Leadership Traits Of An Entrepreneur

I quit investment banking and chose to change my field and focus my work to develop people and their talent. When I look back at these five years, there have been many downs and up. And yet, when I look back, I’ve learnt a lot, especially, through my bad times, not only about myself but about life, leadership, people and about the challenges of running a business.

I share with you, some of my insights:

 

1.Resilience

Medically, I have thought myself to be resilient. I am a juvenile diabetic since the age of 8 and the medical challenges that I have faced during the course of my life, I have faced with courage determination and resilience. I learnt, that I need to be equally resilient, in my business, to never give up, but yet, to let go. I learnt that I do have the resilience, every time, I have had to believe in myself and overcome a challenge. Resilience is key to us, no matter who you are and what you do.

2.Learn to say “No”

It is easy to say yes to every opportunity that comes by because you are just starting up and opportunities may not come by at a regular frequency. Yet, I learnt that the ability to say no is essential to be focused, to stay present and develop my niche.  To be not led by the fear of missing out but be led by what you can do and achieve and chose to do only those where you can add value.

3.To Quit

I learnt that I need to know when to be persistent and when to walk away. To me, this was one of the most difficult, because I am a persistent person. I had to know when to be persistent and not be defeated by the silence, when people choose not to respond or are vague with their responses and yet know when to quit. I learnt and continue to learn that I need to pull the plug on some projects or leads and yet in doing so, not stop believing in myself.

4.Not to be dissuaded by “No”

“No” is a word that comes by often, in your journey, as an entrepreneur. I learnt to reframe, refocus and redirect in facing “No”, and not lose hope. It is easy to take a “No” personally and get disheartened and yet important not to do so.

5.Risk Taker

The journey of life and that of an entrepreneur is full of risks. How do you communicate with conviction and credibility ?

6.Be Patient

An important trait and yet one that I found difficult to be. My life has been one where I have had to deliver within the shortest period of time, where I had to learn and come up the curve within nano seconds. Within the world of investment banking, by the very nature of the business, I had to be agile and on my toes to deliver above expectations. Yet, in the world I moved to, I realized that I had to be quick and patient. Patience is a virtue and a fine balance between giving time and yet delivering excellence within the time expected.

7.Emotional Intelligence

Self-awareness is crucial in our journey. To be self -aware is to determine what you have done well, what can you do different or better. Self-awareness is key to managing your emotional intelligence.

8.Taking ownership and being open to change

No matter how many years of experience you have, you have to be open to change. You need to take ownership and responsibility to things when they go wrong.

9.Be Committed

You hold your reputation in your hands and walking your talk and staying committed to your word is imperative to that. It is easy to make big promises but when you don’t deliver, your image falls flat on your face. To me this is one of the biggest essential traits in a leader.

10.Trusted Advisor

We need to gain the trust of your clients and building trust and credibility is a journey that takes time and one that needs to be constantly worked on. Who we are and what we do every day in terms of our actions and behavior speaks volumes. Becoming a trusted advisor is a long journey and one that is worth getting to.

I have in my journey till now have to learnt to think out of the box in the face of uncertainties and rejection. I have become a better communicator and continue to be on the journey to be a better person.

Consult me on one-on-one coaching, facilitation of workshops, leadership and communication challenges associated with organisational effectiveness or as a speaker.

 

Image source: shutterstock.com