Ten Soft Skills Needed to Become an Entrepreneur
By: Felecia Lewis
Some people believe that entrepreneurship cannot be
learnt. Instead, it is the result of innate skills
possessed at birth. This viewpoint is understandable
since it takes a high level of grit, perseverance and
creativity to create long-term business success.
Jason DeMers in an article entitled Are
Entrepreneurs born or made says ‘Born’. But there’s a
catch! States that genetics does influence the
probability of someone starting a business. However,
this does not necessarily mean that the business will
be successful. He states that successful entrepreneurs
are made and the likelihood of success increases with
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Are Entrepreneurs
Born or Made?
Research Says
‘Born’. But There’s
a Catch...
the more experience the person possesses.
This article was written to help you find the entrepreneur
within. This may be your first time starting a business,
but there are certain skills that enable people to interact
effectively and harmoniously with others. Known as soft
skills, they increase your chances of making connections
that can help your business grow.
In most cases, these skills are intangible and only one out
of the myriad of attributes you must have to develop
strong business acumen. It is important for entrepreneurs
to develop soft skills because these skills help
entrepreneurs effectively shape their ideas, connect with
customers, clients or partners and pave a pathway for
success. Here are 10 soft skills that can help you excel as
an entrepreneur.
Self-Motivation
Of all the soft skills that will be discussed
in this article, self-motivation is the most
crucial. This is the driving force for any
individual to become an entrepreneur.
There will be times of discouragement and
uncertainty. However, as long as you have
the motivation to keep pushing you will
succeed. Positive self-concept is an
essential component to keeping motivated.
Leadership
Leading requires the ability to understand
people. It involves motivating and helping
others to find their best selves. As an
entrepreneur, you cannot escape having to
interact with or employ subordinates.
Therefore, it is imperative that you assume a
leadership style that allows you to know your
employees' strengths, weaknesses, and
unique abilities thereby placing them in
Your ideas and beliefs about your ability positions where they best fit which will
and capabilities propel you to move ultimately
forward and aid your responses to others. production and output and build your
contribute
to
maximum
company.
Self-Awareness
A part of keeping motivated is being aware
of yourself. As an entrepreneur, it is
important to be able to read others but
more important is the ability to understand
the self. The most successful entrepreneurs
exercise
high
personal
emotional
intelligence. They achieve productivity
through
clarity
of
thought
and
understanding how to work with their
emotions. Once you are in tune with your
emotions you are able to identify your
triggers and find ways to ensure you stay
on a motivated path.
Issue �: July ����
Communication
Communication skills are important for an
entrepreneur to possess and develop. Since
entrepreneurs should be able to delegate
clearly and comprehensively, it is reasonable
to expect that communication is also
connected to effective leadership. In fact, it is
one of the most important aspects of
leadership.
In entrepreneurship, communication is not
merely about giving rousing speeches. It
involves listening, writing, presenting and
speaking. These skills enable you to
effectively communicate your message in a way
that enables others to understand you and
consequently understand your vision. As Kevin
Rose states, “A team aligned behind a vision will
move mountains.”
Problem Solving
By knowing your workers and exercising effective
leadership
and
communication
skills,
entrepreneurs are able to solve problems quickly
thereby avoiding time spent discussing situations
or issues that hinder the progress of the business.
A certain level of analytical skills is required; as
they solve problems readily as the arise.
Entrepreneurs with analytical skills are able to
view a situation or issue from all angles and come
up with a solution. Creative and out-of-the-box
solutions tend to receive the greatest support from
team members. This soft skill is integral to
entrepreneurs who need to overcome obstacles
and challenges daily.
Critical Thinking
Although similar, critical thinking goes beyond
problem-solving. Critical thinkers do not just
solve problems but they solve them by looking at
all the possible solutions to the problem. All these
solutions are considered before deciding on the
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