I am visiting the Namibian Norwegian Association in Norway, Elverum. This partnership started off as a confirmation (Bible school) project of the Norwegian church in Elverum and later turned into a natural friendship between the two nations, as communities in this town started collecting funds to help Namibian refugees in Angola. I can assure my readers that small partnerships and networks of this nature empower nations and communities across borders. I think this partnership clearly demonstrates why an “entrepreneurial culture” is critical. Empowerment is indeed a great way to motivate people and help them unleash their internal energy and talents. However, today I would like to give you few pointers how to even reach a higher level of performance or productivity in your business.
I would like you to take a minute or two and think about this situation. On the one hand you might have highly motivated workers, while on the other you have the entrepreneur who owns the business. Who in your personal opinion is more energised? Who is better equipped with the knowledge of the business? Who will be accountable for the outcome, be it positive or negative? Who has the ability to monitor the day-to-day business operations? And most importantly, whom do you think will be more motivated to find new ways to improve the business results? In each of these scenarios, I think it will be the “entrepreneur”. I know for some of the readers this might look like a theoretical discussion, but have a fresh look at the place where you are employed right now, and try and look every job as a “business in a business”. This will make you realise that the entrepreneurial model makes perfect sense. This does not mean that business owners should give employees a business owner mentality.
As a Namibian business owner you have to realise that you can create a culture that will nourish entrepreneurial instincts in people. Let me give you a few ways in which this can be done. First and foremost, make sure that your organisation believes in empowering people: This is a prerequisite for success, because if we look at the definition of an “entrepreneur” as we started this column series three years ago – by definition an entrepreneur is an empowered and self-directed business leader. Secondly ensure that there is a connection between individual performance and business results: Make sure that your employees do not only see the direct link between the job they do every day and progress towards a breakthrough, but they must also believe it more than anything. The reality in the Namibian workplace is that most employees and even at times the owners themselves do not fully understand the link between their work and the objectives which the business wish to achieve. Thirdly, the correct performance incentives must be in place: Any entrepreneur will invest more energy in their efforts than other employees because they are motivated by the potential for greater rewards in future. As a business owner, you have to ensure that this vision exist, otherwise cultivating an entrepreneurial culture will always remain a dream. Finally make sure that there is a possibility to publicly track individual and team performance: Real entrepreneurs know that competition is a fact of life, and they will never shy away from competition. They have the ability to distinguish between performance and results. They are also confident and bold enough to let other people see the box score at the end of the game, and they have nothing to worry about. I know that there will be concerns of some people putting their personal interest ahead of business interest; the simple solution would be team based performance incentives. As you return to your work desk or your general duties there are key things that you need to keep in mind. If you as an owner is friendly, mutually supportive and if there is collegial competition amongst everyone in the business, it usually brings out the best in people. Namibians can be very productive when they realise that they are being observed. The one key thing, which can really set your business apart from the rest – is your desire to create a very strong entrepreneurial culture.
Dr. Wilfred Isak April holds a PHD (Entrepreneurship) New Zealand. He currently lectures Entrepreneurship and Management at the University of Namibia.