How can IT Engineers develop an Entrepreneurial Mindset?

Over the years, I have met many engineers who were empowered by their chosen mindset to see challenges as opportunities. They viewed failure as a chance to learn and drive desired results. They were able to think creatively, assess situations clearly, and minimize business risk, earning endless kudos from our clients. Their approach helped them make smart decisions and innovate in the face of challenges. All of them had one thing in common: They had an “entrepreneurial mindset.”

Successful entrepreneurs are known for thinking outside of the box. It is the entrepreneurial mindset that shapes how they act and view the world around them. Interestingly, one doesn’t have to be an entrepreneur to act like one. Performing like an entrepreneur isn’t a trait that you have to be born with – it’s a mindset that anyone can adopt and hone with practice.

For IT engineers, the benefits of adopting an entrepreneurial mindset in the workplace are immense. The ability to critically analyze everything and identify self-improvement opportunities can foster success in their professional and personal space. The entrepreneurial way of thinking can help IT engineers lead innovative ventures at work and be a better problem solver in their personal life. Just as important, the entrepreneurial mindset can make them more adaptable to the inevitable changes in the tech landscape and get early promoted to a leadership position.

Cultivate intrinsic motivation

Many IT engineers often only think about the narrow silo of their immediate workload. They often view customers as someone else’s problem. This disconnect can kill motivation. One way to stay motivated in any IT role is to keep the focus on the endgame. Where is your company headed? What plans do you have in the future to grow in your company and expand? SMART long-term goal setting is your key to keep your motivational wheels turning. Customer satisfaction is everyone’s responsibility, and showing that you understand that can support the company’s overall goal of caring for clients.

Be responsible and take initiatives

Don’t hesitate to take charge and ownership of your projects. This will help you avoid feeling like a cog in a machine and create value for the business. With this sense of ownership, you’ll gain a sense of purpose and feel part of the team. You will also find it leads to more accountability and raises your status to that of a good team player.

Grab any opportunity to take on initiatives. In a people-drive business model such as MSP, every engineer plays a key role in improving customer satisfaction by meeting (or exceeding) SLAs. One example of stepping up your game is making your reports more interactive with data points and charts unique to a particular client or proactively delivering a firewall update to a customer.

Learn from your mistakes

The entrepreneurial mindset is about an inherent need to improve your skillsets and never give up. The key to learning from failure is to acknowledge your mistakes so they make you better, not break you. Mistakes and failures are inevitable, but your reaction to each is what you make of it.

Don’t attach judgment or blame when you make a mistake. Instead, slow down, think about why the mistake occurred in the first place. It will help you know what you can do to improve your remediation response or minimize miscommunication in the future. Every leader appreciates that mistakes happen, but they are appreciative when you show the initiative to explore why something went wrong and put in place a plan to prevent a repeat event.

Continue to evolve

If you want to get into the entrepreneurial mindset, you have to act like an entrepreneur. You have to commit to becoming a better version of yourself. This means nourishing your brain by learning new skills and training on emerging technologies. This will enable you to adapt and evolve in the face of any change and crisis.

To innovate and anticipate change, keep an eye on what’s happening in the tech space. In the post-COVID IT landscape, being able to continuously upgrade and broaden your skillset in cloud computing and cybersecurity will help you gain a competitive advantage as an IT professional.

Final Thought: There is no magical formula to succeed and fast track your career in IT consulting. However, there are certain entrepreneur characteristics that all IT engineers can cultivate to dramatically boost their odds for success. It is this mindset that leads to growth, from taking on leadership positions to acquiring new skills.