By Growth Pathways
15/11/2022
Global Entrepreneurship Week
7 winning traits of the 21st Century Entrepreneur
#1 Visionary – Think BIG
If you don’t start by dreaming BIG, you’ll never move beyond mediocrity. Set goals that are, to others, unattainably high, and then work out how to reach them. Live your life as if all your dreams have already come true, and then challenge reality to catch up!
You don’t hit the snooze button when you find your WHY. Life is for living with deliberate, conscious intent as the architect of your destiny – no autopilot or sleepwalking through life. It starts with your success definitions (BIG picture purpose) which drives through focused goals into everything you do. If it’s not adding value, why are you doing it?
Where focus goes, energy flows.
#2 Passion Breeds Authenticity
What you get is what you see. You’re not trying to be something or someone that you’re not. The courage to be true to yourself in a world which is consciously/unconsciously trying to influence you to be someone else is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself. But it requires vulnerability, honesty and transparency. No masks, be unashamedly you.
Then galvanise those forces around the one thing that makes you most successful. Present that one thing as your North Star, and in doing so, you’ll head off the constant threat of directional changes that may prevent you from achieving your highest levels of greatness.
Be the real deal.
#3 A Winning Mindset
Success is 80% mindset and 20% strategy; therefore, your mindset is the most potent delivery system in your arsenal. You’ll face challenges daily and problems weekly whilst operating in a world full of negativity. But your one unassailable key to success lies in your ability to shut those messages out. A winning mindset enables winners to be confident they will achieve their goals.
But remember, you will make mistakes and come off the rails; if you don’t, it begs the question of whether you’re pushing the boundaries of possibility. But when things go wrong, pick yourself up, bounce back, and refuse to carry any additional baggage from the experience.
Keep failing once and recover quickly.
#4 The Pragmatic Optimist
Pragmatic Optimist is a healthy tension between the two; Pragmatic because you’re grounded in reality – Optimist as the world needs more positivity. The glass is half full, not half empty. A can-do/will-do mentality. You are looking for the opportunity in the difficulty, not the difficulty in the opportunity.
Be a positive realist.
#5 Goals-Orientated
Start with the end in mind. Dream BIG set Big Hairy Audacious Goals, and take massive action. Your goals are the road maps that guide you and show you what is possible and how to turn your success definitions, vision and purpose into reality. If you want to be happy, set goals that command your thoughts, liberate your energy and inspire your dreams.
Positivity isn’t about dreaming and then hoping for an outcome; it’s about dreaming and then working out a plan and then working that plan to get to the dream. Translate your positive intentions into tangible results.
Have an attitude of ACTION.
#6 Data-Driven
Data and real-time insight are your competitive advantage. Measuring the right things – Measures that Matter (MTM) – allows you to make proactive, informed, empirically validated decisions about how you can deliver accelerated, sustained, and profitable business growth. Decision-making is based on data and facts rather than opinions and emotions.
Let the data drive your quality decision-making.
#7 Culture is Everything
Your competition will copy your products if they are good. They’ll copy your services and branding; they may even try to poach your people. However, there is one thing they’ll never be able to copy: your culture. Your culture is the very thing that makes your organisation special, distinct, and unique. It’s your competitive edge and advantage.
You can accomplish great things with a compelling purpose, the right people, culture and values-driven behaviours. The strength of the team is each member. The strength of each member is the team. A leader-leader culture enables one high-performance team with candid inspirational and developmental feedback, the core of the DNA. If you love what you do and do what you love, it’s not work; you are authentically you. Make a positive difference, add value, and leave a legacy.
Never a copy, always an original.
