There are so many traits that come to mind, when thinking of the ability to be a good entrepreneur and leader.
Things like intelligence, perseverance, organizational skills, good communication skills etc. are always mentioned at first, when talking about it.
I recently finished another course about business formation at a local university with enthusiastic young people and I love to share thoughts with them.
In this course the upcoming business founders had to work on a business plan and present their idea of an innovative business to me.
It was wonderful to see how great and really forward thinking these ideas were.
I would love to see some of these business ventures turning into reality.
So, what did they all have in common, that made those ideas so interesting and innovative?
It is the one thing, that unfortunately a lot of “grown” business executives miss out on:
A mindset that is open to any new idea that might come along…. A growth mindset.
An entrepreneur with a growth mindset has the ability to think out of the box…or think like there is no box!
Only a boss with a growth mindset can be a good leader. Someone that listens to and inspires the team to grow, to experience and also gives everyone the possibility to fail and learn from it.
Someone that sees criticism as a chance to change his or her behavior.
With experience comes routine and with routine comes inflexibility. That is why so many “grown” business executives have lost the ability to grow and have developed a fixed mindset.
The covid crisis has clearly shown the difference between fixed and growths mindset.
The ones with the growth mindset were the ones that could adapt easier and earlier to the changed situation and maneuver through the rough waters of the crisis.
The ones with a fixed mindset, had a tough time.
For any entrepreneur it is so important to stay in touch with the ones that have a natural open and growth mindset…the children and the young adults.
Being a father of 3 and spending time with students helps me a lot in this.
What do you do to keep a growth mindset?
Try it! You will see how it works!