Think like an Entrepreneur, Act like a CEO

BOOK WRITTEN BY BEVERLY E. JONES

Book Summary by Kavita Jhala

Education and Experience aren’t enough, you need more!
Skills can be learnt to be a successful professional

Key Points:

Professional expectations are rising; you too need to rise.
 

Adaptation to the changes and the demands of the new ways of work is the new norm. Gone are the days when education and experience were enough to clinch the deal. It is imperative that small changes in how we work or view our work need to be adapted to keep our mojo going. It is this shift in internal thinking that shall help us navigate the current work scenario and ramp up our chances of getting hired. It is this ‘entrepreneurial outlook’ that shall give us the confidence, anatomy, choice and also swagger for a better work life.

About the Author:

 

Beverly Jones has led university programs for women before plunging into a career as a Washington lawyer and Fortune 500 energy executive. Having secured an MBA, JD and PCC, she has built a highly respected coaching and consulting practice for executives and has helped leaders and professionals survive and thrive in the milieu of change. Her 40 years of experience has led her to work with accomplished leaders in Congress, major federal agencies, large corporations, universities and NGOs. Apart from coaching, she is also a popular blogger and her podcasts are well-received by the public.

 

About the Book:

 

There are more professional opportunities than a decade before but that entails that the change is rapid and also with unexpected circumstances, makes it quite unpredictable about where the career path shall take us. The idea of this book is that it is possible to prepare oneself for these kinds of situations by embracing certain thought processes and skills that are not only adaptable but also resilient. This book helps to learn behaviors, attitudes and also work patterns to make things work for us. The core aspect is that we need to build social, technical and managerial skills while also being adept at thinking of new ideas and being agile.

A non-fiction book that puts in the 50 practical steps of incorporating a change perspective through internalization of thought processes that work like an entrepreneur and CEO traits to build personal leadership and branding. 

 

Who is it for?

 

This book is ideal for readers who love books on leadership and business. Coaches and thought leaders find it an ideal companion. Those who are looking for a job change or are looking to be promoted can also benefit from this book. Managers and Team Leaders will be able to find it easier to work better and incorporate ideal ways of changing the way they interact with others. Students pursuing business and/or management courses will also find it an appealing read. 

 

Summary:

50 practical steps shall help us not only handle big and small workplace challenges but also enable us to create a change process that works for us.

Think like an entrepreneur by having a good Plan, listening and tweaking your brand by infusing leadership qualities and powering up:

When dealing with something new;

“The first day is always the worst. The first week is always the worst. The first month is the worst. And the first year is the worst.”

Entrepreneurial attitude brings in energy, and vitality and helps connect with people in new ways.

 

Learn what your boss wants to be successful and align your goals in a way that matches the organization’s mission.
Get to know the people and try connect to with them 
Listen to your colleagues and learn from them
Set realistic short-term goals and deliver on what you commit
Be on time for meetings and appointments
Adjust your attitude according to the situation you face 
Give yourself an intense devotion to your new job for an initial 4 to 6 weeks until you get the grip of things.
Managing your stress by walking, jogging or anything that you like to do should be an important part of letting off steam.
Focus on the customers. 
Understanding the basics of business helps in being familiar with all the functions and getting comfortable with the commercial language.
Analyze failures and apply the lesson to the next opportunity 
Choose and learn to be optimistic and this influences your language too.
Build your brand based on your values, your characteristics and the work quality that you give.

“Personal Branding” means your brand has to be distinct and different from what you are essentially, you ‘do’ have a brand and it is influencing the way people around you react to you. 

 

Manage your appearance. Dressing impacts a lot about how people perceive you
Build your skills and expertise 
Visualize yourself as a leader and show up like a leader in meetings. 
Research your current brand and check out where you stand.
Look into the mirror and see if you reflect an energetic, positive, powerful and polished look.
You need to showcase your skills and promote your work.
Build your online strategy and shape it to create your online presence.

 

People evaluate your accomplishments and your potential based on how you present yourself. Your style therefore makes a difference in how you are going to be perceived. To get an upward swing and redo it in subtle ways, here are a few pointers:

 

Work with young people and modify your clothing choices to create a look that works for you
Work with older people who always emphasize looking proper. 
Interact with clients and customers constantly 
Give a speech no matter how small the meeting might be and be dressed for the occasion
It doesn’t harm to add a personal style to your wardrobe

 

Talk back to the Voice in your head, engage in self-discipline, smile and network:

 

Each of us has that repetitive voice in our head, commenting, warning and judging. Scientists recently have begun to recognize the role of this internal commentary and how it interacts with our physical health. It has been found that it is an evolutionary reason mainly to help us survive ancient dangers and problems. If the babble of thoughts is negative then it has to be broken:

 

Just observing ‘what kind of thoughts’ are occurring and reoccurring can help break the pattern. Make a conscious effort not to listen.
If a negative thought arises consciously draft a positive thought after it. Change the way you think negatively by infusing the positive.
Recognize the internal narration and slowly dismiss it. 

 

One can develop self-discipline if one wants to because it is a learned behaviour. So how can one develop the discipline muscle?:

 

You need to focus on and start with a goal and commit to it 
Identify the steps that would help you achieve your goal and this can be done by visualizing what self-discipline looks like on you
Keeping a log or diary helps reinforce the build-up of self-control and writing helps keep track of progress
Encourage yourself to make a list of excuses that act as barriers and keep a positive phrase to get past them.
Get the temptations out of sight and orient yourself
Understand the challenge and the difficulty of inculcating self-discipline. Acknowledge the progress you make no matter how small
Create habits that help reduce the pain of the self-discipline goal. 
Rewarding yourself with positive reinforcements helps overcome setbacks and help in the change process

 

Human smiles are contagious. It makes one feel happier and brings in a positive feeling. Smiling releases endorphins and other mood-enhancing hormones leading to improved good health. You will always look good, competent, likeable, memorable and attractive. It improves the work environment and mood of the team

 

There are two ways to keep your network on the go. One is to keep it growing by handing business cards or meeting strangers and the other one is to build on your existing connections. But remember, it is a gradual process. Be helpful to people by supporting them, being a connector and matching their needs. Approaching career rivals is okay. There could be an opportunity. 

 

Networking is not superficial but it means expanding your web of connection, thinking about other people and caring for human relationships with the potential to support you in every phase of your life.

 

Taking praise, giving positive feedback and voicing admiration:

 

Deflecting praise that is directed at oneself out of modesty is a thing of the past. To your brain, receiving a compliment is like getting a prize. You can master accepting a compliment

 

Well-crafted words of thanks and praise can serve as powerful positive reinforcement, guiding members of the team to achieve change and grow. You need to be sincere, specific in your comment, fully engage in your focus when saying it, notice when someone takes it for granted and does not notice the efforts, elaborate the response in a tone and style that is appropriate, write down a handwritten note, be surprising when routine assessment become humdrum and be quick in offering commendation. Research says that taking time to feel grateful can reduce your anxiety.

 

 

You can voice your admiration sincerely and ensure that people see the genuineness of your praise. 
Tact is an important aspect of speaking and listening. Within this framework is the big impact word ‘sorry’. It includes regret, sadness and penitence but practically it can have many shades of meaning. 

 

Using games to create power, direction and presence:

 

Games involve goals, challenges, rules and interaction with other people. If you are confronted with a problem or situation in the office, approach it like a game.

 

Define the rules and ask yourself questions to remove confusion
Play more than one game at a time so that a visualization helps overcome and excel in the current job
Keep a ‘love me’ and brag file so that you are ready to demonstrate your accomplishments
Think about performance management and get tuned into it by proposing meaningful goals
Count activities and results that are meaningful and impressive
Not the problems and solutions and keep a record of how you have successfully handled them. By recording activity, you can also keep track of the positive feedback. 

 

 

If you worry that you don’t have enough ‘IT’ factor, then you are not alone. Lot of people think that. Presence is an elusive quality, like love or happiness; you can’t just pick some up.  You can build your presence by changing the way you look and behave aided by the way you think and feel about yourself. Here’s a checklist :

 

Have a leadership vision by making a list of attributes of leadership and the characteristics that you admire
An organized work method is essential to ensure that your presence is not compromised by a late and messy job
Physical appearance is an integral part of your presence and it helps to look well groomed and well dressed.
Make a presentation by way of a speech or a useful remark and respond to questions and comments without being defensive
Speak directly without hesitation to a crowd or a one-to-one conversation. If you sound uncertain, people will not be convinced
Charge your energy level but being hyperactive too can produce stress. 
People with executive presence seem cool and ready to handle any situation and this kind of confidence must be there within you too
Your nonverbal behaviour can throw in more cues than your words. Check out on your microexpressions and body language

 

Start with One grain of Sugar and improve Speech Habits, Calendar method and prioritizing::

 

Getting a change process that works for you needs the application of ‘the sugar grain principle’. This entails keeping neat smaller steps to gradually bring in the desired change; like one grain at a time. 
You need to develop a vision of the career you want. Start your list with the pros and cons of your current job. Jump 3 years ahead and then look back and see yourself professionally successful. 
Identify some ‘sugar grains’ for your goals. There is no logical order. What matters is that you build the momentum of doing something different. 

 

One thing inspires the other and one grain can lead to other grains
Commit to a specific pace of sugar grains. It is important to keep your commitment up with your pace when you feel that you are out of ideas or time
Maintain a record or tracking of your grains to ensure that you achieve success in the process. 

 

In the beginning, it can be difficult to be part of the sugar grain process but once you build up the momentum, it generates its energy. The sugar grain process can be incorporated while trying to have a career change too.

 

 

Innovation often flows from collaboration among people who have different views, backgrounds and skill sets. Managers are learning to have older expert professionals partner with young tech and social media-savvy colleagues. People of all ages however become unpopular when they have an annoying talk. Since we do not notice this, it helps to have someone hear us out and correct us or maybe we can record it and listen to ourselves. This helps improve speech.

If you feel overwhelmed by having too much to do you are thinking of accomplishing more without spending long hours on your desk or laptop. The best way is to keep a calendar of all the work that you need to get done and manage it. Ensure that your schedule has each week devoted to things that matter to you. The calendar is a powerful tool to keep you focused on your higher priorities and in this process good use of your energy too. 

 

It is tempting to react to whatever is most pressing as the day goes along but you should set your priorities. One way is to prioritize according to work categories. Tier 1 is most important at work and goal-oriented, Tier 2 is important goals and success-driven, Tier 3 is related to routine management and responsibilities in terms of human resources and Tier X is the work that can be done by other people. Another practice is to have 3 important tasks listed out and to finish them by the end of the day. Schedule your time for high-priority tasks, especially in Tier 1 segments and low schedule value for lower-value tasks. 

 

Leading Upwards by  Getting the boss to listen, Managing the boss, Good Manners and finding the magic 20%:

 

How do I get the boss to listen? Here are a few tips you need to keep in mind to communicate well with the boss:

 

Be succinct 
Plan so you are clear about the goal frame your issues and focus on the positive
Understand their communication preferences and act accordingly ie. if they like to be approached via email, do so.
Listen actively to what your boss says to you
If your boss doesn’t listen, become a better communicator or write in a journal to examine your negative reactions and let go of the frustrations.

 

Some strong leaders exercise a special skill; that of influencing upwards; their bosses and making better decisions. 
Understanding what your bosses need and works as a critical way to have a good sense of goals and responsibilities
Maintain your areas of expertise by constantly monitoring them and upgrading yourself
While managing credit as well as blame, be gracious and take responsibility for your actions
Report without drama but with facts.

 

A real gentleman or a true lady knows to be polite and be aware of people’s needs. Speak with the basic courtesy of please, thank you, excuse me and sorry. Be considerate of others’ time and be punctual. Treat colleagues with attention and build your reputation rather than leading to gossip. Be civil when you debate and express criticism in terms of the work and not the person. Avoid sarcasm. 

 

The 80/20 rule that predicts about 80% of the achievements from 20% of the things you do isn’t absolute but it does account for the impact of small activities on what can be achieved. 

 

This rule can also sharpen your career:

Focus on the big goal instead of pursuing every opportunity
Spend time on tasks that yield results for you
Make choices of how you will spend time with different people
Look at the data so that you can choose resources
Identify which 20% of your life gives you the greatest satisfaction

 

Mentoring, Dealing with frustration, and difficult colleagues and finding or building communities :

 

Mentoring is a partnership in which both parties receive value. Choosing a mentor is a task that has to be taken up with care. After all, you want both parties to benefit. These points can help you:
Try to find someone from your casual connections and avoid strangers.
Start with asking for advice and then build your relationship along the way

Make a specific request if you want help.
Be honest in your approach and your mentor’s constructive feedback should help even if it sounds unpleasant
When both parties make efforts; they can enjoy the benefits.
Also, look for opportunities to be a mentor. It can add to your perspective. Reciprocal mentoring is a powerful tool whereby there is a potential exchange that leads to learning and focusing on the strengths of each other. 

 

Professional life can have annoying jolts and tedious challenges. If these negative emotions are strong, it doesn’t mean you need to indulge in them. These tips can help you remove your preoccupation with the bad stuff. 

 

Be present and operate in high gear. 
Be energetic and be in shape for launching the new plan
Be aware of your frustrations and let them go. Keep a journal of your feelings.
Be grateful.
By taking breaks you can shift your focus and dispel the pent-up antagonism
You might feel bogged down in your past and that’s when you need to stop being upset and learn to forgive.

If you think your job on the whole is fun if the crowd were different then you may be surrounded by whiners and pessimists, backstabbers or difficult people. 

 

Petty revenge, sulking or gossip can escalate the problem
Confide in a trusted friend or colleague and they might help you describe the situation. 
Understand the different personality types of people 
Listen to difficult people in a new way 
Manage your attitude by shifting the way you respond to them. 

 

Research links good health with one’s social connections and communities to help manage stress and maintain healthy habits. List groups and identify communities related to your interests. Be active. Care about the community issue. Be a mentor and connect. Donate if needed. If you are passionate about an activity or cause, launch a new group.

 

Productive Meeting Time, Loving your work and Social Media : 

 

Rethink your approach to meetings by cutting them short and limiting them. Schedule quick standing meetings or walk around. Create a no-meeting day to encourage free time.

 

To run effective meetings; 
Know the purpose of the meeting and make it clear to all
Have an invitation processed for everyone 
Build the structure with an opening statement, the middle in which the agenda is discussed and the closing by summing the conclusions
Have a warm-up
Establish ground rules 
Keep track and record of meeting
Ensure that there is a follow-up

 

Kerry Hannon is the author of ‘Love Your Job: The New Rules for Career Happiness’. She gives 7 tips in her book that can be useful to you:
Job Remodeling Journal can be started which can have you writing 20 minutes every day for a week to let yourself talk about your dream job
Feeling miserable and not hating your job? It could be a burnout 
Do something and get over it. 
See your financial challenges and get over them
Embrace opportunities and skills to enrich your current job
Be flexible 
Learn new things that might spark your interest.

Internet and social media networking can impact your professional brand. You need to remember that it is a basic skill to understand social media in the world of academia, business or government. Set your profile on Linkedin or Twitter to build your professional persona. Get the hang of news from all around. If you are starting, don’t mock any social media platform. Get to understand the importance of all of them. Social media can help you keep abreast of developments and help you stay in touch with people or activities that matter.

 

Managing Stress, Coping with Stress, fostering great teams and celebrating :

 

Surveys emphasize that work is the leading cause of stress for adults and increasingly a large number of employees and workers are suffering from job-related stress. Stress can become chronic and lead to numerous health problems like physical aches and pains, sleep problems, cognitive difficulties like lack of attention or creative barriers, depression as well weight gain.  Regular walking or aerobic exercise can be effective. It helps to talk to somebody and have meaningful conversations. Research says that being in nature can help reduce stress. Growing houseplants can also be productive. Try to stimulate the creative part of your brain.

 

Career disappointments can be trying but keep in mind that pain is normal and all great leaders also face setbacks. Write about your pain and distance from it.  Share your thoughts with people in your inner circle and get support. Keep a gratitude journal to remind yourself of the good things and get rid of negative emotions. Be gracious in your defeat.

 

 

To foster collaboration and mentoring keep in mind how the team members connect. In a team that flourishes, the communication is always constant. The leader also circulates actively, visiting and listening to everyone and ensuring that everyone has a chance to express their views. You should be able to model with respect and positively treat everyone. If there is a designated leader ensure that responsibility and accountability are taken care of. Feel the desire to belong and make contributions that are appreciated. Celebrate small victories with the team and motivate them to on meaningful work. Create norms that help members in scheduling, attendance, promptness, participation in discussion, cell phone usage and interruptions as well as ways of tracking and following the action items. 

 

Celebrations enhance a positive workplace culture and encourage teams to perform well. Kick-off regular meetings with a brief time to acknowledge the recent achievements and thank the persons for their achievements. Find an opportunity for members to talk about their activity to senior management or the audience. Create awards in routine excellence. Plan a retreat or bonding time. Give off time as an appreciation for good efforts. Throw a surprise party. People enjoy receiving t-shirts, stuffed animals, paperweights or any such little gifts for their contribution to a stellar effort. Buy lunch in a nearby restaurant or have a pizza party in the conference room. Write notes and appreciate.

Punctuality, Measuring Progress and Checklists:

 

Punctuality can be a surprisingly emotional issue and attitudes about timeliness vary widely. While culture and expectations vary in this regard, punctuality and timeliness are good for your brand. The best way to work on the timeliness aspect is by knowing the rules of the organization and checking on their policies of punctuality. Lighten up if you feel upset about being kept waiting. As a team leader, you have a special obligation to stay on time. If you are prompt and on time, your team members will follow suit. If you and your colleagues have different views about being punctual it is useful to talk it out. 

 

 

To build a resilient career and lead like a CEO, you need to stay focused on your goals. Measurable goals help you gauge your progress and to define your goals. As Peter Drucker emphasized, “If you can measure it, you can manage it” 
You need to choose your approach to track and ensure that larger goals are broken down into smaller pieces. This can be done by framing goals into numerical terms and charting achievements. A direct management approach in measuring can also motivate the team and give them a clear picture of where they stand thereby getting credit for their action. The way you evaluate progress through capacity building can shift focus on direct measures and the way the goals can be tangible thereby tracking to check on progress.

 

The extraordinary power of checklists attracted public attention in the year 2007. Checklists not only help promote safety in communication, and assure accuracy and speed in organizing events or planning meetings but they also help build best practices at the workplace.

Overcoming Big Project Letdown, Eliminating Status Thinking and Leading, Going Further with Bigger Goals and dealing with Hesitation & Ageism issues by staying steady when change is constant:

 

Long hours into a major project or event can lead to exhaustion. After the invigorating project, it can be exhausting and you might experience a sense of loss in the routine work. Planning by thinking of breaks and the project goals can give a clear picture of where you are heading. Debriefing the team by carefully reviewing what went right and what could be improved upon can be an important motivator. Ensure that you celebrate the project's success with a dinner out with family or a festive lunch with the team.

 

It is normal to want respect from our colleagues but it is also important that team members feel accepted and valued by the group. Strong leaders treat everyone with respect, focus on work and forget about ranks. If you feel anxious or obsessed about prestige and rank, it is important to note that you need to check out counselling to get it off your head.

 

 

In today’s workspace, most of the work is done by people who don’t share identical goals and that’s when fostering collaborative teamwork becomes important. Allocation of tasks specific to the team member ensures that everyone works without being critical. Keep track of action items and group decisions so as to follow them closely. If you need to decide upon a course of action, you need to explain the reasoning behind it. This step has to be followed by listening to everyone’s views first. Collaborative effort requires a mix of strong organizational skills and softer skills. Keeping the tab on the mission and why the group exists, learning as much about the group members and the stakeholders as well as distribution of tasks and logistics to keep the group moving ahead need to be taken into consideration.

 

 

Find mentors who can help keep you going in tough times and ask for help from role models. Have self-discipline. Keep your sense of humour intact. Build self-confidence and achieve a series of small goals thereby gradually becoming ready for larger targets. 

 

You might have to deal with unreasonable reluctance. Managing the hesitancy in small goals can help you overcome them in bigger challenges and opportunities. Cut self-deprecating speech. Cut off the apologizing and move away from it. A hesitant feeling can leave you frozen and if you can’t make up your mind, instead of dithering.

 

 

Facing subtle age bias can be taken up as an opportunity to understand the negative stereotypes. Try to be tech-savvy. It helps to keep your skills current. Looking healthy and exuding energy can help. Talk healthy but not about health issues. Be stylish and aim to look current. Alluding to the age difference can put you in the spotlight of age. Build a varied network of all age levels and learn to blend easily. Listen to your colleagues and be open to what they have to say.

 

 

Organizational change isn’t about you but it is vital to focus on your future. Be aware of your industry and its environment and be well-informed. Check out your boss’s goals and align with them so as to ensure that you make successful steps. Networking is always beneficial, however, you need to be widely connected and get networking for a broad range of causes. If the job is uncertain, find stability in other places like in communities or people whom you can rely on. Shift the energy into exercising and fitness. Set up a rainy day fund or lay the groundwork or alternative sources of income.  

 

Art, Creativity, Moving On and being an Optimist:

 

Creativity promotes your well-being and this can be possible through art. Do some team-building exercises or activities like a visit to a local museum. Try to join a book club. Take a course and upgrade your knowledge. Take postcards or posters at home from the art galleries and it is exciting to view them at home.

 

The right way to move on is also a chance to tie up the loose ends of the old job and turn it into a building block of the future. You can give a proper notice so that the word gets around. Don’t point out the errors of the group. Complete your projects and leave them in good shape so that the next person can know how to get started. Think about every person who has been helpful and say thanks. Make plans to stay in touch.

 

Dr. Seligman documented that optimism can be built by modifying the internal dialogue. The trick is to recognize and dispute the pessimistic thoughts by catching the thought when it arises, arguing back and testing the accuracy of disposing of it and then finding other explanations that work towards an optimistic note. Optimism can be developed by making lists of negative phrases that come in your head. This can be changed by appreciating the good stuff.