I am writing this blog in the courtyard of a well-appointed apartment in Split Croatia, under an awning next to vines and a pink bougainvillea, having just returned from a week’s sailing out of the ancient harbour town of Trogir which now has two extensive modern marinas.
In a Brexit obsessed Britain, whether you are for or against leaving the EU, everything seems to be focused on the exit exercise almost to the exclusion of all else. It seems to me that as a result generally there is less of a feeling of dynamism or development in the country.
By contrast the Croatians can definitely teach us a thing or two about enterprise in tourism. Starting no doubt from a lower base of resource and national wealth they are steaming up on us staider and distracted British in the development of their national tourist industry.
The pilot books for the sailing charters can barely keep up with the development of new marinas and facilities and all of the associated opportunities for shops and restaurants in the ports. Without spoiling their country Croatia is riding on a wave of tourism and yachting that is inspiring to behold.
To be fair Croatia is dependent to a large degree on the very same tourism, struggling more to develop other industries. However, it is in the tourism field that they display a true spirit of enterprise. All seem engaged in this from the taxi drivers through the department owners to the yacht charterers and restauranteurs. We have had lots of free liqueurs, on the house, and last night the manager of the restaurant in Trogir hurried up to say goodbye and thank us enthusiastically at the end of our meal. They are polite, helpful, speak various languages and seem to want to share their beautiful country.
The same should absolutely be true of a professional firm or business. We should all be aspiring to build and develop our practice ceaselessly looking for enterprise and improvement. To do otherwise is potentially to go into reverse and stagnate and ultimately possibly disappear as a business.
This report in Forbes Insightstitled Nurturing Europe’s Spirit of Enterprise:
How Entrepreneurial Executives Mobilize Organizations to Innovate asks What are the personal qualities and enabling factors most likely to help Europe’s garden of innovation grow?It then commentsIn its older sense, the term enterprise denotes the readiness to take on new projects and challenges, especially daring and courageous ones. Johannes Gutenberg, Eli Whitney and Tim Berners-Lee all shared a spirit of enterprise that led to world-changing innovations.It discusses the types of people more likely to support innovation and concludes In today’s flat world, where productivity and the ability to connect with the customer are so important in creating value, a high rate of innovation is one of the few ways to sustain competitive advantage.
The report also discounts country effects and here I differ from my recent experience in Croatia where you can almost “feel” the enterprise and innovation. And in big organisations as perhaps in some countries maintaining an entrepreneurial spirit can be difficult as discussed in this older Harvard Business School article which quotes a senior Xerox executive If innovation is the ability to recognize opportunity, then the essence of being an entrepreneur is being able to mobilize talent and resources quickly to seize that opportunity and turn it into a business.
However as the ancient Chines general Sun Tzu said: Unhappy is the fate of one who tries to win his battles and succeed in his attacks without cultivating the spirit of enterprise, for the result is waste of time and general stagnation.
As for me I am going to enjoy a bit more of Split - and I plan to be back next year, this time for two weeks!
In a Brexit obsessed Britain, whether you are for or against leaving the EU, everything seems to be focused on the exit exercise almost to the exclusion of all else. It seems to me that as a result generally there is less of a feeling of dynamism or development in the country.
By contrast the Croatians can definitely teach us a thing or two about enterprise in tourism. Starting no doubt from a lower base of resource and national wealth they are steaming up on us staider and distracted British in the development of their national tourist industry.
The pilot books for the sailing charters can barely keep up with the development of new marinas and facilities and all of the associated opportunities for shops and restaurants in the ports. Without spoiling their country Croatia is riding on a wave of tourism and yachting that is inspiring to behold.
To be fair Croatia is dependent to a large degree on the very same tourism, struggling more to develop other industries. However, it is in the tourism field that they display a true spirit of enterprise. All seem engaged in this from the taxi drivers through the department owners to the yacht charterers and restauranteurs. We have had lots of free liqueurs, on the house, and last night the manager of the restaurant in Trogir hurried up to say goodbye and thank us enthusiastically at the end of our meal. They are polite, helpful, speak various languages and seem to want to share their beautiful country.
The same should absolutely be true of a professional firm or business. We should all be aspiring to build and develop our practice ceaselessly looking for enterprise and improvement. To do otherwise is potentially to go into reverse and stagnate and ultimately possibly disappear as a business.
This report in Forbes Insightstitled Nurturing Europe’s Spirit of Enterprise:
How Entrepreneurial Executives Mobilize Organizations to Innovate asks What are the personal qualities and enabling factors most likely to help Europe’s garden of innovation grow?It then commentsIn its older sense, the term enterprise denotes the readiness to take on new projects and challenges, especially daring and courageous ones. Johannes Gutenberg, Eli Whitney and Tim Berners-Lee all shared a spirit of enterprise that led to world-changing innovations.It discusses the types of people more likely to support innovation and concludes In today’s flat world, where productivity and the ability to connect with the customer are so important in creating value, a high rate of innovation is one of the few ways to sustain competitive advantage.
The report also discounts country effects and here I differ from my recent experience in Croatia where you can almost “feel” the enterprise and innovation. And in big organisations as perhaps in some countries maintaining an entrepreneurial spirit can be difficult as discussed in this older Harvard Business School article which quotes a senior Xerox executive If innovation is the ability to recognize opportunity, then the essence of being an entrepreneur is being able to mobilize talent and resources quickly to seize that opportunity and turn it into a business.
However as the ancient Chines general Sun Tzu said: Unhappy is the fate of one who tries to win his battles and succeed in his attacks without cultivating the spirit of enterprise, for the result is waste of time and general stagnation.
As for me I am going to enjoy a bit more of Split - and I plan to be back next year, this time for two weeks!
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