The companies with the most entrepreneurial thinking team members are going to be the ones that surpass all others despite how big they are, where they started, and how they started to provide just that. An entrepreneurial mindset is something that must be both hired in and fostered in companies of any size to guarantee success in the new business landscape. Here are some ways your team can help to create and encourage an entrepreneurial mindset for an innovative and change-embracing team.

1. 5 WAYS TO GET
YOUR TEAM THINKING LIKE
ENTREPRENEURS
NOT EMPLOYEES

2. ● There’s something different about the way entrepreneurs and ‘startup people’ operate as
opposed to those who are attracted to more ‘stable’, larger corporate positions
● The agility and drive that tends to radiate from startups and their founders is helping them
overtake companies we previously thought of as infallible
● Scale and attrition just don’t cut it anymore - the playing field has been leveled and the barriers
to entry are nearly non-existent for the majority of industries
● There are several reasons for this: the business environment is more volatile than ever, like a
quickly-changing tide
● Customers have an infinite number of options and substitutes
● They’re in complete control and their expectations are high and ever-changing

3. ● The only thing that truly guarantees success is great product-market fit, an outstanding
relationship with customers and your brand, and an ability to make quick changes to adjust
either
● The companies with the most entrepreneurial thinking team members are going to be the ones
that surpass all others despite how big they are, where they started, and how they started to
provide just that
● An entrepreneurial mindset is something that must be both hired in and fostered in companies
of any size to guarantee success in the new business landscape
● Here are some ways your team can help to create and encourage an entrepreneurial mindset
for an innovative and change-embracing team

4. #1
HIRE ENTREPRENEURS

5. ● Entrepreneurs are an interesting counterpart for companies - on one hand, entrepreneurs
could be the death of a company if they bring something to market that is better
● On the other hand, entrepreneurs think and work in the way companies try to get their
employees to
● For companies of the future, it’s going to be either beat them or join them
● There is absolutely a place for entrepreneurs on your team and their way of thinking can help
inspire some of the more ‘traditional’ thinking employees
● Entrepreneurs think about time, resources, and work differently than traditional employees
● For entrepreneurs, the end goal is all that matters and their creativity around how to get there
can be motivational for your team

6. ● The difficulty is incorporating entrepreneurs into your organization - It’s a bit of an oxymoron
● Your company’s culture and organization have to attract entrepreneurs and provide them with
what they thrive on
● Corporate Entrepreneurship is becoming extremely popular
● Allowing entrepreneurs to literally create their own products, projects, and even companies
within a larger one will be what helps move larger corporations forward in the future
● A small-scale version is to hire freelancers and contract workers to work within your company
towards your goals while also remaining entrepreneurs

7. #2
IMPLEMENT DESIGN THINKING
AS A STRATEGY

8. ● Design thinking is undoubtedly the ‘default’ setting for some of the world’s most innovative and
successful companies - it means having a “solution-focused” and action-oriented mindset when
approaching all decisions instead of a “problem” focused one.
● For a lot of reasons, big companies just aren’t good at it
● Companies now have to “outsource” creative thinking to survive
● Adopting this type of thinking is no longer an optional team building-like activity: it’s the
difference between surviving change and closing up shop
● Many companies make the mistake of thinking that design thinking only applies to product and
process design, but it goes so far beyond this

9. ● Implementing design thinking in different areas of your company will help your team also think
like entrepreneurs even if they aren’t or haven’t necessarily had to get crafty like one
● Design thinking encourages thinking about resources and time in a way that maximizes both
● For inspiration, take a few notes from IDEO’s playbook:
● Include those who aren’t experts in an area in on the discussion - They often see things others
won’t
● Make it visual: use whiteboards, colors, post-its, etc. to map out thoughts and conceptualize
potential solutions

10. #3
ENCOURAGE AUTONOMY AT
ALL LEVELS

11. ● What drives entrepreneurs is often a mystery to those who get a steady paycheck and are
happy with it
● What everyone can agree upon, however, is that the autonomy of being an entrepreneur is
awesome
● It provides a sense of self-fulfilment that keeps entrepreneurs inspired
● The most disengaged employees, which foster a stagnant environment, feel they have control
over their situation at work and aren’t inspired to work any more or less towards goals
● It becomes a “me vs them” mentality in the workplace

12. ● With a stronger sense of control, employees are more engaged and productive at work like an
entrepreneur.
● Though, again, this is a sort of semi-oxymoron, here are some ways to give employees
autonomy:
● Flex-scheduling around how they work best
● Remote work options
● Get rid of the ‘red tape’ around decisions at lower levels

13. #4
FOCUS ON OWNERSHIP AND
TRANSPARENCY

14. ● One of the biggest indicators of employee engagement and retention is a sense of “ownership”
over their work - employees want to see they have a direct impact on positive results and
watch their effort go towards their own project or product
● Encourage individual and small team projects that are self-created and managed
● Companies are even going a step further and allowing employees to “pitch” ideas for funding
within organizations like a VC firm
● It’s like having your own incubator in-house, no acquisition needed
● Your employees likely already recognize opportunity and if they feel comfortable acting on it
with support from their organization, they will become like internal entrepreneurs

15. #5
COLLABORATION AND
NETWORKING IN-HOUSE

16. ● One of the characteristics that makes entrepreneurs different from others is that they work on
relationships and build connections everywhere - they know that combining the knowledge of
others is the key to creating movement forward and nothing is done alone
● Employees, especially in organizations with a lot of bureaucracy, lose any collaborative
mentality to formality and competitive attitudes - this is a win for no one
● Everyone loses if the company gets outrun by a smaller, more agile, and progressive company
that collaborates their way to superiority
● Implementing ways and opportunities for employees to collaborate and communicate across
departments and levels is sure to inspire connections and ideas that wouldn’t have happened
otherwise

17. ● Here are some ways to promote collaborative thinking and networking amongst employees:
● Cross-department project groups
● Communication/collaborations platforms
● Direct methods of communication between layers
● Open and more dynamic physical office working space
● Everyone wants to be an entrepreneur for two reasons: autonomy and ownership - both can be
possible right within corporations
● With a focus on these and help in changing the thought process towards solving problems and
creating new solutions, your employees will start to think like entrepreneurs and entrepreneur
types will start to see a place for themselves in your company