Entrepreneurial Thinking Workshop

Summary Description of Workshop

Entrepreneurial Thinking is deemed important and strategic by most organizations, especially as part of ongoing business operations, yet few have effectively implemented it into the world of projects. Projects are not operations, and what may work well in operations may not do so in projects. This workshop examines how to take a proactive approach to incorporating entrepreneurial thinking into projects, with an emphasis on building successful client relationships.

Through historical examples and exercises, workshop attendees, working alone and in groups, will be given a opportunity to hone their entrepreneurial skills by analyzing the challenges faced and techniques utilized by five very successful ancient Roman entrepreneurs working without the benefit of modern digital technology.  The analysis of each entrepreneur, their products and their approach to client management techniques (four extremely client sensitive and one not) will allow attendees to gain an insight into the diverse requirements of successful client management.

These five entrepreneurs (four men and one woman) have rarely been associated with entrepreneurial thinking and client management and therefore offers the attendee a unique opportunity to learn from successful ancient Roman businesspeople operating during the late Roman Republic (last century BC) and the early Roman Empire (first century AD).

Who Should Attend?

Entry/Intermediary level of experience for project managers, project leaders, team leaders and general business professionals.

Learning Objectives

Upon the successful completion of this workshop, attendees will be able to apply the fundamentals of entrepreneurial thinking to develop the modern client management strategies, processes and techniques that are a critical element of any project’s success.  Key objectives for the workshop include:

• Managing the quality of the service or product delivered to the client
• Enhancing the project’s, service’s or product’s visibility with the client
• Ensuring the strength of the relationship with the client
• Maintaining the integrity of communications with the client 

The Benefits of the Workshop

The workshop analysis is done through the modern lens of project management and provides valuable insights into how project managers can benefit from the lessons that can be obtained by studying the success of ancient entrepreneurs. The workshop examines a diverse set of ancient client management techniques and then draws out practical project lessons to apply to today’s projects.

This workshop is based on the following two publications by Robert C. Lerner and published by Lessons from History: Entrepreneurship and Ethics in Ancient Rome, the Management Lessons of Pliny the Younger and Customer Acquisition Strategies, Modern Lessons from Ancient Rome’s greatest Entrepreneurs. Additionally the course includes research from Lerner’s forthcoming book on Marcus Crassus entitled, The Good and the Grim, Lessons in Entrepreneurial Thinking from Ancient Rome’s Greatest Robber Baron.

Note: This course conforms to the internationally recognized standards of the Project Management Institute (PMI®). You will receive 8 PDUs (professional development units) upon completion.