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By: Shannon Waller

Rating: A-

This was a short and sweet book about the difference between entrepreneurial organizations and corporate/bureaucratic organizations. The book went on to give 12 strategies for entrepreneurial teams.

Entrepreneurial Organizations vs. Corporate Organizations:

Entrepreneurial	Bureaucratic
Learn by doing	Learn by researching
Unstructured	Structured
Fluid	Rigid
Contribution	Status
Results	Time and effort
Relationship-focused	Transaction-focused
Change	Stability
Abundance	Scarcity

An entrepreneur is:

•  Someone who shifts economic resources out of an area of lower and into an area of higher productivity and greater yield.
• One who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business.

In an entrepreneurial organization:

• Don’t expect to be managed - manage yourself, and manage up.
• Don’t wait to be told what to do - figure out what you think needs doing, check in if you need to, and do it.
• Don’t expect other people to always pat you on the back - learn how to motivate yourself and ask for positive feedback when you need it.

Success Strategies:

1.  Create Value. Always work to provide leadership (direction), relationship (confidence), and creativity (capability).

2. Take initiative. Look for ways to be proactive - solve problems, make improvements, and propose ideas.

3. Focus on results. Focus on the bigger picture and the desired result, not just the time and effort required.

4. Have an ownership attitude. Take full responsibility for your projects, your communication, and your actions. 

5. Be in alignment. Find out the overall goal or desired result, and do what you need to do to align with it.

6. Be a partner. Value and respect others’ talents and goals as well as your own.

7. Take action. Whenever possible, make things happen. Don’t wait for others to make the first move. 

8. Be open. Be receptive to new ideas and initiatives. Prepare and plan for change.

9. Communicate. Learn how others like to communicate. Close “open files” - let people know when tasks are done and what happened. 

10. Learn how to handle strong emotions. Have confidence and stay calm when dealing with emotionally-charged situations. These are a normal part of entrepreneurial life. 

11. Have patience and compassion. Look at the situation from the other person’s point of view. Recognize that it takes time to change habits. 

12. Don’t give up. Learn to see mistakes and breakdowns as learning opportunities.