True entrepreneurs are a special breed. They are creative and driven and often single minded. While that may work to get a new product or business off the ground it does not always work in the long run to build a business and to keep it running smoothly. The entrepreneurs that are successful also have a set of skills and characteristics that help them build and sustain relationships that build business and they have the leadership skills necessary to move their team forward.
Entrepreneurs are found as heads of small businesses, large businesses and embedded within businesses. They all strive to build something of significance using a lot of personal influence and hands on work. There are lots of articles out there talking about how different entrepreneurs are and how difficult they are to work with. I don’t buy into all of that stuff – the thing is to understand them and to know what it is that makes them successful. When you can do that, you can use the best as a model for others to follow.
Here are some skills and characteristics that are hallmarks of really good entrepreneur business people. You can score yourself on each by using a 1 to 5 scale where 1 means you rarely do this and 5 means you almost always do this.
1. Resilience. Good entrepreneurs face adversity and failure with great flexibility. They bounce back quickly and look at each attempt as a learning experience. Instead of being frustrated they are urged to find even better ways to do things. They bounce back easily and quickly.
2. Self-awareness. Good entrepreneurs know who they are, where their skills lie and how what they do impacts other people. They are able to hire individuals who have skills they do not have so that they have a good, well rounded team.
3. People skills. Good entrepreneurs have the people skills needed to draw people in both as workers and as customers. They are enthusiastic and engaging and can influence people to want what they are making or selling.
4. Development skills. Good entrepreneurs are great at developing themselves and others. They recognize that they will need new and different skill sets in their businesses in order to grow and they seek to obtain those skills in themselves and their staff.
5. Risk taking. Good entrepreneurs are not afraid to take risks. They do not take wild risks but think through consequences and opportunities carefully and create contingency plans in case their risk fails. They have learned to keep trying in face of adversity and difficulty.
6. Execution. Good entrepreneurs are great at execution. They get the job done and get it done well. They are able to engage others appropriately to take lead and support roles and can lead teams to perform at high levels.
Once you have scored yourself according to the scale above tally your scores. There are 30 possible points. A score of 25 – 30 means you are doing great at being a good entrepreneur. Keep up the good work! A score of 20 – 24 means you are well on your way. Keep working and you will get there. A score below 20 means you have some learning to do. Take some courses to help yourself out. For all scores I recommend that you get a great coach to help you quickly increase your skills and to keep them honed in spite of whatever circumstances come up in the future.
Look for part 2 in this series. It will go through 6 more characteristics and skills help by good entrepreneurs.
