Entrepreneurial Mindset for Transformative Education with Stephen Carter

If we focus on investing our time with impact and intentionality, we will reap the rewards of the entrepreneurial mindset--this is especially important as we work toward the fulfillment of our mission and vision.

It’s trendy in educational circles to talk about “embracing the learning experience of failure” or “teaching students to not fear failure,” but at the end of the day, it’s the same old story: we’re afraid. When we do a cost-benefit analysis, we tend to overload the cost side and assume it is not worth the risk. When we consider our shareholders, our customers, and our employees, we decide to play it safe and minimize damage. Playing it safe can certainly be appealing—especially in the independent school arena. When the school board looks at enrollment numbers and makes a direct comparison to customer satisfaction in the classroom, it can be enticing to continue to rely on tested methods of the past. It can be enticing to avoid failure at all costs. It can be enticing to stay comfortable. But comfort is the enemy of progress. 

This kind of thinking is in line with self-made billionaire entrepreneur Sara Blakely who explains that true failure is “not trying in the first place.” 

The impacts of this style of thinking on education are endless. Redefining failure is a key attribute of what is referred to as the entrepreneurial mindset. In enabling our teachers, and our students, to think like entrepreneurs—to ask, “What if?” and “Why not?”—we are giving them a path to success. A bumpy and misshapen path, for sure, but a path nonetheless where the learning yields not only rewards but a life free of inconsolable regret. 

The entrepreneurial mindset is a mindset based on principles and principles are truths that directly impact our lives. Principles are at work regardless whether or not we acknowledge them, but when we do acknowledge them, we can make them work for us rather than against us. The principle I focus on in this podcast is the principle that we go in the direction we are facing. This is foundational to a mindset of success.

Teaching the growth mindset is foundational to teaching entrepreneurship and I can think of no better place to teach this than in a space dedicated to real-time displays of flourishing growth. But the space also illustrates a key point about growth—if not directed, growth can get out of control.

Consider the tomato plant. In the greenhouse, we grow “indeterminate” tomatoes which means they can grow to fill the space provided. It also means they grow like crazy—and in every direction. If left unchecked, the indeterminate tomato plant will grow out, over, up, and under, filling up all nearby space. The plant will focus so much on growth solely for the sake of growth that it will produce less fruit.

For this reason, tomato plants must be heavily pruned. Their suckers must be removed, and the bottom leaves must also be cut off, leaving only the top to grow in one clear direction—vertical. Because of this intentionality, the tomato plants will grow well over twenty feet tall and will produce incredible harvests all through the growing period.

The lesson is clear—growth for the sake of growth can often lead to less fruit. Directional growth that is pruned with intentionality, however, will more than exceed expectations. And this is the type of growth we seek with the entrepreneurial mindset.

When we tether our growth to a clear vision and when we operate out of a defined mission with stated core values, our growth will not only be healthy and life giving, but will know no limits. Coupled with grit, the ability to redefine failure, and the desire to seek opportunity, we become unstoppable.

When I talk to business owners regarding their pain points, the conversation often trails toward the hiring process. “We can’t find good people,” they say before bemoaning all the problems with “this generation.”

As someone with an entrepreneurial mindset, this problem is an opportunity. The opportunity lies in what we can teach our students to help them not only stand out but also excel in the hiring process. The art of the conversation, while essential to most career paths, is largely untaught in modern schooling.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. As part of the entrepreneurship programming here at Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, we dive deeply into teaching students how to network which includes lessons on shaking hands, making eye contact, asking questions, and genuine listening. We even teach them how to use LinkedIn.

In the end, the biggest value-add comes from a two-fold lesson: be interesting and be interested. Be interesting enough for people to want to talk to you and be interested in other people enough to ask curious questions.

We’re all guilty of it—we don’t spend enough quality time with our rock stars. Don’t get me wrong, we certainly know who our rock stars are, but because they are the ones who've got it together, who deliver consistently, and who don't cause us problems, we often let them do their thing so we can focus on putting out the fires.

And this can be a detrimental mistake.

Our rock stars need us. They need us to, if nothing else, listen. They need us to recognize, affirm, and uplift. Even if they seem like they don’t, they actually do. 

At the end of the day, the most powerful tool in our tool box for entrepreneurship is compound interest. And I'm not just talking about a financial tool or economic indicator--I'm talking about the heart of the entrepreneurial mindset and the vehicle by which dreams and goals are fulfilled, by which habits are formed, and by which lives are crafted. Harnessing this power is central to our success in life.

Believe it or not, your school already has the perfect space for entrepreneurship to not only happen but to thrive--all it takes is recognizing it and creating the necessary freedom, resources, and autonomy for the program to thrive.

I can KNOW everything in the world about leadership and organization and team collaboration, but without someone in my corner challenging and pushing me, my growth will be stunted. This revelation brought me to the following admission, and it is one born out of vulnerability: we all need coaching. Wherever we are in our lives, we all have dreams and goals and, hopefully, an inspiring vision. And having someone come alongside us to help us stay on that path is not just a want but a need.

For those of us pursuing an entrepreneurial mindset in order to distill and share that mindset with students or coworkers or parents, coaching is essential. Take it from a guy who thought he didn’t need it and now, just seven months later, is shocked by the results.

Feeling disengaged? Have students, parents, or teachers that would classify as disengaged? They're in the majority--67% of US employees report feeling disengaged from their work. Rather than see this as a major problem, we can see this as an opportunity if we approach from an entrepreneurial mindset. And the opportunity to increase engagement starts with a clear understanding of the WHY.