A friend of mine, a creative writer, argued a powerful point over lunch yesterday.
I want to share my response with you because – like me – I think it will change the way you think about your role as an entrepreneur.
He asked me some compelling questions:
As an entrepreneur, how do you know you’re on the right track?
How do you self-correct?
How do you know what you’re doing is the “best” or “right” way?
These are great questions. How do entrepreneurs know what is the right thing? We don’t have bosses. We don’t have managers. In fact, we often avoid these types of people on purpose – that’s why we’re entrepreneurs!
But the question still remains… How do YOU, Mr. or Mrs. Entrepreneur, constructively criticize what you’re doing?
Here’s how I answered my creative-writer friend:
Entrepreneurs are a lot like artists & creative writers. We balance creativity and criticism in ways that enable us to let ideas rush in while still knowing when to self-correct and make necessary changes.
Entrepreneurs empower creativity by remaining open to new ideas and new ways of getting things done. (I like the example at Netflix.) Artists do this too by just letting images come to them and believing in them.
Entrepreneurs also embrace criticism by looking over an accomplished project or reviewing the growth of a business and making changes that allow for greater fulfillment of the business plan. Creative writers do the same thing during the revision process of creating a novel.
I think these two ideas are essential to the entrepreneur’s mindset:
1. Empower Creativity
2. Embrace Criticism
Perhaps a little slogan would be helpful:
Empower. Embrace. Entrepreneur!
(I think “Entrepreneur” should be a verb.)
