There is mounting evidence that an entrepreneurial mindset makes a big difference in corporate performance. A recent survey by Deloitte polled 652 senior executives at mid-sized U.S. companies about how, or if, being entrepreneurial had an impact on their company’s operations. The study found that companies that saw themselves as entrepreneurial — creative, unique, different, innovative and taking risks with the acceptance of failure — out-performed peer organizations in growth, productivity, and profitability during the previous 12 months.
In the same survey, 81 percent of respondents said any business – large or small – can act in entrepreneurial ways. They cited risk aversion and being shackled by what’s worked in the past as the biggest obstacles to an entrepreneurial culture.
As with all qualities that contribute to professional success, entrepreneurship can be nurtured and developed. Current literature all points to five key qualities as being characteristic of successful entrepreneurs:
1) persuasiveness,2) drive,
3) resilience,
4) goal-orientation, and
5) attentiveness to what’s happening around you.
Building a more entrepreneurial organization begins with you. Your employees will not feel comfortable being any more entrepreneurial than you are (and highly entrepreneurial individuals without a way to express themselves will simply move on). You set the tone, so find the balance that you believe is right for your organization and become it.
We’ve put together a quick test to measure how strong you are in each of these five areas. If you’d like to see where your entrepreneurial strengths lie and where you might need shoring up, click here.
