成功企业家的四个特质

Psychologistssaysuccessful

entrepreneurshavethese4personalitytraits

(JustinSullivan/Getty)SteveJobs.

TheSteveJobsesoftheworldhavesomethingincommon.

Infact,accordingtoorganizationalpsychologyresearch,theyshareatleastfourpersonalitytraits:

They'regeneralistsratherthanspecialists.

A2013Swiss-Germanstudyfoundthatwhileemployeesarespecialists,entrepreneursaregeneralists.

Foundershaveadiversesetofskills一afterall,theyhavetomanagethemanytendrilsofabusiness.Plus,theytendtohaveadiversenetworkofrelationships,onethattheycancallonwhenlaunchingcompanies.

"Itisthejacks-of-all-tradesacrossawholeportfolioofindividualresourcesandnotthemasters-of-onewhoarelikelytobecomeentrepreneurs,"writeauthorsUschiBackes-GellnerandPetraMoog."Themeresocialbutterfliesorthemerecomputernerdsarenotlikelytobecomeentrepreneursbecausetheyarebothtooimbalaneedandtherebylesslikelytobesuccessfulasentrepreneurs."

StanfordUniversityeconomistEdwardP.Lazearfirstproposedthe"jackofalltrades"theory.HefoundthatStanfordMBAswhotookabroaderrangeofclassesandhadheldawiderrangeofjobsweremorelikelytostarttheirownthing.Afollow-upGermanstudyreplicatedthoseresults.

They'reoutrageouslyself-confident.

AthirdofAmericansmallbusinessescollapsewithintheirfirstfiveyears.Two-thirdsfailwithin10.

AccordingtoNobelPrize-winningpsychologistDanielKahneman,ittakesaspecialbreedtotakeonthatkindofrisk.

"Alotofprogressintheworldisdrivenbythedelusionaloptimismofsomepeople,"hetoldInc."Thepeoplewhoopensmallbusinessesdon'tthink,'I'mfacingtheseodds,butI'lltakethemanyway.'Theythinktheirbusinesswillcertainlysucceed."

Thedatabacksthisup:Ina1988PurdueUniversitystudy,33%of3,000entrepreneursthoughtthatthey'rebusinesseshada100%chaneeofsuccess.A1997UniversityofHoustonstudyfoundthatentrepreneursarebiasedtothinktheycanpreventanythingbadfromhappeningtotheir

businesses.A2013studyfromErasmusUniversityRotterdamfoundthatentrepreneursthinktheywilllivelongerthaneverybodyelse.

Sometimes,thatconfideneelapsesintonarcissism.

They'redisagreeable.

Inhisbook"DavidandGoliath,"MalcolmGladwellarguesthatinnovativepeoplearedisagreeableTheydon'treallycarewhatotherpeoplethinkofthem.

Heargues:

Innovatorsneedtobedisagreeable...Theyarepeoplewillingtotakesocialrisks一todothingsthatothersmightdisapproveof.

Thatisnoteasy.Societyfrownsondisagreeableness.Ashumanbeingswearehardwiredtoseektheapprovalofthosearoundus.Yetaradicalandtransformativethoughtgoesnowherewithoutthewillingnesstochallengeconvention.

Heprovidescompellingexamples:SteveJobsdidn'tsweatstealingthegraphicuserinterfacefromXeroxPARC,andIKEAfounderIngvarKampradgladlyoutsourcedfromSwedentoPolandwhilethecountrieswerehostiletooneanother.

It'sredeemedintheresearch.AUniversityofIllinois-Universityof

Pennsylvaniastudyfoundthatdisagreeablepeoplearebetteratdecliningrequestsontheirtime,givingthembettercontrolofcalendars.

They'reconscientious.

Ina2003studyledbyPennsylvaniaCollegeofTechnologymanagementprofessorMarkCiavarella,researchersasked111peoplethathadstartedtheirownbusinessesbetween1972and1995totakepersonalitytests.Theresearcherswerelookingforanyfounders'personalitytraitsthatcorrelatedwithcompaniesmakingitpastthe"adolescent"stage,orovereightyears.

Theonly"significantpredictor"wasconscientiousness,orthepropensitytoplan,organize,andtakecareofresponsibilities.

"Theresultssuggestthatanentrepreneurneedstoevolveintoamanagertoshepherdanewventur