Success takes more than a great business idea, a market study, a carefully crafted business plan and the funding to carry it out. Of course we take it for granted that we’ll need all those things, but even so, we can still fail as entrepreneurs. We also need certain characteristics or traits in our own personality which, even if we aren’t born with them, we can certainly develop.
1. Lots of energy
Energy and vitality are a defining feature of many great business people. We need to be very active people. Good entrepreneurs are always thinking about new ideas, strategies, plans and so on. In the same way, energy and a positive mindset will help us get over many bumps in the road. In business you have to keep moving all the time.
2. Be persuasive
This trait is above all the mark of great leaders. The art of selling and the power of persuasion are needed to win people over, whether they are customers, investors or employees. (Read: How to be a more persuasive and charismatic leader)
3. Be resourceful
Some great business people tend to solve many of the problems that come up in ways others couldn’t even imagine. Resourcefulness is a personality trait that can make a difference in many areas of life, and it’s very useful in business today, because if there’s one thing you need in large doses to survive in today’s market, it seems to be ingenuity.
4. A winner’s mindset and attitude
Even in the worst situations and difficulties, successful business people always see an excellent opportunity to take something positive from them. They are usually grateful for what has worked and learn from what hasn’t. They will never stop trying. If you think like a winner, you increase your chances of winning.
5. Thrive on uncertainty
Great business people are able to function amid a lot of uncertainty. They aren’t afraid to take risks, and they have to make tough decisions in very complicated situations. Cafasso, an executive coach, used to say that if you’re the kind of person who freezes when there are too many moving parts and contingencies, owning your own business is probably not for you, because for a businessperson, just as for a manager or leader, that is the day-to-day job.
6. Be an opportunist
Entrepreneurs have a clearly opportunistic mindset and are always on the lookout to profit from a particular situation. It’s true that many opportunities are there for everyone, but only a few are alert enough to seize them. When that happens, everyone else calls it luck, or “being in the right place at the right time.” They simply call it making the most of opportunities.
7. Learn from mistakes
It may sound like a cliché, but great leaders and business people learn from their mistakes. They don’t look for someone to blame. They take responsibility and learn the lesson. Above all, they aren’t ashamed to admit their mistakes.
8. Be a thinker
Thinking is one of a company’s best assets, and an entrepreneur’s mind is always thinking, even when they’re not working. Take Richard Branson, who says he can come up with new business ideas while on holiday.
9. Be a good communicator
In Spain, perhaps, being a good communicator isn’t valued enough. In fact, not even universities encourage this skill, so it’s only when we meet business people or leaders who are excellent communicators that we realise how important this personality trait is. Saying things clearly, in a way everyone can understand, and being able to motivate or inspire with nothing but your words is a quality that makes a huge difference.
10. Be a fighter
Our ideas don’t always succeed. Our strategies don’t always work, and sometimes, or for a while, our competitors do much better than we do. When that happens, you must never give in or hand over your position. You have to keep fighting, learning from what didn’t work, with the same energy and vitality, without letting difficulties bring you down.
Further reading
Featured image: Tim Dorr, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Flickr.
