Entrepreneurs love what they do. They do what they love, are dreamers, but they also are doers and go-getters.
Entrepreneurship may be missing from your resume, but shifting your perspective will change this as you experience the rush and benefits of an entrepreneurial mindset. This exciting new trend is taking root through disruptive innovation in the workplace. The characteristics of entrepreneurial thinking go well beyond just that of innovation. Individuals and organizations that embrace this mindset shift develop dynamic behaviors that impact their organizational culture while leading to school improvement. Below are some key elements commonly associated with an entrepreneurial mindset:
- Initiative
- Risk-taking
- Creativity
- Flexibility
- Critical thinking
- Problem Solving
- Resilience
- Innovation
The elements above can be directly applied to your role as an educator. In BrandED, Trish Rubin and I discuss the rise of the edupreneur and how this thinking can be a catalyst for transformative change. It’s time to not just think, but also act as an edupreneur to usher in needed change. This edupreneurial persona, one based on openness, can creatively cultivate new relational value and garner trust among members of your community. See what’s worked for successful entrepreneurs who’ve met their own goals, and find a fit for your continuing professional development. While embracing the listed elements above, think about the following strategies that Trish and I believe lead to edupreneurial leadership.
Surround yourself with inspiring people
Relationships matter to edupreneurs. Do this in real time through face-to-face associations and with your closest validators. Use the wealth of TED Talks, webinars, and YouTube content online to get inspired. Follow the hot topics in leadership, communication, and relationship building. Start to follow them online. Connect to Mention and Google Alerts to get tailored feeds and information about those key areas you need in order to increase your own edupreneurship.
Get feedback every day
Talk to people about branding and the innovative climate for school reform. Share how applying a few powerful select business strategies is empowering your school leadership. Test the waters on social media with thoughts, quotes, and content that match the topics you are advancing. See the results from your peers near and far.
Ask questions
Don’t be afraid to ask questions about the new direction you are setting as a leader. Get feedback. Be curious and search for answers. Leverage social media or go with face-to face conversations. Just ask!
Find happiness
Entrepreneurs work out of a passion. So do edupreneurs. There is joy in innovating, challenging the status quo, marching to the beat of a different drummer, and experiencing success through non-traditional means.
Embrace brandED
Work to present yourself with a unique brand value (UBV), which is a key to edupreneurship. Celebrate every benchmark for your school. Talking about big and small tangible accomplishments is part of communicating value. It’s the small moments that create big accomplishments, the proven results and gains with the community that can complement test score reports and expand the idea of value. Join the brandED conversation to unleash the edupreneurial drive to transform education.
Be a continuous and curious learner
This is a no-brainer for educators. Continue your study in the manner of a trend spotter. Look out—online, in apps, or through print resources—for the latest trends and research in leadership, pedagogy, initiating school change, technology integration, and whatever other topics inspire you. Search outside your own educational backyard to learn from other disciplines. The digital world allows us to see thousands of bits of information that can be woven into new creative thinking for growing our edupreneurial thinking and leadership.
Work to expand your network
Grow your relationships upward for your community with “reach targets,” the great people you aspire to meet with whom you can share the school brand and engage for support. Grow relationships downward with those good people that complement your network. Build relationships with service providers who help students. Talk to bus drivers, crossing guards, security staff—anyone who provides support to the community—about your vision, goals, and outcomes. Finally, network horizontally with your peers and other leaders in real-time associations, and online through hangouts and chats. Invite them to share their thinking and content about education brand. Promote relationships so that deeper connections can form, leading to cobranding exchange between yourself and other leaders.
Become a writer
Take the time to write about your efforts in becoming an edupreneurial thinker and doer. Making visible the thoughts and reflections that are part of the journey can be the first-draft thinking that starts you on the way to sharing your personal professional brand.
Be persistent
Entrepreneurs have the will to carry on; with that same spirit, edupreneurs don’t give up. We demonstrate our persistence on a community-wide stage. Belief is an essential part of brand development. Be the chief believer in your school brand by becoming the storyteller-in-chief.
Exhibit patience
Entrepreneurs who are successful have a tendency to wait. Some entrepreneurs are actually procrastinators of the highest degree. Edupreneurs move at a pace that can ensure their success. Don’t rush the process. Focus on the work of your students, staff, and district. In time, the results of your improvement strategy will come to fruition.
The time has come to not only embrace new ideas and ways of thinking, but also the way in which we employ these assets to usher in meaningful change.
Content from the following post was adapted from BrandED: Tell Your Story, Build Relationships, and Empower Learning. Get your copy today!
This post first appeared on my blog here.
