Living the 7 Entrepreneurial
Virtues
We all strive to be our best. Here
are seven traits to make your entrepreneurial journey heavenly.
Last month, I shared how to avoid
the 7 deadly entrepreneurial sins so you could innovate
without fear. But entrepreneurs, and those who are entrepreneurial in their
roles, aspire to live life beyond mere survival and safety. They strive for
something bigger and more meaningful.
So
here are descriptions of the 7 Heavenly Virtues for you entrepreneurial types
to help you reach for the clouds.
1. Purity
Temptation
is abundant in the entrepreneurial world. Most people are looking for
shortcuts: a faster, easier way to take the market, get funding, lock down a
client. Most shortcuts, if even effective for the long run, can come with a
price. The best businesses are built on a solid foundation of integrity. Their
business models are backed by research and tested to prove viability. Above
all, the ethical choices you make will impact the
respect and trust you retain in business for decades to come. Those who
misrepresent to gain fast traction are doomed to follow in the footsteps of
Enron. Better to be a Jeff Bezoz than a Kenneth Lay.
2. Temperance
Exuberance
is a trait of many entrepreneurs and CEOs. They love to get excited and get
people around them excited as well. But the leader who gets excited all the
time about every little thing creates excitement fatigue. Followers begin to
lose interest because they can't distinguish between actual major milestones
and missteps. A leader who shows self-restraint can pick the moments to
generate enthusiasm. Moderation will help sustain energy that builds over time.
3. Charity
One
doesn't have to give away their fortune to be charitable. Charity can come in
other forms than money. The best and most respected leaders give their time,
their energy, their thoughts, and their life lessons. But they do it now, they do it often and they
do it with intent. They make a concerted effort to engage with those who have
not yet achieved, and they do it selflessly.
4. Diligence
As
one of my personal core values, the idea of diligence has helped me benefit
from wonderful opportunities as it has protected me from bad ones.
Entrepreneurial people are ready to jump at a moment's notice, but those who
can comfortably step back, do their homework, and deliver
with consistency
will grow bigger and better every time.
5. Patience
Patience
may be the hardest virtue for entrepreneurial types to master. Once a vision is
finished in your head, you want it to exist tomorrow (or at least by next
week.) But the best success is built over time. A business or process
cultivated carefully over time will grow bigger, be more competitive, and last
longer. Plant your seeds today and enjoy helping them grow. And if you feel
anxious along the way, at least learn to manage
your impatience
productively.
6. Kindness
I
have said many times that nice people will sabotage you in business. But as a New
Yorker, I appreciate that you can be brutally honest and direct while still
being kind. In fact, the kindest move you can often make is to save people from
wasting their time and energy on a dead end campaign. Beyond that, a smile and
a little tasteful humor at no one's expense will go along way to
endear you to others.
7. Humility
Entrepreneurial
people, born or made, are gifted leaders. It takes strength, power and a
healthy ego to lead people into the unknown. But the act of being humble, best
demonstrated though self-awareness and acknowledgement of others, is sure to
have people following you to great heights for all the right reasons.
Kevin Daumhttp://www.inc.com/kevin-daum/living-the-7-entrepreneurial-virtues.html?cid=em01014week21c
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