EXPLORING THE ENTREPRENEUR'S REALITY AND ENVIRONMENT. WHERE DOES THE ENTREPRENEUR START FROM?
Any mentor-entrepreneur conversation should facilitate learning and awareness. This conversation can bring about enormous changes in the entrepreneur.. In addition to our entrepreneur, there is a universe of surrounding systems and of which we need to be aware.
The context in which the process is taking place is also setting the pace of the process and we cannot exclude it because is part of the entrepreneur's reality. There is a broad context that surrounds the entrepreneur, which includes the organisation of which it is a member, to its partners stakeholders, their family, etc.
The objective in this phase is to clearly determine the current situation, the entrepreneur's starting situation. When you are in the phase of REALITY it is necessary to to emphasise to look for hard facts and not opinions. In other words, if the entrepreneur says: "My partner doesn't like me.
As a mentor or coach the question to ask should be: "Is what you are telling me a fact or an opinion? It is important, become aware of if you are taking for granted matters that are really unsubstantiated opinions, and vice versa.
This phase is characterised by working on deepening the entrepreneur's awareness, seeking his or her deep reflection on the topic in question with the aim of "uncovering" information that is new to him or her. During the phase of REALITY the most frequent questions will be those that begin with: what, when, how much, where, who...
In addition, the mentor-coach should, through his questions, "analyse" what have been the unsuccessful and successful SOLUTIONS TRIED in order to support the entrepreneur's awareness.
What solutions have been tried?
Refers to those actions that a person has taken to achieve a goal, whether or not he or she has been successful in doing so. When working on the current situation, is the moment when the various blockages appear that can lead to the person not moving forward: emotional, cognitive and behavioural blocks (see TIP blocks).
On the other hand, for In reality, there are also tools and techniques that allow to obtain relevant and useful information for the entrepreneur.
Some of them are:
- Personal SWOT (+).
- The life line (+).
- DISC (+).
- Feedback 360 (+).
- Public image.
- Wheel of life (+).
- MBTI test (+).
Management of the entrepreneurial environment:
The conversations that are established in coaching and/or mentoring processes are focused, attentive conversations, designed to support the entrepreneur in his or her task of clarifying objectives, options and making changes, with the environment in which this takes place being fundamental.
THE MANAGEMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT IN COACHING-MENTORING PROCESSES INVOLVES:
In the particular case of a face-to-face session, prepare the place where the session will take place. It is important that the place where the session is to be held has optimal conditions that allow you to focus on the conversation and not on external factors. Pay attention to aspects such as temperature, ventilation, the comfort of the chairs...
Ensuring isolation from the outside. Full attention to the here and now. Many people and professionals, for example, cannot "live" without their mobile phones. We must try to avoid distractions of this kind and avoid interruptions from administrative staff, collaborators, superiors...
Have the material you may need for the session available. Prepare in advance all the material you may need and/or that may be useful for a good development of the session.
FOR EXAMPLE:
Documents, videos, audios, post-it notes, worksheets, blackboard, computer...
Start with a pleasant, informal, introductory conversation to bridge the gap to the beginning of the session. Check that communications are secure and stable. For example, prior to the session, make sure that the internet is working, in case it is needed. (see+ TIP how to improve your connection).
Ensure that the entrepreneur is in optimal conditions to start the session. Get out of the entrepreneur's comfort zone. Whenever possible propose a place other than the entrepreneur's office, but sometimes it is better to visit the entrepreneur's usual place of work to see many things...
In the sessions we will help you to look for different, creative options and solutions... This is why getting out of the comfort zone invites our right hemisphere of the brain (much more creative than the left) to come out.
Method that can help the mentor to practice focusing on the entrepreneur's reality and environment:
- Before the session, prepare a list of questions that can help the entrepreneur explore his or her current situation and environment. These questions should start with words such as what, when, how much, where, who, etc.
- During the session, emphasise looking for facts, not opinions. If the entrepreneur shares an opinion, ask whether it is a fact or an opinion and dig deeper for more concrete information.
- Discuss with the entrepreneur the solutions he/she has tried in the past, both successful and unsuccessful. Help the entrepreneur reflect on what he/she has learned from these experiences and how he/she can apply this learning to his/her current situation.
- It uses tools and techniques such as the personal SWOT, the life line, DISC, Feedback 360, the public image, the wheel of life or the MBTI test to obtain relevant and useful information for the entrepreneur.
- Make sure that the place where the session takes place is suitable for a focused and undistracted conversation. Pay attention to factors such as temperature, ventilation and comfort of chairs.
- Start the session with a light, introductory conversation that bridges the beginning of the session. This can help to create a relaxed and conducive learning environment.
- Get out of the entrepreneur's comfort zone whenever possible. Suggest a location other than the entrepreneur's office or visit the entrepreneur's usual place of work to obtain relevant information.
- It helps the entrepreneur to look for different and creative options and solutions. This may involve stepping out of the entrepreneur's comfort zone and exploring new perspectives.
By following these steps, the mentor can help the entrepreneur to explore his or her reality and environment more effectively and obtain relevant and useful information for his or her learning process.
TASK
NOW THAT YOU ARE CLEARER ABOUT THE REALITY AND ENVIRONMENT SURROUNDING THE ENTREPRENEUR, REFLECT AND EXECUTE.
- What is the environment and the reality around you like?
CASE STUDY
Suppose you are a business mentor and you are working with an entrepreneur named John. John has a business idea that he wants to develop, but he feels he doesn't know where to start and is very uncertain about the process.
To help Juan explore his reality and environment, you start the session by asking him about his current situation and his specific goal. Juan explains that he wants to create a mobile application that makes it easier to find restaurants and that he would like it to become a useful tool for users.
From there, you start to inquire about their previous experience in the sector, their available resources and the context in which they find themselves. You ask about their knowledge of the mobile app market, trends and the needs of the target audience. You also ask about the capital available for the project and whether they have identified potential partners or collaborators.
As Juan gives you answers, you take notes and go deeper into the aspects that you consider relevant. You ask him about the solutions he has tried so far, what his successes and failures have been, and what roadblocks he has encountered along the way. For example, perhaps he mentions that he has tried to contact several developers to help him create the app, but has not succeeded in finding someone suitable.
Then, to help Juan to get more information about his environment and reality, you propose him to carry out a personal SWOT. Through this tool, Juan can analyse his strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in relation to his business project. This allows him to obtain a more complete and objective view of his situation, identify his competitive advantages and make more informed decisions.
After conducting the SWOT, they begin to analyse the possible solutions and options Juan has to move forward with his project. They explore different strategies for securing funding, attracting potential partners and collaborators, and reaching his target audience. They also discuss how he can improve the visibility and image of his brand, as well as how to make the app stand out from others in the market.
Finally, to ensure that John is in an optimal environment for the session, you make sure that the place where the meetings are held has adequate conditions, such as temperature, ventilation, comfort of chairs and absence of external distractions. In addition, you make sure that communication is safe and stable, and that John feels ready to start the session.
In short, through focused questions and tools such as personal SWOT, the mentor was able to help the entrepreneur explore his or her reality and environment, and together they were able to analyse options and solutions to advance their business project.
QUIZ
After the question and before think of yourself.
You can also consult other Related TIPs.
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