A recent Wall Street Journal article titled “How to turn your kids into entrepreneurs” states there are crucial psychological traits an entrepreneur needs to succeed. These attributes include being adventurous, dependable, stable, observant, and a team player.
The article suggests fostering these traits at a young age helps children develop them. We are all the result of our past experiences and our environment – how we were raised, what we’ve learned, and how our personality and character have developed. In expanding a child’s mind, it gives them the opportunity to dream and the ambition to go after their dream.
This makes me believe long-term success comes down to emotional intelligence and character. It’s not only about the bright ideas, but how those bright ideas are taken by certain individuals with certain traits and turned into a successful business.
What do you think? Are there specific characteristics in entrepreneurs that help them succeed?
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I would agree with this article. I have somewhat of a comparison to make, unscientific as it may be. I have two children from a first marriage that were 5 & 6 when my first wife and I divorced. I have three more children through my second marriage. Each of the children in the second marriage were raised to follow their dreams and encouraged and supported to do they things they wanted to do. In one way or another, they all of the entrepreneurial spirit and two actually run their own businesses today.
My children from the first marriage, when it comes to a career, rely on the company they work for. Even when challenged by me to do their own thing, they are reluctant and follow, in their minds, a safe path of career and income.
I believe this reflects more on the environment more so than genetics.
Thanks for your great feedback, Bob. The environment has a lot to do with it, but I’ve also seen some families where the kids were raised the same but have different mindsets and personalities. There are also great entrepreneurs that weren’t raised in an encouraging environment, but their ambition and drive helped them succeed. Environment and how kids are raised have an impact, but at the root of it, I think it depends on having certain traits.
I agree with you the traits are an important part of being a successful entrepreneur, but….I believe traits are like skills that a potential athlete possesses. Without the proper guidance, support, encouragement by parents or significant others in a persons life, certain traits, like skills, can sit idle or diminish and never reach their true potential. I believe that everyone of us are born with all the traits necessary to be successful but only those, do to circumstances we will probably never understand, develop some of those key traits more than others.