John and Jack
When one utters the word ‘Entrepreneurship,’ what would you think of? If you are among the majority of the masses, you will think of starting a business or launching a startup. But is it 100% true?
Let’s take an example. John and Jack are the employees of a company working in the service sector. John comes to office at 9 am sharp, takes down the tasks, performs the operations assigned without questioning his boss, submits his reports to the manager, and goes home at 5 pm sharp. At home, he follows the typical thought of keeping office and home separate and spends his time at home with his wife and kids. On the other hand, Jack does not maintain the so-called ‘distance’ with his boss and asks him a lot of questions, even if the context is not in his portfolio.
He sometimes drafts even those bullets which were not requested, due to which he sometimes has to apologize for not taking permission to prepare those bullets. He is never in a hurry to go home, and generally is the last person to leave the office (even his boss does not know what he is actually into, alone in the office) and calls his boss in the night that he has developed a new way to combat a problem in the current project. His boss is not surprised if he comes up with the same old B-idea of the organization which failed years ago but with some renovation and his strange-looking vision.
Who is a better resource for the company, John, the employee with no flaws or Jack, the employee who has to apologize many a time, goes beyond the limits set by the organization?
If you look at it as a third person working in the same company, you will voice for John. But, if you try to perceive as the CEO of the company, who has to lead not only in good times but in tough times too, you will definitely go for Jack.
Let me talk about the reason for choosing Jack over John. John adds to the organization when it is on the soar. What if it faces some risk or starts to plunge? He would simply switch to the other company and starts adding there.
What about Jack? He is connected to the soul of the company, thinks about it beyond the tasks assigned, comes up with the ideas to develop the organization on his own. He would not quit the company even when it gets dip and might come up as a trouble-shooter or risk manager.
What does The Entrepreneurial Approach Mean?
The above discussion concluded with the fact that Jack proves to be a better employee. But what made him better? If you ask me as one in mass, I will call it the commitment towards his company, but if I answer as an element of the B-ecosystem, I will call it the entrepreneurial approach towards his job. To understand the entrepreneurial attitude, you need to clear yourself about entrepreneurship (and that beyond the dictionary). Entrepreneurship means learning new things to work or at work, getting mentored by your coach or your boss, and getting involved with your job, not like a task but a mission.
The entrepreneurial approach means developing innovation in your work, find better ways to make things, and leading progress in the organization (it can be owned by you or the one which umbrellas you).
What this approach mainly stands on is ‘Job crafting.’ To understand ‘Job crafting,’ you need to know the true meaning of the job. Is going to the office, sitting in your cubicle or cabin for hours, going through tasks, and coming back to home defines it? If yes, then why would the word ‘Job satisfaction’ ever get penned? In the real sense, a Job means the work which fits on your abilities, capabilities, beliefs, and talents. We often hear from leaders, “Choose the Job you love.” How can we know, if I would love a Job or would hate it? It’s the synchronization of your talents and the personality needed in the cubicle or cabin.
Job Crafting
Your ability to make your job more entrepreneurial can be termed as Job crafting. Let’s understand this term from a practical angle. Jack was always into his work and not a mere task. Apart from doing his responsibilities, he used to think about better ways to do the same things, brought old failed ideas with some innovations and objectified them with his understanding of the market, he connected himself with the progress of the company and would think of various steps to achieve the same.
You can’t decide if John loved his job or did it for his needs. But Jack loved his job, and you would not doubt it. Why? It’s because of his entrepreneurial approach or Job crafting.
Corporate Innovation
You would have seen a number of people who assume that only co-working spaces or recently launched startups would have this Job crafting thing. Is it true? Let’s answer this straight looking spiral question. So, who are these people, sitting in co-working spaces? You would say, recent pass-outs of universities. I would say they are a 50% slice of the complete pie. Who is the rest of the 50%? Yes, here is your answer, they are the one who once sat in a cubicle of an organization, today looking for some angel investor and would be giving their TED talk tomorrow, as the founder of some ‘Unicorn.’
One thing every corporate should understand that they might run good with the 9 to 5 employees, but only entrepreneurs can lead them on the exponential graph and make them sustain during tough times.
Every organization has some brain with the entrepreneurial approach, but they have to foster them.
What the experts call ‘Intrapreneurship’ or ‘Corporate innovation’ should be developed. The people with Job crafting skills and are reward sensitive would be most suitable for this methodology of ‘Corporate innovation.’
How Can One Develop The Entrepreneurial Approach?
We have discussed why an individual needs an entrepreneurial approach in his job and why companies should foster such individuals, but the biggest question is, can this approach be developed? If yes, then how?
Yes, it can definitely be developed. All you need is to transform yourself into ‘Jack.’
You have to think of the problems without the limitation of subjects, think of a marketing issue from a psychological point of you, involve international relations in economics—means you have to go liberal.
Don’t consider the dustbin as waste; unfold the old ideas which failed due to lack of timing, salesmanship, or sponsorship. Renovate these old ideas with your new vision, gravitas, and resilience to bring these ideas to the right mass. If you look at most of the successful B-leaders, they are lesser an inventor and more an innovator.
“Don’t believe in things to happen but put your efforts to make them happen,” Sounds little philosophical, right? Use it in the case of corporate. Don’t wait for your boss to give you a particular task; try to get them from him. Don’t fear to make mistakes, make them, and get mentored by your boss. It’s better to apologize than to avoid doing things in the process of asking for permission.
Always remember one thing, you would be interested in a job or love a job only when you create an impact. Your entrepreneurial approach might land you into some trouble, but it’s the same set that will take you out and place you at the mount.