11 Dec Soft Skills Every Entrepreneur Should Have
The daily grind is exhausting and stressful, not to mention a lot of that depends on the people you work with or work for. So, let’s talk about entrepreneurship. Dream big and all that jazz. You want to be your own boss and earn a substantial amount while giving the least share of effort. Sure, if you think about the ideal business, it sounds so easy, right? Everyone who describes it to you, all the successful businessman and businesswoman out there, make it sound like a piece of cake. But that is not entirely true.
Everyone has to start from scratch — from the beginning. Does that sound easy again? You probably have all the financial backing you need as well as potential manpower for whatever business you’ve got in mind. Sure, go ahead, do your best, come out successful like every businessman/ woman out there. But again let me remind you, that’s not entirely true. All the money and backing in the world but the real question is: do you have the “skills”?
Building a company doesn’t happen overnight. You will have to learn and master the skills needed to make your business a success. It is important for every entrepreneur to take into heart these particular soft skills to manage their business more efficiently.
LEADERSHIP
So you’ll be starting out a business, of course, but who will lead the team? It’s you, right? But you don’t want to be just any other leader, you’ll want to be THE DEFINITIVE leader. It’s not about striking fear; it’s all about motivating people. Get to know your people more, try to capture their hearts. More importantly, try to gain their trust and respect. The more your people respect you and know you as a person, the more they are motivated to do the work. The initiative will kick in merely out of their respect for you. But remember to keep personal interaction to a certain level and find the right balance. Being too close to your employees will make them complacent.
STRESS MANAGEMENT
They say that great power comes great responsibility. But, sadly, great responsibility equates to MORE stress. This reaches out not only to you, the boss, but to your staff as well. Look, the reason you wanted to be an entrepreneur was to escape from the stressful 9-5 job. Well, good, you’ve just entered a new type of stress, one that comes with being your own boss. But remember that stress is a feeling, an emotion that you can fully control. Stress doesn’t mean something bad is happening. It may just so happen that a lot of good things are happening — only that they happen at the same time — so dealing with them is racking up all that emotional tension in your body and soul.
Be smart. Calm down. Take a few deep breaths once you think you’ve hit that stress wall. Take a moment and step back, look at the bigger picture, and once you’ve gotten back your bearings, head on back into the fray. Remember: stress is stress, an emotion or feeling that is much less than who you are and can easily be overcome.
TAKE RISKS
Get some time for a reality check! Sure, you’re brave enough and quite smart for starting up your own business empire from scratch. That again is a bold move, but are you willing to take risks? Remember, there will be those who have started out before you. There will be competition, and some of them are way better than you do.
These more experienced and seasoned businessmen/women have gone through it all. They’ve experienced the ups and downs of reaching where they are now, so what have you got to put on the table? You will have to take risks. You have an idea, a vision! This is all you need as motivation to take your risks. This idea that you are doubting right now may be the next big thing. Do it now or someone else will do it for you.
COMMUNICATION
This is part of being a great leader. Communication. Talk to your people and let them be heard. Let them hear you, but not by raising your voice. Remember it’s all about gaining respect. Be transparent and shed off that mysterious facade. Let your people know that you’re genuine, and they know how and when to speak up.
Your staffs are your eyes and ears. Let them be an extension of your body and mind. Let them see what you don’t. All those are possible if the communication lines are open. Once a trouble is brewing, you will know before the rot starts. This is also very important that way your idea and vision may be shared by everyone, making progress a shared effort.
TEAMWORK
Look, if you’re thinking of running a one-man band business then it isn’t going to work. Every puzzle has multiple pieces, and every piece of the puzzle are your people — your employees or your team. It’s all about working together and fitting in to make the big picture. You’ve managed stress and communication, but now it’s time to manage teams.
Successful businesses are all about teamwork. Be the leader that the team needs so that they make up the team that your business thrives on. Analyze each one in your team. You need to know what their particular skills and characters to find where they will fit in the most. Another factor to consider is who they work with best. This is what managing your team is all about. It’s important to know the details of each individual and where he or she fits in the bigger puzzle.
These are the soft skills that one must learn and take into the heart before becoming a self-learned entrepreneur. Master all these and you will surely reach the peak of success.
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