5 Overlooked Traits of Successful Entrepreneurs
When looking to become great yourself, naturally you strive to become like the greats before you. You study their lives and their character. You hear over and over again how these successful men and women never gave up, how they always kept their focus and how they chose to believe in themselves and their dreams. These are all inspiring traits to pursue, however they are not the only traits that make these people great.
You may need to dig a little deeper to find more specific traits of successful entrepreneurs. Check out our list of underappreciated traits that accomplished entrepreneurs have. Keep reading to see if you have any of these repeatedly unnoticed characteristics.
They Don’t Cut Corners
Even with small tasks, successful entrepreneurs continually give their all. Each and every assignment is important to them. They know that down the road these simple projects could lead to more opportunities.
One example of an entrepreneur with this mentality is Matt Rissell, CEO of TSheets. His dreams to create a company of his own felt far away while he worked as a waiter to make ends meat. At this point in his life, Rissell was just getting by, but not making any extra efforts in his work. One day he made the choice to stop cutting corners and be the best waiter he could be. This small choice lead to greater employer trust and increased opportunities for his job growth, eventually leading to the connections he needed to start his business. Rissell “decided to meet every task with total excellence―even the tasks that didn’t seem to matter,” and the result changed his life.
They Know When to Go Off the Grid
Sometimes you just need to unplug. When running a business, the temptation to always be connected online and updated on business matters is ever present. But successful entrepreneurs know when to separate work from their personal lives. The greats realize that their business is only one part of their lives that makes them successful.
Leigh Steere, a co-founder of Managing People Better, LLC, has warned that if you don’t take the time to unplug you may miss out on potential opportunities around you. She says, “Observation is a key to learning and to gaining new insights. If your head is always down, you are missing the world around you and what it might teach you.” Putting your phone down may open your eyes to something you hadn’t noticed before.
They Masters Their Emotions
Being void of emotions does not make you a successful businessperson, but knowing how to control your emotions can help with your success. In one study, 90% of top performers were the ones who could manage their emotions and remained calm in stressful situations.
To be successful you need to realize that stress is necessary and should not be avoided. It is through stressful situations that we are put to the test and experience growth. However, too much can be debilitating. Evaluate stressors in your life and determine if they are helping strengthen your character or are wearing you down.
They Are Self-Aware
We consider it common knowledge that successful business owners are also good leaders. They inspire followings and lead by example. Co-founder of Thumbtack, Marco Zappacosta, says that he finds the best leaders are self-aware and own up to their shortcomings. He puts it this way, “You have to understand how you come across to be able to influence others.” Zappacosta’s argument is that in order to build an environment of trust within your company, you need to first “recognize your own flaws and your own strengths,” otherwise your team members will start doubting your ability to recognize theirs.
They Never Do It Alone
Behind every competent entrepreneur is a support team. Employees, business partners, suppliers and more provide support to a business and its leaders. Support from home is also crucial. The fact of the matter is that you cannot do this alone.
Often we don’t see flaws in our own plans and need that second opinion. As was previously stated, great entrepreneurs are self-aware and understand their weaknesses. But sometimes we need to hear it from someone else before it sinks in.
Knowing when to reach out for help is not a sign for weakness. When we start seeing vulnerability as a strength, we will be able to see how much it can change us for better. So don’t be discouraged if you don’t match up to the greats on some of these points. Chances are when they were in your shoes they weren’t perfect in some of these areas either.