Do you spend hours staring our of your office window thinking about all of the other, far more interesting, things you could be doing?
No?
Are you telling the truth?
You may not have to deny it for much longer because new research has found that daydreamers are often the people who make the best entrepreneurs. So... dream on.
A report by Barclays Local Business has revealed how employees who show signs of distraction are the ones more likely to get out and start their own businesses. Nearly half of todays bosses admit they planned their entrepreneurial future while daydreaming in their previous employment.
So bosses should stop worrying about social networking sites such as Facebook distracting workers. People now admit that their biggest office pastime other than their job of course, is staring into space and planning how to launch an empire.
John Davis, marketing director for Barclays Local Business, says: "This survey highlights what many bosses have probably suspected for a long time – that for some employees, their current job is the last thing on their mind when they are at work. However, while they may be wasting their employers time, they are not necessarily being idle, as they are planning for their own future. For budding entrepreneurs, the routine of their day-job can spark dreams of going on to bigger and better things."
There are a few results from the survey that are bound to irk some employers though. Its pretty obvious that these employees are making clear definitions between their work and social lives. Only eight per cent of those surveyed would interrupt their holiday to come up with a startlingly brilliant business idea. And when people are in the pub socialising, that figure drops to just six per cent. It must be something about the office environment that stimulates great business ideas.
But what makes a great entrepreneur? Its not just about coming up with dozens of ideas. The research showed that 40 per cent of current bosses thought common sense was a winning ingredient for ongoing business success. Lets hope they apply that theory when they catch people "away with the fairies" during the working day.
Davis continues: "For employers there is nothing more frustrating than letting untapped talent slip through the net, as staff showing entrepreneurial signs provide huge benefits and help small, medium or larger companies grow. Perhaps it will serve as a warning to bosses that they shouldnt take their eye off the ball when it comes to keeping their staff interested and engaged and developing their people."
So whats stopping all of these budding entrepreneurs leaving the comfort of their desk and making their dreams reality? Its that age-old problem of fear. Just under 40 per cent admitted that they would feel incredibly nervous about giving up the financial stability of a regular income from a well-paid job. Nearly one in five of them also said the thought of getting into debt could keep them awake at night too, not to mention the stress it could place on their home lives. But you know what they say: if you never take the plunge, then youll always wonder what could have been.
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