how to become an entrepreneur

5 lessons for leaders who are just starting out

An entrepreneur needs to be a great leader to motivate his team and make them work as a single entity towards a common goal

In the past we’ve come across some great leader all budding entrepreneurs could learn valuable lessons from. Leaders like Mahatma Gandhi were able to mobilise the population of a whole country and made them unite against a common enemy, the British. The movement penetrated down to the peasants who revolted against the British malpractices and in the end, India gained independence.

In the entrepreneurial world, we’ve seen various great leaders such as Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Binny and Sachin Bansal etc. An entrepreneur needs to be a great leader to motivate his team and make them work as a single entity towards a common goal.

However, not all entrepreneurs are born leaders so here are lessons which will help them emerge as great leaders:

1. Almost all leaders are self taught

There is so course or college which teaches leadership skills. Management teaches the major aspects of leadership but cannot make a leader out of you. Moreover, everyone’s style of leadership is different which is why it’s best if you teach yourself and find your way.

Some leaders are empathetic, while most are a combination of sternness and empathy. You need to find how you want to be perceived and try and learn from leaders who inspire you.

2. Delegation is an art

It delegation might seem like the easiest thing to do but it actually is an art. Delegation doesn’t simply mean handing over tasks to people who are accomplished in their fields. You actually need to find people who you believe are appropriate for the company and hire them. It is a huge responsibility because you trust them with the company’s vision. For instance, if you want an advertiser to make an ad for a product, you are handing him the responsibility of how your product will be perceived by customers.

Thus, it is a huge task and needs to be done well.

3. Keep learning

As a leader, it is also essential to be able to accept criticism and learn constantly because it might be your first time as well. A leader needs to be a good listener because only then can he work out strategies and make his employees feel more empowered and involved in the whole process. An employee in your company might be more experienced and have a brilliant idea and if an entrepreneur lets ego come in his way, he will be losing out on an opportunity of making his company succeed. Hence, it is important to be open to suggestions and be objective about them.

Related post: Things to do to grow your business

4. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes

You’re just starting out so you’re bound to make mistakes. Don’t be afraid to make them because mistakes are our best teachers. We learn valuable and important lessons from them. Also, don’t be afraid to let your team members take risks in terms of the venture because that will help them learn and excel in their respective fields as well.

5. Try servant leadership

While servant leadership is a timeless concept, the phrase “servant leadership” was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in The Servant as Leader, an essay that he first published in 1970. In that essay, Greenleaf said:

“The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions…The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types. Between them there are shadings and blends that are part of the infinite variety of human nature.

A servant leader focuses more on the growth aspect of the company and even though he’s more powerful than others, he puts his employees’ well-being above all else.

Related Post: How to get better at leadership?

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Simple ways in which you can change your passion into a pay check

One shouldn’t give up their passion so easily and try and nurture it in spite of the hardships. Instead, one could follow these ways to encash on their passion.

Many a times we get caught in the dilemma of either following our passion or earning money. Mostly, people choose money because it is a basic requirement for sustenance. In the process, they let go of their passion and what they really want to do in life. One shouldn’t give up their passion so easily and try and nurture it in spite of the hardships. Instead, one could follow these ways to encash on their passion:

1. Embrace the inspiration

It is very important to embrace the pangs of inspiration brewing within you. For instance, if you’re interested in photography, a beautiful flower or an old-school bakery is enough to inspire your eye for detail. Instead of fighting your nudges, nourish them and let them grow. Once, you start listening to you inner voice, things become a lot clearer and you’re able to focus better and live in the present instead of brooding over the future.

2. Discover your passion

Sometimes, you need to provoke the child inside you to coax the truth. You need to ask yourself questions like “what really makes you happy”? Once you know the answer to this question, it becomes a little easier to believe in your passion and extract the unfathomable joys from it. As a child, you might have wanted to become a dancer. To revive your passion, you could always start taking dance classes at the nearby gymnasium. This way you are connected with your desires and can fuel them better.

3. Love yourself and believe in your passion

Most of us are stuck in the rut where we believe making money is ultimate and often end up sad because we aren’t making enough money. This kind of thought process will spike your stress levels and hold you from discovering your passion. Instead, learn to love yourself and embrace your talent with its flaws.

If you are a musician working a 9-5 job and hate it, to make things better, you could always start playing an instrument or go back to vocal training. This will make your life more exciting while you do what you love.

4. Write

This might seem a little far-fetched. But, you can take out sometime and maintain a journal or simply write a letter to your future self. Writing is a great way of getting out hidden or repressed thoughts or feelings. Writing will help you to figure out your passion better.

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Lessons in leadership from The Minions

The Minions is supposed to be a children’s movie, all about fun and laughter, and not to read too much into it or between the lines. But, the movie offers surprisingly some deep lessons in leadership and entrepreneurship.

We know The Minions is supposed to be a children’s movie, all about fun and laughter, and not to read too much into it or between the lines. But, the movie offers surprisingly, some deep lessons in leadership and entrepreneurship. So, if you have not watched the movie yet and planning to, then stop reading right now for there are SPOILERS AHEAD.

1. Take Risks: Kevin, Stuart and Bob need not have made that perilous journey out of the cold, snow-covered cave the Minions had made their home. They could have wallowed in collective misery. But they did not give up and so found the ‘boss’ they wanted so desperately. A number of startups/companies flounder because the founder/leader is scared to try something new. Only if you take a big risk, do you stand the chance of a big reward.

2. Hedge your bets: The entire Minion colony did not follow Kevin when he hatched the plan to go find them a big, bad boss. They only sent guitar-strumming Stuart and little Bob with Kevin. When expanding into new categories or creating a new product, it might not make sense for the entire team to change track until there is validation that the new category or product works.

3. Take care of your team: It was Scarlet Overkill’s super villainy that made the Minions want to work for her. But they wanted the soft beds, bedtime stories and, of course, bananas to be happy with her. You might be the biggest and ‘baddest boss’ and your minions might have joined you because of your badness. But if you are bad to your minions they are not going to stay with you for too long.

3. Don’t be scared of super minions: Scarlet Overkill could not handle it when Bob was crowned King, even though the Minions handed her the crown and she was able to achieve her longest held wish. This was her downfall. A leader should not be worried about being overshadowed by super talented juniors. Rewarding and encouraging them will be the key to your success.

4. Take responsibility: When Scarlet Overkill went nuclear against the Minions, Kevin did not cower behind the rest of the Minions. He took on Scarlet and protected his ‘buddies’, since he was their leader and he was responsible (primarily) for her hating the Minions. A leader will not blame his juniors nor expect them to take responsibility for his errors. Kevin earned the Minions’ respect and so will you as a leader when you stand up for your team.

5. Jump for the bigger opportunity: Despite everything Scarlet Overkill did to the Minions Kevin did run behind her, as she was the biggest super villain he had ever known (a genetic flaw of the Minions). But the moment Kevin lay his eyes on Felonious Gru he knew—here was a bigger, better villain. Many leaders, especially startup founders, cannot let go of their product or the market they were targeting even if a bigger opportunity slaps them in the face. Don’t be so married to your idea that you do not exploit a larger market.

This article was originally published in yourstory.com

Image Credit: cinemaedintorni.com