Lately, social justice and impact work seems to be at the forefront of everyone’s mind. I believe in order to build a world that is more equitable and just, it’s important that we give everyone permission to see themselves as entrepreneurial. Once someone sees themselves in that light, they feel the agency to make the changes they see necessary for themselves and the world around them. We often mistake entrepreneurism as a character trait that someone is born with and I’d argue it’s a trait that sits within everyone, that must be developed. Some of us are aware that it’s there and put it to use, some exercise it without knowing, and some feel they need permission to tap into it. 

If you asked me when I was 7, 15, 27, if I would ever consider myself an entrepreneur I would have laughed. It wasn’t until I gained the language and understanding of what it takes to build a business that I realized I have been entrepreneurial most of my adult life. Rewind to when I was a sophomore in undergraduate school, which, by this time I couldn’t afford books. With my back against the wall, I had to find a way to make sure I was prepared. My first decision was, I needed to be in every class (even those dreaded 8:00am ones, especially those after spending a night at the local “watering hole”). The second was, it was key that my notes were on point because that’s what I would have to study. When we had book work, I was able to leverage my notes to access other people’s books. I’ll trade you book time for a chapter outline, was the common deal. The feeling of stress and naivete throughout my undergraduate school journey was what launched me into education, with the goal of making sure those after me had the right tools to deal with or sidestep similar obstacles. 

What I’ve come to understand is that it’s not about the money. It’s about the skillset and mindset that revolves around problem-solving and bringing something new into fruition through a lot of trial and error. When working with students, these are my:

Long-haul Learner:

Get students comfortable with not seeking out the “right” answer, but an answer. Then test that answer in a number of settings and contexts to see how it holds up. Oftentimes, the “right” answer is a means to an end, but if you are building curiosity and the idea of experimentation you’ll find students push themselves further. In order to get students on this train, give them BIG and COMPLEX questions that don’t have a “right” answer. You can also give yourself permission to admit when you don’t know something and go on the journey of discovery with them. 

Identify Needs vs Problems:

Problems are inconveniences that typically affect an insignificant amount of people or aren’t impactful enough to demand a widespread solution. Whereas, Needs (aka wicked problems) are problems that affect a larger number of people, are complex, and oftentimes impact people’s quality of life. Typically, people are actively seeking ways to eliminate it or at least minimize it. It’s important for students to understand if they have identified a need or problem because the impact of one drastically outweighs the other. A way to help students understand if they have spotted a need or problem can be by asking them a few questions: How many people find this to be an issue? What does this prevent them from being able to accomplish in their life? What things already exist to address this?

Be a Good Listener:

In order to create any kind of solution that generates impact, you must LISTEN to those who are affected. Helping students understand the difference between listening to respond and listening to understand is key. You should be open-minded (not there to persuade), summarize (rephrase what you have heard so far) in order to check your understanding, and be inquisitive (ask follow up questions based on what was said, not just what you already planned out). You may feel like you’re going off track, but that’s okay if it helps you understand more deeply. 

Skip Perfectionism:

Help students get comfortable with being imperfect. In order to make any progress and learn without depleting resources, you have to be willing to learn along the way. This includes putting half-baked ideas in front of people to make sure you’re on the right track. It’s better to learn if you are missing the mark early on, verus when you’ve invested time and money only to find out it doesn’t work. This would be like you’re driving to a new destination and you aren’t quite sure where you are going. It’s better to stop and ask for directions early on and fairly frequently than to wait and drive 8 hours only to realize you’ve gone the wrong direction! Encourage students to let go of perfection by rewarding them for experimenting, pushing them to look at it from multiple angles, and emphasizes growth versus the end-product. 

What are things you find to be important? Comment below!