It certainly helps to have strong technology skills or
expertise in a key area, but these are not defining characteristics of
entrepreneurship.
Instead, the key qualities are traits such as creativity,
the ability to keep going in the face of hardship, and the social skills needed
to build great teams.
If you want to start a business, it's essential to learn the
specific skills that underpin these qualities. It's also important to develop
entrepreneurial skills if you're in a job role where you're expected to develop
a business, or "take things forward" more generally.
In this article, we'll look at the skills you need to be a
successful entrepreneur, and we'll explore resources that you can use to
develop the traits needed for success.
Defining Entrepreneurship
Some experts think of entrepreneurs as people who are
willing to take risks that other people are not. Others define them as people
who start and build successful businesses.
Thinking about the first of these definitions,
entrepreneurship doesn't necessarily involve starting your own business. Many
people who don't work for themselves are recognized as entrepreneurs within
their organizations.
Regardless of how you define an "entrepreneur,"
one thing is certain: becoming a successful entrepreneur isn't easy.
So, how does one person successfully take advantage of an
opportunity, while another, equally knowledgeable person does not? Do entrepreneurs
have a different genetic makeup? Or do they operate from a different vantage
point, that somehow directs their decisions for them?
Though many researchers have studied the subject, there are
no definitive answers. What we do know is that successful entrepreneurs seem to
have certain traits in common.
We've gathered these traits into four categories:
Personal
characteristics.
Interpersonal
skills.
Critical and
creative thinking skills.
Practical skills.
We'll now examine each category in more detail, and look at
some of the questions you will need to ask yourself if you want to become a
successful entrepreneur.
