“Open-Minded Personality” Is It Reason for Entrepreneurial Success?
Anto Juarín
Entrepreneurs’ personal qualities vary around the world. Certainly, there are qualities that they do share such as: determination and hard work. It is worth noting that building from scratch is never easy.
Recently, a discussion was opened on social media sites “Twitter” and “Instagram” about whether entrepreneurs with open-minded personality traits tended to be more successful. The results on Twitter showed a complete split of opinion that ended with the poll closing at exactly 50/50.
As for the results on Instagram, 54% of respondents thought entrepreneurs with open-minded traits were usually more successful, while 46% thought that was not necessarily the case.
Above all, we must know the difference between the “open-minded” personality and the “introverted” personality. Those with open-minded personality traits are more socially confident people; usually, they develop an ideal personal profile for field sales. On the other hand, introverts are usually more conservative and fit to assume the position of a data analyst. However, most of us have a combination of both characters, but one will be more dominant than the other. However, successful work needs both characters.
Below is a review of some pros and cons regarding an open-minded and introverted personality:
Pros of open-minded personality:
- Develops comfortable friendships with a large number of people.
- Likely to have the least inclination to participate in group projects.
- Able to connect with others quickly, remember names and faces, and great at fostering relationships with customers.
- Tends to be frank, attractive, and able to speak out.
Cons of open personality:
- May experience difficulty in making analytical judgments or be neutral.
- Usually less independent and seeks external verification.
- Face difficulty in concentrating.
- More likely to steal the spotlight rather than share it with others.
- Might seem arrogant.
Pros of introverted personality:
- Likely to control the need to express emotions at inappropriate times.
- Good listener and observer.
- Neutral, critic, and detail-oriented.
- Has a strong capacity for self-reliance and meaningful thinking.
- Usually cautious and deliberate.
- Tends to have a very consistent mood.
Cons of Introverted Personality
- May need more time to effect changes.
- Face difficulty in becoming a group member
- May need a lot of positive encouragement to share personal ideas.
- Experience difficulty in joining the group’s activities.
- May encounter difficulty in accepting criticism or entering into a negotiation.
Therefore, one of the major responsibilities of entrepreneurs is to select team members based on profiles and capabilities that can complement each other in the best possible way to propel a startup forward.
People often assume that early-stage entrepreneurs may take more introverted stances, such as product development, but the fact is that they have an infinite list of responsibilities, including recruitment, fundraising, sales and marketing.
When we think of the stereotype of any “leader”, some characteristics come to mind, such as openness, daringness and charisma. It is true that job opportunities often come from relationships, but this does not mean that an entrepreneur needs to be a social butterfly to be successful.
To name but a few, some of the most well-known and successful entrepreneurs we know, such as Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and Larry Page, are considered “introverts.”
Finally, important features that a leader is supposed to have and can actually affect the company’s success include: trust in the project, team, motivation, ambition, patience and flexibility to continue in difficult times.
Indeed, being introverted or open minded does not lead to your success or failure; both support each other and compensate for a stronger and healthier team. Successful entrepreneurs will foster self-awareness to know their limitations and compensate them with the help of other teammates or entrepreneurs involved.