Things Entrepreneurs Never Do

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Hello, Ken Lear here again!

One of the reasons that entrepreneurs are so successful is that they know what to do to become successful and productive. Even more, they know what not to do:

Second-guess themselves and their employees

Entrepreneurs are confident in themselves and their own abilities. You will never find them second-guessing their decisions or the decisions of those working around them. Entrepreneurs know that one must have confidence in oneself to remain constantly productive.

Refuse to learn new skills

Entrepreneurs thrive because they are on the bleeding edge of their industry. If an entrepreneur refused to learn new skills or be up to date on the new events and techniques in their industry, they would quickly fail. Entrepreneurs understand better than most that professional development is vitally important to career success.

Avoid networking and public speaking opportunities

While they may not always be in the mood to socialize and network, entrepreneurs know how to “turn it on” and put on a pleasant face to take advantage of networking events. Since entrepreneurs are self-made and generally run smaller businesses, they understand that if they aren’t their company’s biggest advocate (and actually go out and advocate for their business), then nobody will be.

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Jealousy and envy

Being self-made, entrepreneurs are very good at embracing what makes them unique, successful, and special. Along with that knowledge is a mindset that doesn’t compare oneself to others, thereby experiencing jealousy or envy at another’s success or achievements. All that matters is their success. We could all benefit from this mindset.

Looking back at tough times

Entrepreneurs experience disappointment and failure like everyone else, but one difference is that they learn from their mistakes instead of dwelling on them. It is important to look back at tough times to learn something but never to beat yourself up about actually having failed.

Making excuses

Entrepreneurs know that when they fail, they shouldn’t make excuses. Learning from your mistakes is more important than finding some reason why you failed and that it wasn’t your fault. Instead, if you figure out how to do things better the next time, your efficiency and quality of work will likely increase.

Let failure stop them

Entrepreneurs understand that everyone fails at some point, and that failure is one part of the equation that includes taking chances and succeeding. You have to put yourself out there to make real innovations.

Multitask

Multitasking can distract your brain and essentially split your mind’s resources between two processes. This is not good! Instead, you should focus on doing one thing really well and devoting all of your energies to completing that task before moving on to something else. This will increase the quality of your work and help keep things from falling through the cracks when you are juggling multiple projects.

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Teambuilding During Meetings: How to Make It a Reality

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Hello, Ken Lear here!

Team building is an important part of creating a thriving work culture and an efficient team. However, it can become difficult to find a time when the entire team is free to participate in teambuilding exercises—so how are you supposed to bond with them? One trick you might try is taking advantage of the times you are all together, such as meetings, to hold teambuilding exercises and get to know your team.

Given that you’ll have a limited amount of time immediately before and after your meetings, your teambuilding activities should be short and effective. Below are a few examples of quick teambuilding exercises that are also really fun!

Two Truths and a Lie

This game allows you to get to know your team better in quite a few ways. The rules are simple: one nominated person will think of three things about themselves, two truthful and one a lie. Then, everyone else must attempt to pick out which of the three items is the lie.

This game is best played when the nominated person chooses ridiculous and unbelievable things for the game. Not only is this game a lot of fun, but it also allows your team to bond with each other and share exciting facts about themselves with the entire team.  

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Board Games

The short periods of time before and after meetings are perfect for playing one or two quick board games with the team. The biggest trick to accomplishing this without it devolving into a distracting exercise is to intelligently choose board games that are fast to play and where teamwork is present.

Keep in mind that there should be a set time limit for games, and that playing them isn’t appropriate before every single meeting. Most importantly, choose a game that can teach your team something that they can use in their work in some way. Some examples might include Checkers, Connect Four, Mancala, and Zombie Dice.

Just Talk!

It sounds obvious, but simply talking with your team can be one of the most effective teambuilding exercises. Try asking your team about their weekend, recent movies they have seen, or their hobbies and interests.

Think of this experience as similar to trying to make a new friend. Remember that you are still in a professional setting, but don’t be afraid to let your guard down and share a few chuckles with your team from time to time.

For additional blogs from entrepreneurship , leadership, and business expert Ken Lear, head over to his personal website Ken-Lear.com.