Finding Your Entrepreneurial Spirit

Due to the COVID pandemic, the world has been turned upside down overnight. It's easy to see and feel the losses -- and even easier to focus on the downsides. However, even during the worst downturns there are always opportunities. We’re seeing those bright spots now – distilleries producing hand sanitizers or manufacturers like InnerWill client Kenmore Envelope, producing protective face shields. Businesses are responding creatively to challenges even with scarce resources.

How can you make the most out of this opportunity? As a leader, it’s incredibly important to create a sense of entrepreneurism within our teams. Help people cultivate that spirit to persevere and innovate. Here are a few tips:

• Start with a clear, realistic goal married with the unshakeable belief that your team can achieve it.
• Engage your teams—share your vision, provide fences then set them free to get after it. An engaged team will be more collaborative, connected, and committed.
• Take risks and new things. Experiment fast, see what works, learn the lessons then innovate.
• Embrace the uncertainty and accept that you might fail. We can learn a lot from falling short, and one failure is rarely the end. Encouraging others means giving them the courage to get back up when they get knocked down.

This crisis is showing how resourceful, proactive, and resilient we can be – and that spirit of entrepreneurism can help us bounce back stronger than ever.

What are you doing with your teams to keep your entrepreneurial spirit alive? Share it with me in the comments below or send me an email at [email protected]. I’d love to hear from you!

Learn more about InnerWill’s solutions at innerwill.org.