Punch line: Not enough people understand who entrepreneurs are or how to develop them. Jim Clifton, Gallup Chairman and CEO, uncovers what propels these exceptional businesspeople.
* * * * *
Excerpted fro Gallup Business Journal, “What Drives Entrepreneurs to Win”
In his book The Coming Jobs War, Gallup Chairman and CEO Jim Clifton calls entrepreneurship the “scarcest, rarest, hardest energy and talent in the world to find.”
So how do you rise above the challenges that entrepreneurship poses? Clifton offers some sage advice.
- Know your personal brand. Successful entrepreneurs know themselves well and can perceive others accurately.
- Take on challenges. Entrepreneurs [should] stretch themselves, raise the bar, face their fears, and [be] willing to experiment.
- Think through possibilities and practicalities. Entrepreneurs must be creative and think beyond the boundaries of what exists.
- Promote the business. Successful entrepreneurs are their own best spokespeople.
- Focus on business outcomes. Highly successful entrepreneurs judge decisions … based on their observed or anticipated effect on profit … [and they] set goals and live by their commitment to them.
- Be a perpetual student of the business. Continually gaining input and acquiring the knowledge and skills required to grow the business are essential to an entrepreneur’s success.
- Be self-reliant. Successful entrepreneurs are prepared to do whatever must be done to see the business succeed.
- Be a self-starter. Successful entrepreneurs are passionate doers who push to make things happen.
- Multiply yourself through delegation. Entrepreneurs who are successful … are willing and able to contemplate a shift in style and control.
- Build relationships. The ability to build strong relationships is crucial for survival and growth. Successful entrepreneurs are adept at building relationships, have strong social awareness and can attract and maintain a constituency.
Edit by JDC
The Homa Files 