Enterprise skills session 4

Introduction Intro What’s your T shirt

Review of self study from last session I asked you to pick 4 or 5 companies or organizations and look out their web site. What are the characteristics it demonstrates or are they trying to demonstrate? Alternatively for an organization you work for, or would like to work for, do the same. Write up your thoughts. We will review your findings. What were the symptoms, what did they display, which showed the most enterprise? Good and bad practice. Any particular good practice?

Review of self study from last session Do you think that many companies actually demonstrate enterprising characteristics? To the general public? To their existing customers? To potential customers? To their own staff?

Personality selling exercise People often ‘buy’ (or the opposite) into the enterprising person as much as the goods and services they provide Can you think of any of examples of this from their own life or business? Think about some famous entrepreneurs – Alan Sugar, Gordon Ramsey, Richard Branson’s Virgin group - arguably for these personality is a key factor?

The exercise This exercise is about encouraging people to be able to sell or market themselves. Develops NGCE criteria of: – Strategic thinking – Negotiation capacity – Selling and persuasion – Imagination – Achievement orientation – Also self belief and personal charisma. I'll hand out a card to each person and then you have five minutes to prepare a 60 second speech.

Personality selling exercise - scenario There is a rocket leaving the planet Earth to escape from a collapsing world. There is a new planet out there waiting for new leader and a new group of people to help lead. Some people have already gone up to the new planet and there are enough people already there to ensure continuity of the human race. We are looking for a new leader and a new group of people to join and go there in a rocket. The problem is that there are limited places available on the rocket.....

Round 1 You have five minutes to each to each prepare a one minute speech. The speech should aim to sell yourself as a person with a vision, leadership qualities and the character to build and contribute to the new world.

Your speeches After each speech has taken place you should then vote or select who should stay in the rocket.

Round 2 After we have selected the people these people now have to prepare a 60 second speech aimed at destroying any of the arguments put forward by the other people chosen for the rocket. You are not selling yourselves at the moment at the moment.

Round 3 Each person now makes a 30 second speech defending themselves are making a final statement as to why they should be chosen for the rocket and why they should become the leader of the New World. Vote on who should remain in the rocket and who should be the leader.

Reflection The personality selling exercise was about personal projection and the ability to articulate comment under pressure. Which was more important – a person’s argument itself away or the person? Or both? What can we learn from this?

Short break?

Role play job interview selling exercise Next we're going to build on the last exercise. Think back to the exercise we did in a previous session about enterprising characteristics - the illness and symptoms exercise and also the relationship learning exercise we did. We're going to do a role-play exercise about demonstrating enterprising skills and characteristics, use of imagination, empathy, and demonstrating enterprising values, attitudes and characteristics. Aim is to enhance the capacity of you to internalise and apply concepts of the entrepreneurial person.

Exercise Split into 3 groups: 1 person/group is the interviewer, 1 person is the interviewee (different person for each round) and 1 person/group are the observers. I’ll hand out separate instructions to each person/group. We will role play 2 rounds

Reflection Discuss the differences between round 1 and round 2. Think about body language, tone, volume, words used, pace, etc. How much more enterprising was candidate 2?

And How could the second interviewee have demonstrated even more enterprising values, attitudes and characteristics? What could they have done differently? What else could they have done? What would we have seen?

What’s your T shirt say now?

Hofstede’s Modes/frameworks of national culture Hofstede’s research of different countries. His work is relevant to enterprise. Hofstede identifies five dimensions of culture in his study of national work related values. These cultural differences describe averages or tendencies and not characteristics of individuals 1 Low vs. high power distance - This dimension measures how much the less/least powerful members of institutions and organizations expect and accept that power is distributed unequally. How people perceive power differences.

Hofstede’s Modes/frameworks of national culture 2 Individualism vs. collectivism - This dimension measures how much members of the culture define themselves apart from their group memberships. In individualist cultures, people are expected to develop and display their individual personalities and to choose their own affiliations. In collectivist cultures, people are defined and usually/primarily act mainly as a member of a long-term group, such as the family, a town, an age cohort, a profession, etc

Hofstede’s Modes/frameworks of national culture 3 Masculinity vs. femininity - This dimension measures the value placed on traditional male or female values (as identified/understood in most Western cultures). In ‘masculine' cultures, people value competitiveness, assertiveness, ambition, and the accumulation of wealth. In so-called 'feminine' cultures, people value relationships and the quality of life.

Hofstede’s Modes/frameworks of national culture 4 Low vs. high uncertainty avoidance - This dimension measures how much members of a society attempt to cope with anxiety by minimizing uncertainty. In cultures with high uncertainty avoidance, people prefer explicit rules (e.g. about religion and food) and formally structured activities; employees tend to remain longer with their present employer. In cultures with low uncertainty avoidance, people prefer implicit or flexible rules or guidelines and informal activities. Employees tend to change employers more frequently

Hofstede’s Modes/frameworks of national culture 5 Long vs. short term orientation - This dimension describes a society's ‘time horizon’ or the importance attached to the future, versus the past and present. In long term oriented societies, people value actions and attitudes that affect the future: such as persistence/perseverance, thrift, and shame. In short term oriented societies, people value actions and attitudes that are affected by the past or the present: immediate stability, protecting one's own face, respect for tradition, and reciprocity of greetings, favours, and gifts.

Hofstede’s Modes/frameworks of national culture So some cultures may be more or less enterprising? Can you think of any examples from your own experience? Could it to some extent explain why some countries such as USA are more enterprising than others? Perhaps look on web after today’s session?

Next week We’ll be looking at our own perspectives on life – you will do some web based diagnostic tests between now and the next session. One of the tests the GET test is specifically about enterprise, the others are about how you perceive life. So there will be some self study...

Self study homework Use the internet to do 3 diagnostic tests – there are links from the Wiki website Seligman learned optimism test Rotters locus of control GET test Then look at website wordle and produce a word cloud with words and phrases that are in your mind/thoughts after the above 3 diagnostic tests Then produce a learning log. Bring the results with you to the next session! – Print off your word cloud And remember to bring with you the results of your interview with an entrepreneur!

Website with resources My The wiki website for the course es.com/ es.com/