Hard years for entrepreneurship
Times are tough for entrepreneurs and professionals who suffered greatly during the pandemic. According to a joint study by the RJCCQ (Réseau des jeunes chambres de commerce du Québec) and the UQTR (Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières) of 250 entrepreneurs and professionals, the mental health of 57% of them was judged to be "poor" or "very poor". In order to respond to this problem, the RJCCQ made available to its members support circles, a network of volunteers and a telephone help line called Écoute-Entraide. By the end of the pandemic, the ratio of respondents who reported their level of mental health as "poor" had decreased to 20%.
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"This figure is still much too high. Is it normal for our society to accept that an entrepreneur who innovates and creates wealth should suffer so much? Absolutely not." Pierre Graff, president of the RJCCQ. |
He believes that the lack of support for entrepreneurs, the absence of skills development resources and the taboos associated with mental health are primarily responsible for these numbers. The Entrepreneurial Index, developed by the Mentoring Network, is down sharply: individuals are more reluctant or giving up on starting a business than ever before. This data is worrisome in the long term.
The right entrepreneurial reflex: Develop your network
Entrepreneurs are sometimes ill-prepared for what awaits them when they go into business. This leaves them vulnerable, due to a lack of tools or skills that they do not seek elsewhere, from other professionals. Moreover, mentoring is an underutilized principle in Quebec. "There are resources available, mentors and coaches are there to help you, it's up to you to seek out these allies to solidify your path," says Pierre Graff. Some studies also show that entrepreneurs tend to underestimate the development of their network and its strength.
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"The ideal for the entrepreneur would be to first develop his closest network: his team. Cyril Vulgarides, CEO of Technologia |
Learning to work together, to delegate and to inspire one's team despite successes and failures is not always easy, but it works. We often (and too often!) talk about leadership, but we could summarize it as the ability of an entrepreneur or a professional to motivate his team and create together, to carry out projects and solve problems. In this case, leadership is based first and foremost on the mission of the company, its "why". This skill is developed and it is the role of the entrepreneur to find the tools to achieve it.
Focus on skills development
The "Working Together" survey conducted jointly by the RJCCQ and Léger Marketing surveyed a pool of young employees and professionals in 2022. The results show that 80% of respondents want their employer to pay for training in order to prioritize the development of their skills. Of these, 51% want to be better trained in their daily tasks (hard skills), 17% on personal development (soft skills) and the rest of the respondents want to become more professional to keep up with the digital transformation. The survey also reveals that employers are aware that resources exist to subsidize the development of their employees' skills, but this does not seem to be a reflex for them. "There is a correlation between employee productivity and happiness at work. Employees should not hesitate to ask their employer about training because they want to evolve within the company and become a better version of themselves," says Pierre Graff.
The good news: Everything can be learned and developed
As we mentioned earlier, professionals and entrepreneurs can be coached to develop specific professional skills, but also their critical thinking skills, their leadership skills in order to successfully carry out their projects, their business vision and even their empathy! The only good motivation for an employee is intrinsic; it is not up to the entrepreneur to impose or "force" a vision to which his teams do not naturally adhere. Let's not forget that human beings are primarily "relational" and that they need to recognize themselves in their community. Cohesion and team spirit will undoubtedly contribute to the success of many projects. And the good news is that these are skills that the entrepreneur can learn to develop. It's up to you!
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