The drive, vision, and determination of the world’s foremost entrepreneurs is not a genetic trait reserved for an elite few, anyone can achieve those same results if they dream big enough and work hard enough.
However, there are some characteristic traits shared by those entrepreneurial trailblazers. They may seem inherent, but they can be cultivated by anyone. Very often, these traits have been honed by years of effort before they taste real success, meaning that with focus and effort, they are traits to be shared. In this article, we’ll list 7 of them and how you too can adopt them to greater success.
1. PERSISTENCE
Anyone starting a business will tell you this is probably the most important trait of all; even with a great idea, you will be faced with countless seemingly insurmountable obstacles in establishing that business as an ongoing success. And that’s not even including the constant pressures of running a business such as hiring a team, logistics, and finances.
It takes a special person to continually bear these burdens and keep on going, but when that persistence pays off and you achieve success, there’s not an entrepreneur who’ll say it wasn’t worth it.
2. CURIOSITY
One of the traits that is common among the most consequential entrepreneurs is their vision in questioning the norms, asking inquiries of status quo, devising ways that reality can be changed for the better, and seizing the opportunities to make it happen.
This continual, often daily, inquisitiveness is what separates the wheat from the chaff in the entrepreneurial field; those who see an opening and are determined to capitalize on it, spurred on by the strength of their vision and their belief in its outcome. As George Bernard Shaw once so eloquently opined, “there are those who look at things as they are and ask why? I dream of better things and ask why not?”
3. VISION
Having that first shining vision is what gets most entrepreneurs started on the road to success. But that initial big idea will only get you so far without the ability to hold onto it and not get bogged down by the daily minutiae of running that business, nor to lose sight of it in an ever-evolving marketplace.
Such entrepreneurial luminaries as Jeff Bezos of Amazon achieve their astounding success and, most pertinently, market dominance over the long-term precisely because they retain that vision over time and they find ways to keep their eyes fixed on it even as everything in the marketplace around them evolves and changes.
4. COMMUNICATION
It’s all well and good having a clear vision for success in the business world, but if you can’t communicate that to others, to persuade them to rally around your banner and give the best years of their professional lives in service to that vision, then you’ve lost the battle before you even begin.
It’s not just merely communicating that vision or articulating your belief in it, you have to successfully convince people to go the distance with you in furtherance of that vision, and also be someone they actively want to work with and for. How you say something is often just as important is what you say.
The article “5 Principles For Startup Success” might also be of interest to you. We recommend giving it a read.
5. PASSION
Being a prospective entrepreneur is really tough, with many discouraging setbacks and hurdles before you reach your goals. In times like these, you need a deep reservoir of utter and absolute belief in your vision. Also, exhaustion is an ever-present threat that has led to burnout for many aspiring captains of industry.
The best founders simply love what they do, for them it’s not about the fame and/or money, they’re doing what they truly love and it’s that passion that continually spurs them on from humble beginnings and even through world-changing success. Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life!
6. SELF-AWARENESS
One of the most challenging aspects of entrepreneurship is management; you need to be able to put out the countless smaller fires that come your way while still being cognizant of the bigger picture. And the best way to do that is be mindful and aware of your individual strengths and weaknesses, to delegate tasks when you need, and to ascertain who is best for the achievement of those tasks.
You also need to be continually aware how far to push yourself and avoid burnout. Introspection and self-evaluation are an important part of entrepreneurship; never fear to look within or to ask others around you of how you’re managing matters. You’re never too big to fail if you fail to be self-critical.
The article “How To Write A Business Plan When Starting Your Own Business” might also be of interest to you. We recommend giving it a read.
7. ADAPTABILITY
The vision you have for your company may remain steadfast, but nothing in the business remains so for any period of time. And in such a changing environment, adaptability is the key word here; the ability to recognize when and how to change course, seek alternative courses of action, or to expand upon your already existing course.
The marketplace can change rapidly and suddenly and any successful entrepreneur will sense the shifting tides of commerce and rely not just on themselves but also on their team to suitably adapt to changing circumstances. Failure to properly adapt has been the graveyard for many a business, the reed that doesn’t bend will eventually break.
These traits are not bestowed upon an elite group of costumed superheroes, they are characteristics that can be learned and cultivated by anyone with hard work, focus, and effort. And if you master them, your possibilities – and chances of success – are literally boundless!
