Entrepreneurs, Spontaneity, and Focus

Guest post by: Sylvia Lafair
Become an Author

Free PDF Download
The real meaning of leadership - By Sylvia Lafair

Most entrepreneurs I've met are lots of fun. They usually have an idea a minute and the hardest thing to do is keep focused. I know - I am, and was since I was a kid, an entrepreneur. My business days started with plays in our family garage with the neighborhood kids. I was the director, lead actor and producer. So, when we divided up the quarters that we charged the parents (no two for one deal...ever!) I got the most coins.

Now I have a different way of being an entrepreneur. I like to lead my employees from a more collaborative way, share the load and the profits. I guess growing up does give some better perspectives than it is all about me! I had to give up some of the "let's just do it" thinking, and find a way to narrow down my interests to the ones that could bring in the dough without lessening my interest in new, innovative projects.

Now how do you stay spontaneous and remain focused? That's a fine line, and one I think needs some defining. I believe you don't have to lose your creative edge to make a profit. You also don't have to close your heart to make a profit.

Let's start with spontaneity. Herb Kelleher, retired pundit from Southwest Airlines, was known for his "walking around the floor" style of management. He was also known as lots of fun at organizational parties. He had an air of just being himself that employees found very appealing.

Are you comfortable in your own skin? Are you able to talk with customers and your work force in a free and easy manner? Are you truly interested in what they have to say? Can you laugh at yourself? Are you able to admit mistakes and move on? How do you handle feedback?

Being spontaneous goes part-and-parcel with being authentic. It means being able to see yourself and those around you without blame, judgment, or attack.

Now, here is where it gets interesting. The social brain responds well to spontaneous, authentic people. What research shows is that if people hold back and pretend everything is fine, others respond with a feeling of being threatened. This sense of threat is registered in the brain and leads to mistrust and little, if any, cooperation.

Next, if there is spontaneous behavior and no focus, the lack of focus trumps the ‘let's just do it' behavior and not only does mistrust develop; there is an overriding fear of uncertainty.

While we can all handle some uncertainty and enjoy the excitement of change, without focus and a clear direction to go, this edge of uncertainty becomes debilitating.

Here is the balance point: be real, let that fun and energetic part of entrepreneurship show itself on a daily basis. And, this is a big AND, make sure you create a plan that has focus that you can tell to your customers and employees. Share bottom line business plans and accurate ideas of where you are planning to head and the rationale behind your thinking. No one will fault you if you steer in a different direction because of road blocks.

Just remember - spontaneous behavior without focus will only get you some good pats on the back, but not the buy in you want and need for your business to grow exponentially.

The One Minute Millionaire AHAS

Five Steps to Startup Success

California's Not a Big Entrepreneurship State

What Can Be Done in North America to Help Better Support African Entrepreneurship?

How to Handle a Spontaneous Response Successfully - As an Introvert

Coaching the Entrepreneur

Entrepreneurs and Success-Seven Qualities that Matter Most

Spontaneity

Lesson #2: Know Where You Want to Go, Then Worry about the Way

The 5 Practices of Wildly Successful Entrepreneurs by Ed Abel

Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs Part 1

How to run a business successfully

The need for Financial Education

Delegate! Do you know how?

Enrich Your Time! Discover The Joys of Curiosity

SMEs - South African SMEs and development capital

Traits of Being an Entrepreneur

Serious Entrepreneurs Don’t Do Everything Themselves, They Outsource

Are You An Entrepreneur Who Takes Action? Take The 4 Trait Test

SME's - still a strong component in the South African economy

Home > Leadership > Sylvia Lafair > Entrepreneurs Spontaneity and Focus > Google +

Free PDF Download
The real meaning of leadership - By Sylvia Lafair

About the Author: Sylvia Lafair

RSS for Sylvia's articles - Visit Sylvia's website
Developing leaders and transforming teams is my speciality. As a clinical psychologist I know that we bring the behaviors we learned in our original organization, the family, into our present work organization. The key to leadership is understanding how individuals form a system and how that system impacts the bottom line. I have worked globally and find that the core of relationships is much the same whether in California, China,or Chile. My book "Don't Bring It to Work (Jossey Bass) offers tools and strategies for developing collaborative work cultures and important core techniques for entrepreneurs to have motivated and fast moving teams. I am a speaker at national conferences, radio, and television. You can follow my blogs at http://www.sylvialafair.com/blog/ . You may contact Sylvia Lafair, PhD, author of "Don't Bring It to Work" directly at, sylvia@ceoptions.com or 570-636-3858 for any questions or feedback you may have.
Click here to visit Sylvia's website.

More from Sylvia Lafair
Butterflies and Thinking
Are You a Flourisher or Languisher
Leadership Development FUD to FUN
Leadership Strategies Is it Normal To Be Abnormal
Entrepreneurs Education Fast and Smart

Share this article. Fund someone's dream.

Share this post and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Entrepreneurs, Spontaneity, and Focus

Related Articles

Related Forum Posts

Share this article. Fund someone's dream.


Name:
Email: