The Entrepreneurial Mindset is important to foster for all kinds of reasons. Whether you are planning to become and entrepreneur or not. That is because an Entrepreneurial Mindset is a set of definable, specific skills.
In 2017, Finland’s Ministry of Education and Culture defined entrepreneurial education as “… a set of skills that enable people to identify and make the most of opportunities, overcome and learn from setbacks, and succeed in a variety of settings.” (1) This sets the foundation for defining the entrepreneurial mindset that they want to build from basic education to higher education.
Through further research, we have broken this down into 9 learnable skills at Metropolia.
Entrepreneurial Mindset at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences
At Metropolia, we have defined these 9 skills as:
- Ability to innovate
- Creativity
- Proactiveness
- Teamwork
- Tolerance to risk-taking
- Tolerance of failure
- Plan & reach objectives
- Problem-centred
- Networking
Each of these skills is important in their own right to build a well-rounded mindset for moving forward in the 21st century. This is part of lifelong learning and continual improvement. In this post, we are looking more deeply into is CREATIVITY.
Creativity as a Practicable Skill
Creativity is something that has propelled the human race forward for hundreds of thousands of years and it is essential to fostering an entrepreneurial mindset. When you search Google, you get the dictionary definition creativity is “…the use of imagination or original ideas to create something; inventiveness…”
What can be surprising to many people is that there is nothing about art or drawing or even physical abilities of any kind. It only refers to your brain. It is about how you think about things, how you apply knowledge and insights, and how you make connections. As a concept, creativity is really made up of multiple skills in itself.
- Problem-solving
- Artistic expression
- Innovation
- Critical Thinking
- Imagination and Exploration
- Collaboration
- Adaptability
Looking at this list, you can see that artistic expression is listed as one of the seven skills of creativity. It is there as one way to be creative but it is just one way. It is a very visual and sometimes visceral way of showing creativity and that is why it gets so much attention. It is easy to point out and to share but that does not mean that it is the only way; it is just the most obvious.
When looking at how to use creativity and to practice creativity in the world of work, it requires something from the individual and something from the organisation where that person works.
Open Minds and Being Wrong
From the individual, exercising creativity require you at the very least to have an open mind (willing have and receive ideas from others) and a willingness to be wrong. Fundamentally understanding that you can and will sometimes be wrong can be difficult for many people. Being open and happy to be wrong is even a step further. This requires and acceptance of ambiguity or uncertainty. This is difficult for humans as a whole. Research shows that people would rather guarantee a bad experience than an uncertain one. Another way of saying that is that people would rather guarantee badness (2) than to have the uncertainty that the outcome may be good.
Acceptance of Failure as Learning
From an Organisation, being able to exercise creativity in their work, people must fee free to fail. Organisations need to cultivate a culture that accepts that failure as learning but also funds failure as a valid outcome. Daring greatly and creating a safe space for experimentation is not cheap either emotionally or financially for an organisation. But the rewards of success can be great. Having an engaged and interested workforce is not very common according to multiple Gallup polls over the past several years. But one great side effect of being able to use creativity on work is that it fosters engagement and a sense of worth.
Creativity Can Be Practiced
Many people say that if you are trying something new, then you are practicing creativity. That can be anything: playing an instrument, reading a book that is out of your normal genre, learning about a new topic, visiting places you have never been before, etc. But the first step is to really believe that creativity may look different than what you have allowed yourself to believe. So, change your mindset.
It is also important to understand that creativity is a tool for mental well-being as much as innovation. According to research conducted in 2016, practicing creativity can improve your mood for up to 24 hours. When you orient yourself to focus on enjoyment not success, that is when you get the most benefits from using creativity. Which means it doesn’t matter how well your activity turns out, it is doing it and enjoying the process and not determining success from the outcome.
It is time to start asking yourself how you can begin to practice creativity in your life to begin to reap the benefits. Also asking yourself what creative things have you been putting off until you could be more successful at them? Success in these endeavours is not the goal, enjoying the process is.
Rest as a Necessity for Creativity
One of the most important things that you can ever do for your creative muscles is to rest. Now this doesn’t mean sleep, although it could definitely include sleep. It means being in a state of non-distraction. No phones, tablets, TV, etc. Rest should also incorporate walking outside…or at least being outside. No podcast, no audiobook, just outside. Spending time with friends is also considered rest. So, your friend could join you for a walk or you could chat over tea. This offline connection is so important to humans that it is actually restorative. This rested state is a much better place in which to be creative.
This blog post has been adapted from a presentation given during the Turbiini Lunch and Learn Series where they explored Creativity which is one of the 9 skills of the Entrepreneurial Mindset.
Author
Pamela Spokes works as a Service Designer in Metropolia’s RDI team. Originally from Canada, Pamela has years of experience in university admin focusing on international recruitment, marketing, and the international student/staff experience. She is interested in purposefully designed experiences that are centred around the user.
References
- Potinkara H. (2018) Dare to be enthusiastic! Teacher´s guide to entrepreneurial skills. Published by the Finnish Federation of Finnish Enterprises. (PDF)
- Small, A., & Schmutte, K. (2022). Navigating ambiguity: creating opportunity in a world of unknowns. Ten Speed Press.
Resources
- Guidelines for entrepreneurship education 2009 (valtioneuvosto.fi)
- Entrepreneurship for Education Guidelines 2017 (PDF)
- How To Encourage And Reward Creativity In The Workplace (personatalent.com)
- The Connection Between Creativity and Mental Well Being (swifttech.com)
- Creativity in the Workplace: How to bolster engagement and productivity at work (thedesicionlab.com)
- Conner, T. Everyday creative activity as a path to flourishing (The Journal of Positive Psychology)
- Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace: 2022 Report (gallup.com)
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