Using an Entrepreneurial Mindset in your Career
People who come to the United States from other countries see
America as the Land of Opportunity. This isn't just a cliche --
if you talk to recent immigrants, they'll tell you this is how
they really feel. This country wasn't founded by professional
warriors, as were many other nations. It was founded by
entrepreneurs. George Washington was a businessman who wanted
fairer taxes and property rights. So this country has been
structured from the beginning to be friendly to business people.
Our taxes are relatively low for a Western country, and our laws
give people the freedom to set up any business they can think of
here. While taking the risk of investing money and opening up a
new business isn't for everyone, this country still has more
opportunities to make a living doing a wider variety of things
than any other place in the world.
It may be natural for immigrants to see America as the land of
opportunity because they can compare it with the country they
came from. But it's often harder for native-born Americans to
see the abundance of opportunities here. As children, most
Americans are able to go to school full-time and basically have
all their essential needs taken care of at least until they are
teenagers. In school, teachers tell children exactly what they
need to do to get good grades. In college, students have a
little more autonomy but in most places of higher education, the
students are essentially given a roadmap of how to get their
degree - which classes they need to take, how many credits are
needed, etc. So growing up with all this structure and
direction, it is only natural that one's first instinct would
not be to take initiative on their own in the workplace. Many
people leave college for their first job and expect the employer
to provide the same structure and direction that they got from
school growing up.
For many people, searching for a job doesn't feel natural
because there isn't a set structure to it. Like being an
entrepreneur, being a job seeker requires imagination and
initiative. Most people want to get their job search over with
as quickly as possible so they can get back to the comfort of a
corporate job. But for those who want to truly have a career and
a life they love, adopting a permanent entrepreneurial mindset
is the only reliable way to achieve those goals. Salespeople and
entrepreneurs wake up in the morning and know they have to take
initiative that day to earn a living. If a salesperson doesn't
pick up the phone or an entrepreneur doesn't execute their
business plan, they don't make any money.
Proactive people take the initiative to go above and beyond
what's required. Doing that little bit extra can be the
difference between getting a promotion and not getting one. Or
it could be what makes someone want to introduce you to a
recruiter who gets you a great job. If you're proactive at work,
you're constantly looking for ways to help make your team more
efficient, save the company money, etc. Taking the attitude of
always looking for new opportunities is what it takes to land a
great job. This same attitude is what it takes to be a star
performer once you land the job. And it is absolutely essential
if you have your own business.
I hope this article will inspire you to take a step back and
examine how you've been going about your job search. Have you
been as proactive as possible, exploring as many opportunities
as you can and with a positive attitude? Think about how a good
salesperson approaches a prospect. They are optimistic and
realize their positive attitude will contribute to closing the
sale.