Give space for your employees to innovate

Written by: Maarten van Duijn

Being an entrepreneur is about more than just the numbers at the bottom line. If
profits were the most important thing, we might as well invest our money at
the stock market. Even better than the financial result is the impact
we can realize as entrepreneurs.

But what does impact really mean? Before you know it, it’s a word that
you stick on everything, and in my experience it soon becomes itchy. With that
it loses its power. Of course I can think of other words that cover the load
better, but they remain beautiful words, sentences and promises. And there
are already enough plans, presentations and websites full of them. Paper is patient,
shall we say.

Therefore, what is important is what you do every day and how you undertake, every day.
So not what you promise, but what you do. This is much more difficult, of course, because
this carries over into all your conversations and decisions. Real entrepreneurship means
looking ahead and making choices that make a difference not only today, but tomorrow and in the
future.

Your team is the most important capital in this regard. I believe that only if they develop themselves
will your company – and you as an entrepreneur – also move forward. What space
can you give them to let them innovate and work with new ideas?
How do you help coach your team members and how can you go the extra mile? Where
do your team members get their inspiration and how do they translate the ideas they
get into concrete solutions for customers?

Because in the end, that’s what we do it for. You can have such great ideas,
but if your customers don’t notice or experience the results,
then what are you doing it all for?

Anyway, enough fine words and phrases. Above all, let’s get to work.
That’s when we will make the most impact in the end and the results will follow.

This column appeared in the Winter edition of INTO business Alkmaar.