“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the aeroplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” ~Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company.
Entrepreneurship is all about having the right attitude that changes the outlook towards the chosen career and its impact on the personal, professional and social aspect of life. What makes an entrepreneur different from others is a firm belief in themselves and a habit of challenging the status quo.
All successful entrepreneurs start by asking themselves three important questions: why they want to be leaders? (i.e. their belief) how do they want to lead? And what they want their efforts to lead to?
Success is a motivator for any entrepreneur in their journey; likewise, failure acts as a mirror for introspection. The key difference between successful and unsuccessful entrepreneurs is the willingness to accept challenges and find solutions to convert them into opportunities. Attitude is an ongoing process, which can be improved upon with the support of these four stakeholders:
- Self (biggest coach): Self-image and self-beliefs set mental energy into motion for achieving success in the entrepreneurial journey. It ensures a single-minded focus on the ability to meet goals.
- Parents: Give us moral support and guidance. At the inception, parents are any entrepreneur’s first customer. Their feedback/feedforward is a crucial part of developing the right attitude. They are also the venture’s biggest critics and fans together.
- Teachers or mentors: Who enrich the entrepreneur’s mind with rich experiences and help in developing a new perspective. They act as filters that refine ideas and processes at each step. Every entrepreneur should have one mentor to infuse them with an attitude to change and handle any situation.
- Friends: Of any entrepreneur who understand, motivate, and also incentivise why they do what they do. They also act as referrers and advisors from time to time.
Hard work alone does not guarantee success; smart work is the key to success. It helps an entrepreneur get the right understanding of the self and goals. Every entrepreneur will always get access to talent, resources, and technology for business sustainability and profitability but what is non-negotiable is the resilient attitude of any entrepreneur.
Attitude is a self-fulfilling prophecy for any business success, especially for entrepreneurs.
Why Attitude Matters
The financial situation has a direct correlation with attitude as it gives an entrepreneur the ability to see the bigger picture and think outside the box. The key ingredient to building such an attitude is a motivation to look forward, along with a thorough understanding of the idea.
Entrepreneurs should have the ability to complete what was started. This can be developed with traits such as innovation, risk taking, self-efficacy, ability to be opportunistic with a strong sense of control.
A positive attitude is also a part of the personal development plan for any entrepreneur. This can be developed by the following four steps:
- SWOT analysis of the self (recognising the areas of Strength, Weakness, Opportunities & Threats).
- Prioritising the development needed in consultation with a mentor/supervisor(s) and developing a call to action.
- Developing positive habits such as, never giving up, believing in thyself etc., which in turn result in the right attitude.
- Finally, reflecting and reviewing how the newly formed attitude is progressing and accordingly re-establishing future goals and plan of action.
The right attitude will help create a long lasting positive change which is a must for any entrepreneur. It adds a sense of meaning and completion to entrepreneurship.
About The Author
[The author of this post is Aditya Sisodia – Life Coach at YourDOST.com.]