In today’s internationally competitive and uncertain economic markets it is those who develop and use their entrepreneurial skills and competencies who will thrive.
Public, private, commercial and voluntary organisations are all facing major global challenges. These include uncertain demand, a volatile economy, worldwide competition for talent and income and the need to manage uncertainty and risk. For employers, employees and job seekers alike the consequence is an increasing sense of insecurity and concern about the future. Within this adverse context the challenges for the individual and society as a whole are huge.
But there are also opportunities. It is our innate entrepreneurial capabilities that will enable us to see and to seize them. Few people would probably identify themselves as being ‘entrepreneurial’ because for many the term ‘entrepreneurship’ is misunderstood, and can even be perceived to have negative connotations; at worst a ‘typical entrepreneur’ can be presented as ‘slightly shady’ or even reckless, so it isn’t surprising that we don’t really want to be associated with that term. However many, and probably most, entrepreneurial business people don’t match this cameo, and in fact entrepreneurship really has much less to do with business than about the person who’s running it.
Entrepreneurial characteristics are actually part of human nature and inherent in all of us, albeit for most of us they’re largely under-utilised. Creative thinking, imaginative use of knowledge, being able to see opportunities in problems and the ability to take initiative are all entrepreneurial traits, and although these are useful in a business context that’s a long way from being the whole picture.
So entrepreneurship is fundamentally about behaviour and attitude. If people and organisations across all sectors, ranging from voluntary and community organisations to the arts and health sectors, behave in an entrepreneurial way they will find new ways to respond positively to the dynamic environments in which they operate. In today’s internationally competitive and uncertain economic markets it is those who develop and use their entrepreneurial skills and competencies who will thrive.
Consult ICE to find out how we can help you, or your organisation, to thrive through tapping into your innate entrepreneurship.
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