What makes a good business person can mean different things to people, but I have noticed some similar traits all good business people have in common. A business person to me is someone who is focused on their career, they have goals to grow and achieve more in their chosen profession and they lead people in one way or another. Here are 5 things I have seen be key parts of what it means to be a good business person.
1. Have a plan – All good business people have a plan for nearly everything in their lives. They plan their day, operate from a business plan and have a personal plan so they can keep things in perspective.
2. Be an essentialist – An essentialist is someone who focuses on only certain things that they have deemed essential, not what other people deem essential for them. They turn down all non-essential requests. They realize that saying no at times is actually the polite thing to do because by saying yes they are over extending themselves and not providing a quality service to that person.
3. Surround yourself with good people – Even the best business people can not do it alone. There are going to be things outside of their expertise, as well as projects they just do not have the time to do. A good business person finds people they trust with other skills or even opposite personalities so they can collaborate with them when the need arises.
4. Wear your passion – There was a great quote I heard from the TV host, Mike Rowe “Never follow your passion, but always bring it with you. Passion is too important to ignore, but it is too fickle to follow.” Passion is one of those things that is contagious and shows through no matter what. Good business people are passionate about what they do and they should wear it on their sleeve unapologetically.
5. Lead with Empathy – Good business people are leaders and examples for those around them. Far too often those people who do gain a little bit of success loose sight of empathy and their success is short lived. Empathy is putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, thinking of them before yourself. If you can do that you will be a great leader and business person.
As I said, there can be many different things that lead to a good business person’s success so this list is not meant to be the end all be all. This is just 5 key elements that I have seen and that I strive for in my business life. What are some of your key element?
Written for Printwear Magazine