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As entrepreneurs, we are expected to be at the same time dreamers but never succumb to the slumber of inaction. We are supposed to be able to snap our fingers, fall into a trance, dream about a wonderful future, then wake up to convey the vision in a compellingly sticky way to our teams and then organized pragmatic combat marching orders. But shifting gears like this can be difficult, especially at a breakneck pace in an age of distraction.
Today I'm inspired to examine these three distinct stages, each of which can lull us with their siren song and keep us hooked for a long time. Let's explore these three ENTREPRENEURS responsibilities and inflection points between each.
“The Dream”
Some of us are natural dreamers. We collect concepts like memories, and our heads stay in the clouds—constantly turning over puzzle pieces and looking for previously undiscovered connections. This is how real innovation comes into the world. We have to spend uninterrupted time putting things together.
It reminds me Bill Gates at the height of his career, taking “thinking weeks” where he would disappear for two weeks to weave together a dozen random books and recent learnings into a new vision for the future of Microsoft. Maybe this seems very natural to you, and if so, make sure you don't get stuck here. Dreams in business are only useful if you do something with them as soon as you wake up.
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“Dramatization”
And then it's time to share. When you wake up, how do you articulate your dream? And beyond that, how do you get others on board with your idea? How do you forcefully tell the story that people understand and can even begin to own themselves? Some people are talented communicator, and storytelling is second nature. But for those who need guidance, here's what I've found helpful – a distillation of the hero's journey.
Your dream is likely to solve some tangible problems that people are suffering from. Introduce that person as the main character of the story, with their hopes and dreams, only to be burdened by some impenetrable obstacle. They have a problem that they cannot solve on their own and this problem is preventing them from achieving their dream. They need help and you are perfectly positioned to help them. Your personality is exactly the type they relate to (perhaps even an inverse of theirs, offsetting their negative personality traits), and your guidance speaks to their head and heart, encouraging and inspiring them to take action. . You end up sharing one clear articulation of what is at stake (“What's the worst that could happen?” by not taking action, followed by “What's the best that could happen?” with your help).
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This story formula will always resonate, no matter your audience or industry. And by telling it as a story, it's much more likely to be remembered and contagiously shared throughout your network. People remember and love to tell stories, especially when they are easy to remember and have an emotional reward.
“To do”
But now is the time to get moving. How does this baby giraffe of an idea take its first steps? Slowly – so – with great purpose. In my fifteen years of entrepreneurship, I've found that milestones are great, but that inch stones are even better.
In your mind, put yourself one year ahead. At that point, you have reached a new inflection, which will require another cycle of dreaming. Now give yourself 3-4 milestones you have to strike between now and then. Don't worry about flowery language and don't focus on feelings.
Be as clearly pragmatic as possible when describing those milestones. Use phrases like, “We've grown enough for 24 months” and “We have our first paying customer.” And when you've got those points down, break each one into 3-4 inch stones. Baby steps, if you will.
This may seem extremely uninspiring or unrevealing, and that's the point. When we wrestle our sharp, aspirational brains into action, it will feel like we're robbing our work of all its romance—and we are—but our future selves will thank us.
When this historic moment comes to light, it is time to dream again. Collect everything you've gathered since your last dream, absorb it, take a break from your typical routine, and let yourself fall back into a dream state.
There you have it – the top three caps most entrepreneurs are expected to merrily swing from day to day breaking down into plain language. It takes tremendous discipline to follow this flow and not slip back into daydreaming after sharing an idea. As a point of confession, my biggest fault is dreaming too much and not doing, so this process becomes my handrail. And believe me, my team is grateful for that. There's only so many times you can shake the wheel before the people on board get seasick and want to leave.
Founders don't need to wear all three hats as companies grow, thank goodness. As we experience some success and hire to replace ourselves, we can slowly drift into what we love most (Dreaming, dramatizing, or doing). But in the early stages of the venture, we likely need to wear all three hats.
And this is a dream.