Exercises: Entrepreneurial attitudes

Explain in your own words what an entrepreneurial attitude is and how it differs from 'starting a business'. Give two examples of entrepreneurial behaviour that have nothing to do with making money (at school, in a sports team, or in your family).

Match each situation with the entrepreneurial attitude that best describes it: self-confidence, empathy, perseverance, initiative, or resilience.

1. a) Aitana suggests an idea for recycling in the canteen to the class rep without anyone asking her to.
2. b) Bruno fails the first project exam, reviews his mistakes, and tries again.
3. c) Carla puts herself in the local elderly residents' shoes before designing a simple app for them.
4. d) Darío believes he is capable of organising the breaktime tournament and offers to do it.
5. e) Elisa has spent three weeks rehearsing her oral presentation, even though it was already good in the first week.

The diagram shows a self-assessment tool that separates what depends on you from what comes from outside, but one of the boxes is covered with a question mark.

1. a) State which box is missing and explain what kind of things are written in it.
2. b) Write two of your own examples for each of the four boxes, thinking about a class project.

Explain what initiative is and how it differs from 'waiting to be told what to do'. Describe a situation at your school where someone could take the initiative to improve something specific, and what small first step they could take this very week.

Your school's reading club has lost half its members in one term. Match each reaction with the attitude it shows — self-confidence, resilience, empathy or passivity — and say which one would help most to bring the club back to life: (a) 'people just don't like reading any more, there's nothing we can do'; (b) 'I'm going to ask the ones who left what wasn't working for them'; (c) 'we've had a bad term, but we can try a different format'; (d) 'I can organise the next session, I feel up to it'.

Define what it means to take responsibility for your actions within a team and give a school example of each of these two attitudes: blaming others when something goes wrong, versus owning up to your share of the mistake and suggesting how to fix it. Why does the second attitude make the team trust you more?

Marta says: 'I'm no good at entrepreneurship, I'm more of an obedient type.' Explain what self-image lies behind that sentence and write two alternative sentences that stay honest but open the door to improvement (for example, changing 'I'm no good at it' to 'I haven't practised it yet').

List four entrepreneurial attitudes and, for each one, write an observable gesture that demonstrates it in class (phrases like 'being positive' don't count: describe exactly what you would do so that a teacher could see it).

Carry out an honest self-assessment: choose three of your strengths and two of your weaknesses that matter when working in a team. For each weakness, write down a small, concrete action you could take this month to improve it (for example: "I find public speaking difficult" → "I will volunteer to read the summary in the next presentation").

A Year 11 group wants to create a buddy system for new students arriving at the school in September. Explain what role empathy plays in this project and describe two concrete actions to practise it before designing the service (who to ask, what to observe).

'Persevering is not about always sticking obstinately to the same thing.' Distinguish perseverance from stubbornness using a school example: at what point does persisting stop being a virtue and changing strategy becomes advisable?

Your team wants to set up a charity second-hand sale of clothes and books. Do a personal mini-SWOT for that project: two strengths, two weaknesses, one external opportunity you can take advantage of, and one threat that worries you. Then write how you will use one strength to seize the opportunity.

Nil is very good at coming up with ideas but abandons every project halfway through: when the boring part arrives (permits, lists, rehearsals) he disappears. Explain which attitude he needs to train, propose two concrete strategies to help him stick it out to the end (short tasks with a reward, an accountability partner, weekly milestones) and argue which one would suit him best.

'Empathy is not agreeing with everyone.' Explain what it means to put yourself in someone else's shoes without giving up your own judgement, and apply it to this conflict: your team wants to sell personalised mugs at the fair, but half the students asked say they wouldn't use a mug. What would you do with that information without giving up at the first hurdle?

At the science fair, your group's volcano failed to erupt in front of the judges. Write the follow-up dialogue of two versions of the team: one in which they blame each other and another in which they analyse what went wrong without pointing fingers. Highlight which specific sentences make the difference and explain what attitude lies behind each version.

Choose an entrepreneurial attitude you struggle with and design your four-week 'training plan': what you will do each week (one small, concrete action), how you will measure whether you are improving, and who can help you stick to the plan. Explain why attitudes are trained like a muscle and not learned just by reading about them.

Vera was part of the team organising the school's entrepreneurship fair. After an argument in which her idea was rejected, she stopped attending meetings and says that 'this isn't for her'.

1. a) Analyse which entrepreneurial attitudes are lacking in Vera and which ones she should work on.
2. b) Write down what you would say to her to help her return to the team without giving up on her ideas.

Hugo's team wants to set up a healthy breakfast stall at the end-of-year party. Complete their self-assessment: two strengths of the team (they know how to cook, they are good at talking to people), two weaknesses (they are late for everything, none of them has ever handled money), two opportunities (the PTA provides the premises, there is no other food at the party), and two threats (it is hot and the food spoils, there are only two hours to sell). Based on this assessment, propose two decisions that take advantage of a strength and two that protect against a weakness.

'Entrepreneurs are born, not made.' Take a stance on this statement, backing it up with two examples: one of an attitude that you believe can be trained (and how), and another of a situation in which an individual's personality genuinely plays a role.

Bruna's team has had two failed attempts at organising the school's e-sports tournament: the first was cancelled for lack of permits and the second for lack of sign-ups. Bruna wants to try a third time, but her teammates say 'it's obvious it just won't happen'.

1. a) Distinguish which part of the previous failures depended on the team and which part came from outside, and explain why that distinction matters before deciding.
2. b) Write the analysis Bruna could present to the team to decide with data whether a third attempt makes sense: what she would change, what she would keep, and what signal would tell them it is time to give up.

Two students with the same grades are standing to coordinate the school market. Pol says: 'I'll do it well because I'm the best at organising.' Guillem says: 'I've prepared myself, I know the project and I think I can do it; if something is beyond me, I'll ask.'

1. a) Analyse the difference between Pol's confidence and Guillem's, and what risk each style poses for the project.
2. b) Argue who you would choose and write two questions you would ask them in the 'interview' to check their real attitude, not just their words.

Your class is debating whether to enter a district entrepreneurship competition. Half say 'the big schools always win, it's not worth it'; the other half want to give it a go.

1. a) Identify which entrepreneurial attitudes are at play in each position and which one hides a self-fulfilling prophecy.
2. b) Propose a middle-ground agreement that allows the class to take part and learn even without winning (learning goals, not just outcome goals) and explain how you would present it to the class.

Roc organised the fair stall on his own because 'if I do it myself, it gets done well and fast'. It went well, but three teammates have left the team: they say they were nothing more than Roc's helpers.

1. a) Analyse which of Roc's attitudes, useful in small doses, has become a problem, and what his teammates have lost along the way.
2. b) Design how the next project should be shared out so that Roc keeps contributing his efficiency without turning the rest into spectators.

'To be an entrepreneur you have to be brave and fearless.' Discuss this statement: explain the difference between not feeling fear and acting in spite of fear, give a school example of each, and argue why the second is a trainable attitude while the first is almost a myth. Finish by suggesting one concrete technique for making decisions when fear shows up before a presentation.