(another thought provoking post from Lou Pritchett. My key takeaway - how do we allow our people's entrepreneurial spirits to thrive and not be squashed by our big corporation? Why do the most innovative, out-of-the-box thinkers often get bored/frustrated/burnt out at a company with tons of resources and leave for 'smaller,' 'more innovative,' 'more responsive' companies with little to no resources? Do the two have to be mutually exclusive? Enjoy. - Len)
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A Post By Lou Pritchett:
A great misconception is that to be identified today as an entrepreneur one must not be gainfully employed in a large corporation, rather one must be a one person 'gang' doing his or her own thing outside the controls of big business.
Nonsense! There are far more entrepreneurs and potential entrepreneurs inside corporate America than there are outside. The problem is that too many corporate CEO's wouldn't recognize an entrepreneur if one bit him/her and as a result the tremendous power of the entrepreneurial spirit is lost.
Another false premise is that all entrepreneurs are driven solely by the desire to accumulate huge piles of money.
Nonsense! The Entrepreneurial spirit is driven by the need to go beyond, to push the envelope, to see their vision through to reality. Perhaps writer Gifford Pinchot III, describes them best when he says entrepreneurs are "--dreamers who do".
Thanks to the "great enabler", the microchip, we are on the cusp of the greatest business revolution in history. Information and technology are going to be commodities available to anyone and everyone around the world.
Therefore the one thing that will separate the corporate winners from the losers will be the individuals who make it up and management had better ensure that those individuals are allowed to bring their entrepreneurial best to the workplace.
I am convinced that there has never been a more critical time in history for corporate America's leaders to wake up and set plans in action to hire, encourage and reward the rank and file for the entrepreneurial spirit and flair.
However, there is no litmus test for entrepreneurs. You can't go on campus, test, recruit, and hire just entrepreneurs. Some people show signs early in their careers and some show it late. Many show it on the basis of the 'shazam' principle---almost by magic, depending on the circumstances. The key, therefore, is for corporate management to create an atmosphere where the Entrepreneurial spirit can sprout, grow and produce results.
Copyright 2005-Pritchett Enterprises
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