On abandoning armchairs

ON ABANDONING ARMCHAIRS Why are wantrepreneurs stuck in their armchairs? What is stopping them? What could spur them into action?

Entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, and successful people at work seem to exhibit some consistent behaviors that make them stand apart. I compiled a few of these behaviors from my observation of people that I have known personally and those I follow on social media

1. Hustling – the uncanny art of getting things done Hustlers habitually get things done.

They may be DIY (Do It Yourself) people who don’t hesitate to roll up their sleeves and get their hands soiled.

They may be highly resourceful, who network well and can bring cross-disciplinary skills and use unconventional means to solve problems.

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They have more appetite for risk, and are hard workers who never fail to show up. They somehow get things done.

They always do.

2. Automation & Tinkering – being utilitarian Automators are constantly looking for opportunities to optimize and make life easier for themselves and others at work. They have, with practice, honed the skill of finding repetitive, mundane patterns at work. They automate, so they can spend their time on something better.

Tinkerers (as playful as it may sound) are folks who cannot ignore a problem. They rest only when they have found a solution to a problem or have repaired a broken system. These are problems and issues that others have ignored or chosen to live with.

Both automators and tinkerers look at every problem as an opportunity. They are quick to realize that there may be others facing similar problems, and rejoice in utilitarianism. They question the status quo and shun mediocrity.

3. Perseverance – a never die attitude These are people who outlive failures.

They are driven by learning. Every failure is a lesson. They believe that failure is a better teacher than easy success. They are of the notion that if one is not prepared to fail, one cannot come up with anything original.

They are also driven by passion in their chosen fields. Passion is their well of energy from which they can endlessly draw.

They are not easily dicouraged, and eventually prevail.

4. Big Picture View – having a vantage point

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People who have an eagle’s eye view over things are always those that can see things in the right perspective. They have the big picture.

They can zoom in and zoom out on this view and use this ability to their advantage. They understand where and how things fit. They have an edge over others in understanding and resolving problems. Obstacles don’t distract them from their goals. They are always focused on the final destination while dealing with the quagmire of everyday issues.

All the above behaviors would benefit just about anyone in becoming more enterprising.

Thankfully, these behaviors could be emulated and they form a good set of habits one could develop.

A wantrepreneur dreams just as big as an entrepreneur. But entrepreneurs are the ones to achieve escape velocity because they have two or more of the above habits. With effort, these habits can be developed and that would get the wantrpreneurs out of their armchairs and into action.

Can you think of other behaviors or habits (worthy of emulation) of successful entreprenerus?

Please do add to the list!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kannan Social Entrepreneur Kannan is an eternal optimist and a day-dreamer. The recurrent themes of his dreams include sustainable future for humans and other life, CSR, social entrepreneurship, inclusive markets, egalitarianism, abolishment of Mondays, and bottomless coffee.

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