Mastery: Skill, Character, or Luck

This week was filled with great learning, readings, and knowledge associated with becoming an entrepreneur.

   

Jeff Sandefer’s article on Skill, Character or Luck? Discussed the various characteristics of an average entrepreneurs. Important skills were highlighted: “The ability to find good salespeople and manage a sales force”; “Having a firm grasp of which numbers are important”; Knowing how to put together an assembly line or service delivery process”; “Being able to communicate clearly”; “Listening and questioning customers”; “Being a Problem Solver; thinking”, etc. were a few skills mentioned in this article.  I learned that talent and dedication are important traits to entrepreneurship. Other important character traits we outlined: “Basic curiosity”; “Fairness”; “Courage”; “Relentless pursuit of opportunity” were among other traits. Most of the characters and master critical skills for entrepreneurs are perseverance and honesty. However, what made them different from others is that they stayed the course. Day after day; year after year.

   

Another reading that I enjoyed this week as I learned “How You Find Your Passion and How Do you Pursue It?" Randy Komisar highlighted the following questions: What's the ultimate question? What is the ultimate thing that you're going to do with your life? What is the ultimate mark you're going to make? What is the farthest horizon that you can articulate? Then, Randy asked two additional questions on What are my values? What do I care about? This approach gives us directions and guidance. Optimization is ultimately the critical mindset that allow entrepreneurs see the opportunity in front of them. In fact, as entrepreneurs we need to look at all opportunities available to us makes it easier to decide and move forward.

I thought this synchronized nicely to another one of the articles that we studied this week. Elder Faust’s address about the importance of persevering. As I began to read his address, I was impressed that the article would provide important instruction as to organize my life for success; I wasn’t disappointed. Elder Faust listed off blessings of knowledge and habits that come from serving a mission. He mentioned: “How to organize time wisely; the importance of hard work; leadership skills; people skills; the value of gospel study; respect for authority; the importance of prayer; humility and dependability on the Lord” (Faust, James). Elder Faust taught important principles attributed to success, he pointed: “Success is usually earned by persevering and not becoming discouraged when we encounter challenges” (Faust). Life is all about getting up when we get knocked down, if someone is willing to keep fighting, the paths to success will reveal themselves.

Finally, I would like to highlight the three promises in the video “A Hero’s Journey” by Jeff Sandefer: We promised that students will learn; We promise that they will make money; We promise that they have a life of meaning. At the end, students felt they had learned and made money from the principles taught during the Hero’s Journey. However, from a survey conducted with people interviewed that were older than 60 years old said that three following questions are what they were mostly influenced by:

 

1.      Have I contributed to something that was meaningful?

2.      Am I a good person?

3.      Who did I love and who loved me?

  

Upon reflecting on these questions, I realized that as I build my life around the role of an entrepreneur, I need to keep in mind these questions as nothing else will ultimately influence my personal life and my business.