Welcome To Being Enterprising

Jane Shaw

Enterprising You Supporting others to be enterprising Enterprising communities Enterprising organisations

How Enterprising are you? In this workshop we will: look at the skills of those setting up enterprises in the 21st century We’ll look at their recipe for success and examine how they make use of their talents to create opportunity Discover just how enterprising you are And consider how you might develop your own enterprise skills

Enterprising People? In small group of four or five draw a figure that depicts an enterprising person highlighting any key characteristics

Behaviours Skills Attributes Opportunity seeking Taking initiative Coping with uncertainty Taking calculated risks Making things happen Responding to challenge Managing interdependence Rapid use of judgement Social networking Problem-solving Persuasiveness Negotiating Decision-making under uncertainty Creativity Strategic thinking Articulation Sense-making Socialising Holistic management Self-confidence Achievement orientation Ability to behave autonomously Versatility and flexibility Dynamism and urgency Resourcefulness Action orientation Perseverance Strong ego Commitment Determination

Enterprising people are thought to be good at: opportunity seeking and grasping taking the initiative to make things happen solving problems creatively managing autonomously taking responsibility for, and ownership of, things seeing things through networking effectively putting things together creatively using judgement to take calculated risks

Being Enterprising ‘Enterprise is purposeful, active behaviour which can take place in any number of contexts, business being only one. Enterprise is making things happen, having ideas and doing something about them, taking advantage of the opportunity, and bringing about change’ Paul Kearney, 1994

An Entrepreneur… In the private sector… ‘is a person who habitually creates and innovates to build something of recognised value around perceived opportunities’. Bill Bolton and John Thompson In the public sector… ‘operates in a time of dramatic change, sees opportunity and mobilises others in the community to work towards their collective wellbeing’. Douglas Henton 1999 In the social sector… ‘identifies under-utilised resources; people, buildings, equipment – and find ways of putting them to use to satisfy unmet social needs’. Leadbeater, 1997

Push me, Pull me

How enterprising are you? Imagine you’re on holiday lying on the beach and reading your favourite magazine when you come upon an intriguing questionnaire... complete the questionnaire score your answers and plot your profiles

How enterprising are you? Were you surprised by any of the questions? What about your own personal profiles? Where do your skills lie? How are you going to make the most of your enterprising skills?

Searching for opportunities

‘In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity’ Albert Einstein

The Bandwidth Test Write down the following; Last book you read Last movie you saw Last CD/MP3 you downloaded All trade publications you read on a semi-regular basis Any other ‘media’ you read on a semi regular basis The following 15 groupings make up for approx 50-60% of worlds GDP Agriculture, banking/finance, construction, education, government, hospitality, IT, Utilities, Media/Entertainment, Medicine/Healthcare, Military, Retail, Telecoms, Trade, Transport Chances are you will see opportunities for one of these groups Go back your list and decide what your ‘coverage’ is.

Creativity and innovation play fundamental roles in the success of many of the world's leading businesses. Often, the objective of dynamic, growing businesses is to innovate as well as to generate profits. Innovation is about more than just bringing new and improved products and services to market. It's about finding new ways to increase the efficiency of your business.

Two characteristics associated with highly creative people are risk-taking and tenacity. In this context ‘risk-taking’ describes the impulse to find and try original ideas, to go beyond one’s familiar boundaries of knowledge and explore new possibilities rather than staying in the relative security of what we already know. Creative people

Rules about brainstorming… Getting lots of ideas Rules about brainstorming… No criticism, evaluation, judgement or defence of ideas during the session No limit to wild ideas Every idea is to be expressed Quantity is better than quality Piggybacking on ideas is encouraged Allow repetition All ideas should be recorded The ideas are owned by the group

Ways of thinking Divergent thinking looks beyond the boundaries that define the problem. Judgement is deferred Convergent thinking is about selecting the best ideas and calls for judgment.

Deferring judgement ‘Imagination is more important than knowledge for, while knowledge defines all we currently know and understand, imagination points to all we might discover and create’ Albert Einstein

Now re-design the scene with the following people in mind…

Stars in your eyes Am I motivated to make it happen? Will it generate sales? Is it innovative/new? Can I get the resources to make it happen?

The Enterprise Apprenticeship Volunteer Learn from role models Read stories of enterprise Think portfolio working Set yourself a challenge Tell people what you want to do Build your contacts Build an enterprise scrapbook Make allies of those close to you Be your own customer Find an opportunity every day Solve other people’s problems Get your resources in place Get out of your box Fake it ‘till you make it Get above your station in life Avoid ‘nay sayers’

A friend comes to you with a bright idea for an enterprise and they want you to invest your time, money and energy. What questions would you ask before getting involved?

Motivation Idea Ability Resources Yours Other peoples Who will buy Why will they buy How much will they buy How will you sell it to them Ability Opportunity seeking and grasping Taking the initiative to make things happen Solving problems creatively Taking responsibility for and ownership of things Seeing things through Networking effectively Using judgement to take calculated risks Resources People Materials Information Technology Equipment Building Cash Contacts Networks