We all know about and realise the importance of entrepreneurship to an economy.
I don’t have to list any of the famous business people who often started with very little to amass their empires and fortunes. Here are innovators, people who typically took risks and had the foresight to build, in many cases, something substantial out of nothing.
Entrepreneurship is often linked to innovation and governments are well aware of the need to provide assistance to start-ups because they know how vital they are vital to job creation and national income. Admittedly many fail but the ones that do make it tend to be hugely successful and the benefits to economic prosperity are significant.
I think there’s a part in all of us that harbours ambitions of working for ourselves, building something that we can call our own, and as one chap recently told me, “being your own boss and not taking orders from anyone any more”. While this has great appeal, the reality is that only the select few have the ideas, the determination and drive to make it happen and see it through – a picnic it certainly isn’t.
Coping with failure
As we’re not all cut out for it, then what makes these individuals special? To help me out, and the idea behind this article, has been the work of best-selling author and New Yorker staff writer, +Malcolm Gladwell, in David & Goliath – Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants (I would also recommend you watch his interview on Inc.com in which he discusses the main themes of the book).
One extremely interesting finding is the link between dyslexia and entrepreneurship. Gladwell argues that this disadvantage – a ‘disability’ in society’s eyes – can actually be a ‘desirable difficulty’. The point he makes is that, despite the hard time dyslexics go through during their formative years, they learn to adapt from an early age and develop other skills, which sets them in good stead and gives them that entrepreneurial edge.
Notably, they are not as affected by failure. Yes, that’s right. What differentiates these mavericks is that determination to succeed, no matter what. As well we know, all success stories are fraught with failure, you need to fail (often many times), before success comes your way. Dyslexia has made them comfortable with failure from an early age.
Care to disagree
This leads nicely on to another trait that these innovators have, according to Gladwell, and that is being ‘disagreeable’. In other words they are more likely to take risks and not be affected by what others think. They are more likely to scorn conventional wisdom.
There is more to entrepreneurs than meets the eye. Although, as I’ve already said, we can all strive and dream of becoming one, the evidence would point to certain life patterns and characteristics that seemingly facilitate the path to entrepreneurship. Call it upbringing, call it genetic makeup, call it circumstances, entrepreneurs don’t just suddenly wake up, and ‘hey presto’, here’s the next winning business idea. It takes years in the making.
These people have actually spent a lot of time, often grappling with adversity and forming the attributes from an early age that are needed to ‘entreprendre’ or undertake.
This is certainly no small undertaking.
Given the continual email bombardment that we’re under and the constant demands on our time, it’s no surprise that our productivity levels as individuals (and as a nation) are nose-diving. I went in search of some answers with the ‘Productivity Ninja’, +Graham Allcott.
So Graham, what is your definition of productivity?
GA: Achieving what you want to achieve for the least possible effort. Efficiency plays into it. Lots of people have lots of ambition but it’s how you manage your attention to get to those things and avoid those distractions. How do you measure it? Lots of people spend a lot of time moving all their stuff, obsessing about the perfect email. Ultimately, did you achieve what you wanted to, whatever your definition of success might be?
Give us a few top email/inbox management tips.
GA: The ultimate aim is to keep your inbox to zero. What most people find is that their inbox takes on five different jobs, for example where email lands, for reading stuff, waiting on somebody else, sending email reminders to yourself etc. The idea of inbox zero is to create a few folders (to action, to read, pending etc.) so that you get to the stage where there is never any reason to leave anything in your inbox.
Onto email etiquette – any advice in this area?
GA: The way to look at it is how do we make email etiquette as compelling an idea as say getting your inbox to zero? What we find is that people tend to copy others in their organisation, particularly more senior colleagues, depending on the company culture. So one way would be to discuss bugbears with these people, facilitate a dialogue and set some ground rules. One tip is to leave the subject line until last and to make it as appealing and functional to the person on the receiving end.
You’re not a fan of multitasking, are you?
GA: Multitasking is rapidly refocusing one thing onto another, which is tiring. What I’m saying is that sequential monotasking – bringing each task to its natural conclusion point – is a much better way to operate. The cult of being busy takes over so you need discipline to scream out the distractions. Get comfortable with imperfection and comfortable with failure, leave emails to focus on other things, allow yourself permission to do that, get permission from your boss so that response times allow you to manage email imperfectly. Open plan offices are possibly the most distracting environment, so get out as often as possible and create a space that’s conducive to focusing. For example, there’s an app that recreates a coffee shop environment.
And finally how do we become productivity ninjas?
GA: The short answer is to read my book and apply the nine characteristics mentioned! Everyone can get there, no one is perfect and we can all improve on our journey to becoming more productive. The extra work that we’ve all had to take on during the recession has inevitably led to us biting off more than we can chew. So, it’s about changing our relationship with work and being as comfortable with what we’re not as with what we are doing.
Manage your time more efficiently - two top tips
1) Think more about energy and attention levels, what I call “proactive attention” in my book. People often start with their biggest priority but ignore their energy levels – you need to schedule your work accordingly, so for example you focus on the big staff when you’re most alert. The trick is to know when your good attention comes.
2) A simple ground rule – don’t keep anything in your head, write it down, put it onto paper, for example when you have ideas along the way, always jot them down.
Graham Allcott is the author of “How to be a Productivity Ninja: Worry Less, Achieve More and Love What You Do”. You can find out more www.thinkproductive.co.uk. Graham’s book is available on Amazon.co.uk.
On the eve of the Le Tour peloton rolling into London, I thought it would be quite nice to post about an article I read in the +Financial Times Weekend supplement by Sir Dave Brailsford.
For those of you that don't know, Brailsford is widely recognised as the man who revolutionised British cycling, first as Performance Director of the Olympic track team and more recently as general manager of Team Sky, culminating with Sir Bradley Wiggins's landmark first British win in 2012.
"Picking the right people"
In his comment piece, Brailsford talks about the very unique set-up of a professional cycling team, the "specific role" of each 'équipier' and the need "to perform to the best of their abilities" in helping the team leader win a Tour.
The first question that needs answering is who you'll pick as your number one. The second is then selecting the eight individuals, all with different skills, that can bring you to the promised land of cycling nirvana.
Brailsford talks of the importance to "gel as a group". As he goes on to say, "The key to their [business people] success is picking the right people for important positions and encouraging them to work together as a team". Obvious parallels with the world of business.
Brailsford's "winning alchemy"
1) "Goal harmony" - everyone being aligned with the team's objectives; you win and lose together.
2) "Open-mindedness" - having the presence of mind to keep options open, particularly where innovation is concerned.
3) "Pursuit of excellence" - what everyone should aspire to, whether you're on the frontline or in a supporting role.
Meeting targets, according to Brailsford, is all about "selecting the best team available" and when making any decision, you must always ask yourself, "Will it increase our chance of winning?"
It sure has for Brailsford and his teams.
