Characteristics and Contributions Enterprising People Characteristics and Contributions

Enterprising People What is an enterprising person? Enterprising People – are people who demonstrate many of the characteristics of entrepreneurs. They can make things happen. They may pursue their visions as intrapreneurs, or they may try to accomplish their goals in their spare time. Many enterprising people are agents of social change. They respond to needs and wants in order to improve the lives of others or to contribute to the community.

Intrapreneurship What is intrapreneurship? Intrapreneurs – people who are entrepreneurial or enterprising within a corporation or organization.

Intrapreneurship Many people show the qualities or characteristics of an entrepreneur in their every day life These people set aside the “traditional” ways of doing things and find their own unique way to get things done Idea --- Process --- Product

Intrapreneurs Often emerge in large companies Help their employers find better ways to do everyday tasks and are rewarded with bonuses, promotions, etc. Can be a huge help to a business if recognized If not, will become entrepreneurs and set up their own business with own ideas

3M Allows employees to take time during regular work hours to develop their own innovations Post-It Used to mark sheet music in church Suggested 3M use it and promote it to offices

How to Encourage Intrapreneurship Often done in small teams Can be done with competitions within the workplace Anonymous suggestion boxes

Common Examples Ways to save money and time Ways to improve communication Understanding how a job can be done smarter Enhancing quality of product/service Reducing time/resources Enhancing workplace atmosphere/sociability

Characteristics of Enterprising People Strong-Willed Status-Conscious Ambitious Competitive Sociable Talkative Witty Argumentative Adventurous

Examples of Enterprising People Terry Fox – Run for Cancer June Callwood – Home for Abused Women Herb Carnegie – Future Aces Rick Hansen – World Motion Tour for Handicapped Arthur Fry – 3M post-it Lee Iacocca – Chrysler mini van Sarah McLachlan – Lilith Fair Tour Peter Dalglish – Street Kids International

Examples of Enterprising People Terry Fox Terry Fox set out to raise money for cancer research by running across Canada. He single handedly raised close to $24 million with his Marathon of Hope. What characteristics did Terry exhibit?

Examples of Enterprising People June Callwood June Callwood was a Canadian journalist, author, and social activist. She has founded many youth hostels and women’s shelter’s in Toronto and the GTA. What characteristics did June exhibit?

Examples of Enterprising People Arthur Fry Arthur Fry was a US scientist and inventor. While working at 3M he created the post-it-note in 1974 and it was released to the general market in 1980. They are now sold in over 100 countries. What characteristics did Arthur exhibit?

Examples of Enterprising People Rick Hansen Rick Hansen was born on August 26, 1957. At age 15 he was in a fatal car crash and suffered a spinal cord injury. He began the Man in Motion tour on March 21, 1985. The purpose of the tour was to raise funds for spinal cord research. He logged over 40,000km through 34 countries (4 continents) and raised $26 million dollars.

Your Enterprising Skills Use the handout to make a list of your own enterprising skills Be sure to list at least 5 skills, think of school, sports teams, extra-curricular hobbies, part-time jobs, etc.

What Motivates Enterprising People Money Some wish to work in large corporations with lots of chances for advancement Security Some choose to work in a sector where there is little chance for job loss if you perform well Meaningful Work Some really want to help others, or make a difference Learning New Skills Some wish to better themselves within an organization

Ways a Corporation can Encourage Employees to be Enterprising People Profit sharing e.g., Chez Piggy’s restaurant – Kingston, E.D. Smith Team concept Suggestion box e.g., High Schools, General Motors, Honda e.g., 3M – creative groups for new ideas Stock purchase plan e.g., Canadian Tire Pay for courses employees take to upgrade skills Encourage Professional Development Innovative and fun work environment

Provide support for enterprising people Evaluate ideas Reward efforts and results Provide freedom from constraints (flex hours) Encourage passion and commitment Share power Reward commitment and innovation Build teams and collaborative problem solving Lead by example Celebrate achievement Recognize efforts Establish a system to accept ideas and invest in idea generation

Personal Benefits of Being an Enterprising Person Wide choice of careers and jobs Enthusiasm Energy Ability to accomplish tasks Ability to work for a company or open their own business Leading groups, committees, or organizations Supervising others

Ways in which you can be Enterprising Get involved in your school clubs - teams -student council -yearbook school newspaper - spirit days -helping others start a club -start a band - fund raising Get involved in your community volunteer - contribute - help a senior listen for problems there may be an opportunity look for ways to do things better create your own summer job talk to local entrepreneurs

Independent Work Read pages 35-38 in your text Answer questions 2-7