear from whoever wants to communicate.

Tweak your brand to send clear messages

How do you feel when you hear “personal branding”. Squeamish? Maybe you think personal branding entails pretending to be what you are not. Well, that is not the meaning of branding. There is the original you, there is the professional persona, they are related but not the same. Your professional persona should be rooted in your true values. You on the job is a piece of your whole package.

In your professional life, whether you realize it or not, you have a personal brand. This brand may be different from the essential you, and even the on-the-job you. Even if you do not want to acknowledge it, you have a brand, and it is alive, in fact, it influences the way people react to you.

The word brand used to mean a name or symbol indicating the owner or producer of a product. For instance, owners of steers among the free-roaming herds used a hot iron to brand their cattle for easy identification. But the term “brand” does not have the same meaning as a brand name.

In today’s world, “branding efforts” are the efforts marketers invest in a product to highlight how it differs from its competitors. A brand even has a broader meaning, it encompasses not just the qualities of the products, but what customers feel towards it.

When it comes to “brand,” it transcends the actual product to include a range of customer reactions. For instance, the Coca-Cola brand is not just about the soft drink or the taste, it also entails the emotional reactions of customers when the happy messages of Coke are heard in commercials.

Your personal branding is not the same as the real you, because, to a large extent, it is determined by what people think about you. It is strongly influenced by their assessment of your expertise, character, and work. Your personal brand can open or close career doors. But it might be quite different from either who you are on the job and what you try to be on the job.

This means no matter how good a person you are on the job, there is no guarantee it will reflect your best qualities and bring you the career successes you deserve.

To gain control of your personal branding, and change the impressions that don’t serve you well, consider the following:

• Research your current brand

To enhance a product brand, marketers start with customer surveys. To better understand your brand, you need to gather feedback from others. If on the job, it might take the form of a “360 review”, where your bosses and colleagues are quizzed by a third party about your performance. Adopt a similar approach and ask your coworkers how you might be even more helpful.

• Look in the mirror

People will regard you as successful if you fit in with the crowd and look professional. In a casual office setup, your aura of success will be impacted by your personal style. Your colleagues will not only be influenced by your look but the way you speak and carry yourself. If the impressions are not right, it’s time for a change, look around, identify inspirations from others who appear energetic, positive, polished, and powerful.

• Promote your work

Building expertise and doing good work is not enough, you need to promote what you have been doing and learning. Consider giving speeches, writing articles, or sending progress reports.

How and why to keep smiling

According to the author, scientists believe humans are the only animals capable of smiling, but she disagrees! She argues her yellow dog Daisy has a killer smile. Once she establishes eye contact, her mouth drops open, the corners turn up wide. And when her love gaze is fixed on her husband, his grin imitates hers, and both of them briefly freeze, with their bright eyes and faces locked on each other.

She further explains that when Daisy’s smile becomes intense, she gyrates with pleasure, by wagging her tail and wriggling her butt to her vibrating shoulders.

Even though disagreements exist about the validity of canine smiles, it is generally believed that human smile is contagious. Below are reasons why smiling is still a good strategy:

• It’s healthy and feels good

Smiling releases endorphins and other mood enhancing hormones. These hormones help calm blood pressure and your heart rate, which triggers a heightened sense of well-being, and improved health. Also, smiling can help release work-related stress and tension with an impact so profound, it resonates at the cellular level.

• You’ll look good

When you incorporate smile into your daily lifestyle, other people will see you as likable, attractive and competent, and memorable. You will also appear approachable and trustworthy, and to cap it up, it becomes easy to remember you during subsequent meetings.

• It’s contagious

Humans are hardwired to mirror each other’s happy look. When you smile at clients or colleagues, they will auto-return your expression. When you smile at the other person, it brings about a connection. A smile brings positivity leading to satisfaction with your conversation with the other person.

• It spreads

Smiling at a team member will make him feel good. This will improve his mood such that he smiles at the next face he sees. This can trigger the spread of good feelings from one person to the other. You can significantly improve the culture of your team by adding one member who smiles often.

• Even fakes smile work

The most effective smiles are the genuine ones deep-rooted from within you. On the other hand, social smiles require effort on your part and can be effective as well. If you struggle to smile, but then I sweetly smile back, you will respond to my facial expression. And your tentative smile can become heartfelt.

Networking is important, and the meaning may surprise you

Many generally believe networking means talking too much and handling your business cards to bystanders. It is beyond that.

“Your network is a complex pattern of interconnecting relationships with other people. It is a series of concentric circles that spread out like a spider web from you.”

• Network circle one

This is your innermost ring, it consists of your best friends and closest family. This is where many introverts spend most of their time. After some time, your dear friends will move away, to stay actively engaged with this circle, you need to recruit new folks to join your home tribe.

• Network circle two

Beyond your core friends and relationships is a group of newer friends and people you have known for a while, but don’t see regularly. This circle may include neighbors, coworkers, and friends of close friends. If you do not make an effort to keep in touch, the members of this circle can move out of your orbit.

• Network circle three

This circle includes dozens, hundreds, even thousands of acquaintances known through the years. This circle may consist of kids who attended the same school with you, members of your yoga class, coworkers with familiar faces in the corridors. This circle may also include people you have not met, like your social media buddies. This circle may also contain professional contacts which you seldom keep in contact with.

• Network circle four

This circle includes everyone you share a community with. Maybe you have not met them, but certainly could because you all visit the same places, work in the same organization, work in the same field, or went to the same college. Regardless of whether you have met in a real-life setting or not, you have something in common with these people.

To become an effective networker, you need to test a variety of techniques and deepen existing ones. To get started, try these strategies:
1. Be helpful
Networking is a medium to exchange help and support with other people. In a small gathering, try to say kind words to another person. The key is to remain alert to small opportunities to add value. Try the following ways to become helpful to the people you know.

• Make matches

Become a connector by matching resources with needs, and making helpful introductions. If you have a friend who is moving to a new city, you would connect him to other friends you know in the new town who have lived there since forever looking for volunteers for his nonprofit. By sending an email introduction, you can help the two friends at once.

• Show up

If a friend is giving a speech at an event they regard as important, try to be there. They will remember the effort you made to attend the occasion.

• Cheer

If your friend does something well, let them know it's noticed and offer congratulations, show your affection and share in the excitement.

2. Be in the moment
You will make many casual contacts with many people throughout the week. And if you are like most people who do not pay actual attention to what’s being said, you only think about what to say next. Try to get more from this casual conversation by working hard to focus, spend more on energy not more time on the networking

3. Network everywhere
When in a networking mood, vary your normal patterns and attend a variety of gatherings. Do not think of networking occasions as a once in a while event. To be a successful networker, go out a lot and engage with others as much as possible. Whether it is a gym or a PTA conference, there is a chance to meet someone new who will become a friend.

Those annoying speech habits may cost you

When people who have different views collaborate, innovation often flows. A diverse team is more likely to come up with novel ideas than a team made up of individuals from similar backgrounds.

When a diverse team gets along, it gives rise to startling creativity. And it can be a hugely satisfying experience when a team made up of diverse individuals click together. But it is not easy to blend into a mixed team, your conversational style can hold you back, as other team members might find it annoying.

Whatever your age, you need to be careful of your speech habits. Both the old and the young are in danger of undercutting their professional brands with the way they talk. Individuals of all ages may become unpopular by over-flogging topics that are of no interest to the listeners. Even individuals who have exciting contents can muddle their messages with confusing speech patterns.

Recent college graduates often drive coworkers to distraction with “up-talking.” An individual is an uptalker if he tends to end his statements with upward inflections, making them sound like questions. This can change the meaning of a sentence and make you look timid.

If you indulge in too much profanity in a culture that promotes polite speech, then you are a poor communicator. Also, the whiners never make it into the inner caucus of a team that values a positive attitude. If you regularly break your sentence with uh, break up your, ah, sentences with, y’ know, too many little, um, tics, your points may not be heard.

Most times, we do not notice when our speech patterns interfere with how we connect to others. If you have hesitations about how you speak, ask your friends to listen to you speak and report what they hear. Alternatively, records your next speech and find ways to ask the following questions:

• Do I use the same words or phrases — like, “Awesome” or “Am I right?” — over and again?

• Is there anything about my tone that seems difficult to make out?

• Do I take a lot of time to make my point, arguing my case even after I’ve won?

• Do I speak fast in a way that some people may have trouble understanding?

• Do I weaken the impact of my points with tentative preliminary phrasing like, “I’m not sure, but I think that . . .”

• Do I continuously say “I” no matter what topic is under discussion?

If your listeners are annoyed, bored, or confused by the way you talk, they may tune you out. Go extra lengths to understand your speech habits, and be clear what conversational style to include as part of your personal branding.

Conclusion

Think like an Entrepreneur, act like a CEO. Change your attitude from being a cog in the wheel to the driver. Run your career like a one-man show, accept, no one will do this for you. Switch to an entrepreneur mindset, it gives you confidence, swagger, autonomy, and choice. View your employer as a client, it will help you navigate your career path and remain resilient during rocky patches.

Try this
Think like an entrepreneur, Wherever You Are. Become goal oriented, remember that, it is not enough to understand your own objectives, you need to understand your organization’s mission, prevailing challenges, and how your contribution can help the collective mission. Know your customers, listen attentively, learn from failures. This way, you can become a great entrepreneur wherever you are