In my quest for the ideal template for an entrepreneur, I hit across the Japanese term "KAIZAN" which meant continuous improvement. There is something inherent in every living being that persists across all odds. Just like ants that stock food for the winter, I was thinking the pandemic is a good excuse to understand the intricacies in the mind of an entrepreneur. I came from a science and math background which was traditionally thought to have no connection with business or sales. So my knowledge at the beginning was very sparse and could not even connect the mode of thinking generally unseen in a typical scientist or mathematician. However, the notion of social responsibility had been quite strong in me at this time, because I had an urge to contribute to the social good. My knowledge was really blunted because I did not have any remote expertise in the matter of finance. I thought that any marginal attempt without an idea into the financial model is doomed to end up in the dustbin. At this time I was motivated by a friend, who explained that the key asset for an entrepreneur is not money, but a broad mind that is full of ideas. I too believed in this and started learning how to develop an entrepreneurial mindset. In the meantime, my Ph.D. was going in full swing and I was finding it difficult to sustain myself because my scholarship had ended. I needed an innovative mechanism to keep myself afloat.
A few weeks into the pandemic I got a call for a consulting position with an upcoming EdTech. I chose it without much hesitation, as I had a keen observation of education and the educational system. As I began my consultancy tenure it came upon me that even an educator should be an innovator and entrepreneur. Especially in the online education medium, an educator has to invest time and energy to constantly rise to the expectation of the learners. I started observing that the key requirement for online classes is not content, but was curation. Just like a sculptor curates a statue, an educator has the role to curate the thinking patterns in the learners. My reading of the book on Kaizan kept me motivated in my new assignment and I started experiencing the fact that everyone should become an entrepreneur. Some of my key learnings are discussed below:
Success is moving from one failure to another failure
In reality we have neither success nor failure. The notion of success and failure are interpretations of the mind. The policy of an entrepreneur has to be lifelong learning. Everyone has to experience failure, this is a fact. Only thing that we have to come in terms is the response to the failure. It is best to ask yourself "what I can learn from this failure?" instead of locking failure with your ego search "why the failure occurs to me alone?". It is to be known that falling is a sign of learning. Unless one embrace failure, one cannot elevate the mind to the level of an entrepreneur. We have be cognizant of the fact that the only constant thing is change. By embracing failure, we learn to adapt in the direction change and also help ourself to develop a broad mindset.
Thinking big and starting small
An entrepreneur should develop a mindset to think big and dream big. But for the dream to translate to practice we should be smart to start small. Starting small will douse the elements of ego and pride which otherwise will be deterrant to the development of a broad mindset. We should wisely follow the SMART goals paradigm- i.e. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound. This training of starting small keeps ourself grounded and commited to our goal. Only experience is able to teach us how to set SMART goals. One might fall in the beginning, but if we can pick something when we fall, that will be a huge benefit for the growth of the person. There is something more that a failure can teach than the pleasure a success can give. This will be a huge motivation for embracing failures as we encounter.
Hear before you speak
Entrepreneurship often sketch a wrong picture that he/she has to be bossy towards the subordinates. However, this is a false illusion. Our position should be that of a servant, whether you are a manager or labourer in the factory. An entrepreneur should be submissive and should not create unreasonable hierarchy to satisfy his/her personal ego. Our ancient vedic scriptures is based on the principle of shruti, which emphasize the art of hearing and listening. It makes a lot of sense because only by hearing we can learn the feelings of the person talking opposite to us. Also listening first gives the chance to think before we respond. Giving a response is far better than aimlessly reacting by succumbing to ones anger and ignorance.
Need for documenting your experience
As it was emphasized earlier, the key to success is the ability to embrace failures and to learn by doing. Documentation is much more important in this new world order because written communication is much more clearer than any other modes of knowledge transfer. In the Japanese culture the principle of documentation is strongly embedded and this is one of the reasons for the high standards visible in some of Japanese products. Researchers should specifically implement seamless documentation to clear pathways for early adoption of technology.
Staying detached during work
A key principle to excel in work is to develop the aspect of detachment. Once again Indian cultural roots point to this timeless principle that a doer should be virtuous by being equipoised to failure or success and should let go off any attachment to the fruits of action. This philosophy is one of the key pillars to any successful enterprise or mission. A servant should not be concerned so much about his/her personal comfort, instead he/she should be steadfast on the service-oriented activities. Staying detached may also be helpful to avoid over endevouring, which can impact health and cleanliness of mind. In particular, the entrepreneur should act in goodness for the welfare of the larger section of the employees.
Developing Tiny Habits
In this era of microprocessors, it is also important to plant tiny habits that can later bear fruits of job-satisfaction and personel health. It is always wise to keep a "Me Hour" where the individual can contemplate on entrepreneurial journey by using measurable tools. In the "Me Hour", there should not be any interference from anyone including checking the phone. Such a habit is of immense help to boost self-care and self-love and also stimulates clear and compassionate decisions. Any habit practiced for 21 days stays for a lifetime, and that which is practiced for at least 90 days becomes our lifestyle. Entrepreneurs should be role models by investing time to cultivate noble habits.
Mentors and teachers are pivotal in the journey of life. Every entrepreneur should build a strong platform to facilitate continuous improvement through Kaizen.
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