{"id":1937,"date":"2017-10-26T15:06:13","date_gmt":"2017-10-26T19:06:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovators.org\/?p=1937"},"modified":"2018-10-05T06:22:54","modified_gmt":"2018-10-05T10:22:54","slug":"engage-employees-thinking-like-entrepreneurs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovators.org\/stage\/blog\/thinking-like-entrepreneurs\/","title":{"rendered":"Engage All Employees in Thinking Like Entrepreneurs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thinking like an entrepreneur is a must for business owners \u2013 but have you ever thought about the benefits of getting all<\/em> your employees to think like entrepreneurs too?<\/p>\n

If you want your business to be innovative from the top down to the front line, this type of thinking needs to be ingrained in your whole organization (not just in the CEOs office). Entrepreneurial thinking should become part of your company culture<\/a> and encouraged by your leadership team; it isn\u2019t just a one-and-done initiative.<\/p>\n

An article by Canadian Business<\/em>, \u201c<\/strong>How to get your employees to think more like entrepreneurs<\/strong><\/a>\u201d<\/strong>, discuses several innovative Canadian companies that are achieving huge growth thanks to the \u201cintrapreneurial\u201d spirit of their employees. According to the article, \u201cIn a world where innovation cycles move lightning fast, you\u2019d better believe the companies outfitted with a small army of intrapreneurs are forging well ahead of their competitors.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ken Tencer, Innovators Alliance speaker, guest blogger<\/a>, and CEO of Spyder Works Inc., was featured in the article, saying: \u201cBefore the internet and globalization, you could drive a business on a few successful market launches\u2026 but you can\u2019t create the number of ideas necessary to succeed on your own anymore.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"The companies that are exploding with growth and success are those that allow their employees the freedom to try new ideas<\/strong>, the flexibility to pursue self-driven goals<\/strong>, and the support to fail<\/strong> and get back up again \u2013 and all of this within the confines of the goals of the organization.<\/p>\n

For many CEOs and business owners, this type of change won\u2019t happen without a change in your organization\u2019s structure and processes. Employees need to be given opportunities for creative thinking \u2013 they need time and space dedicated to it, regularly.<\/p>\n

At Innovators Alliance, we have outlined an exercise called \u201cThe 1st<\/sup> S.T.E.P. to Innovation\u201d<\/strong>, an environmental scan that business owners can use to engage all employees in thinking about upcoming trends and ideas that could impact the company.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a brief overview of the exercise:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 1st<\/sup> S.T.E.P. to Innovation<\/h2>\n

Spark a discussion around each of the below topics.<\/p>\n

Socio-Cultural Considerations<\/h3>\n

Example questions:<\/p>\n