There have been thousands of books written about leadership, and what makes a leader. Some say leaders are born, not made. Others would argue that leadership is a skill that can be developed. Leadership requires so many characteristics, as well as a commitment to continued growth; but what are the characteristics that make a great entrepreneur? Here are five key personality traits that make for an effective and great entrepreneur.
Strong Emotional Intelligence. Emotional Intelligence is being aware of your own emotions, managing them appropriately while being aware of the emotions of those you interact with in an empathetic manner. It begins with a strong sense of self. Understanding your personal needs, your own emotions and managing them in a healthy way allows you to offer empathy to the clients you serve, employees who work for you and the various business counterparts you may interact with.
Imagination. Imagination is usually what leads entrepreneurs to start a business in the first place. Imagination is visualizing something from nothing which takes bravery, audacity, and courage. Imagination allows you to envision what your end product or service will look like without the confines of reality. Imagination gives you the freedoms to ask what if, which is the foundation of new and ingenious ideas.
Determination. You value and understand your own emotions and those around you and you thrive in visualization and imagination, now determination is the catalyst that brings momentum to your idea. While you imagine what your thriving business will look like and how your business will serve a particular niche, the only constant in entrepreneurship is change. Change that will cause you to redirect your efforts, rethink ideas and plans that will only materialize from a place of determination. Knowing that things will always be in a state of flux means you have to have a strong sense of determination to follow through, especially as an entrepreneur.
Self-starter. Being an entrepreneur means managing your time, efforts and the direction of your company without someone directing your to-do list. Sometimes running a company can be a solo endeavor, so being able to remain proactive, focused and determined is critical in the development of your company.
Resourcefulness. The term “thinking outside of the box” can also be defined as being resourceful. Being able to have the foresight to create resources that you can actively pull from is one way to ensure the success of your company. You may be a one woman or man show working under the time constrains of what we all have, twenty –four hours. Which means you will have to learn to ask for help and create a pool of resources in which you can draw from in order to get task done.