“This is going to take longer – and cost more – than you expect.”
Say what?!
That bit of wisdom came from, Birgit Enstrom, a friend and mentor. It wasn’t what I wanted to hear. I’d just completed a certification that was still relatively new in the U.S. that I was sure would transform teams. What manager seeking increased employee engagement, employee retention, and team productivity wouldn’t be lining up begging for my help?!
I expect you’re laughing (or at least smiling) here. Yes, I – a change champion fully aware of systemic resistance to change – had fallen into the same trap as many entrepreneurs. So enthralled by my “discovery,” I’d assumed others would be equally enthralled – even more so, if it were possible! (It’s ok to cough, choke, and laugh even harder here. I mean, how naive could I be?!)
I had not yet researched the competition (there were many competitors). I could not articulate my prospective customers’ biggest pain points (they weren’t what I thought) nor the ROI for using my solution (how can I possibly know that in advance?). I did not have a grasp of my customers’ budgeting or procurement processes (which also turned out to be nothing like what I imagined). I did not have a marketing plan or a customer onboarding process (should someone actually want to buy).
I had a tool that I could wield but not the slightest idea of how to build the business around it. In short, Birgit was right. I’d recognized the opportunity, but hadn’t understood the full investment of time, money, and energy required to realize the vision in my mind.
Her comment was some of the best counsel I’ve ever received, and I’ve repeated it many times since to other eager founders. Not to rain on their parade, but to manage their expectations and assess their fortitude for the journey ahead.
As it turns out, the advice also applies to enterprise teams and non-profits. The truth is that bringing a vision to life (a new product, a generative culture, an industry transformation) is a lot of work – cognitively, physically, and emotionally.
If you’re an entre/intrapreneur, chances are you’re also a lifelong learner, so the initial learning curves (yes, plural) are exciting. But when one learning curve leads to another and another, you can start to feel like you’re climbing an endless mountain – or going down a black hole.
The real kicker? There are no guarantees of success.
So why do it? Because you can’t accept the status quo? Because you can see past the hard work? Because you’re never more energized than when you’re bringing about change? Because what others call “hard work,” you call “an interesting challenge”?
Whatever drives you, if you’ve read to the end and are more energized now than when you started reading this post, you’re probably someone I’d like to know. Feel free to reach out and invite me to connect on LinkedIn and/or Instagram.
