Hossein Kazemian is not an entrepreneur but has an entrepreneurial drive.
I met Hossein a of couple years ago when he invited me to tour his chemistry lab at UNBC.
UNBC is ranked Canada's No. 1 small university in Canada. Hossein informed me that his lab, which he had recently taken over, was hardly used. In fact, in the past, while the lab is extremely well equipped, much of the tests and research that were done by others at the university itself were sent to outside companies at a much higher cost.
Hossein made up his mind to change all that. As Hossein and I spoke, it became apparent to me that this man had the drive, ambition and devotion, common to many of the entrepreneurs that I was working with, who were running their own businesses. He was playing to win.
So what sets people like Hossein, and those with entrepreneurial drive, apart from others?
In 2014, Gallup did a poll of entrepreneurs. What they found was that the top 500 CEOs were different from others in society because:
No. 1 - They take risks: How often do you take on challenges, embrace opportunities, are optimistic about your ability to face a trial and come out a winner?
How often do you have an entrepreneurial drive, taking calculated risks with an opportunity to further your chances of easy success?
No. 2 - Successful entrepreneurs have a business focus: It's great to get into business but unless you have some goals, are measuring those goals, and track your success, you might find that your ability to hit the heights of other entrepreneurs is limited.
In business, we need to track our financial success, our sales and other tangible targets that are measurable. If you want to be more successful, start tracking your achievements.
No. 3 - They have determination: How determined are you? Whether you are running a business, or a department within a big organization, having a determination to see that things get done can make a huge difference.
It doesn't matter what you do, you are always going to run into some difficulties. Having the resolve to push through the tough times, to find solutions, to pivot when you hit an impasse ensure that your project will get finished.
No. 4 - They ask for help: The best entrepreneurs in the world don't do it all themselves. In fact, the very best entrepreneurs delegate work to others.
They build a team of people around them that can do the work they can't. They have advisors and they seek great advice. They build relationships that can further their cause.
Like Hossein, we don't all need to own a business to be entrepreneurial.
In fact, if we had more people working in government, medicine, within companies, in universities and even in our families that had the ability to learn the traits of the top entrepreneurs, our society would be better off.
Just imagine what would happen if more people set and measured their goals and had a plan for their lives, if we worked together to achieve tasks and if we pushed through with determination to make relationships work when things got tough or even took more risks with recipes in making dinner.
My guess is that we would all enjoy "richer" communities.
Hossein doesn't own a business. He runs a lab. He works in a bureaucracy but he is entrepreneurial.
Perhaps you could be more entrepreneurial in your day to day life and live the thrill of an entrepreneur in your calling.
The truth of the matter is that entrepreneurship within a business, a family or a bureaucracy can be very fulfilling if you are willing to step out and try it.
Hossein is entrepreneurial and you can be too.
Dave Fuller, MBA, PBCA Canadian Business Coach of the Year 2017, is the author of the book Profit Yourself Healthy. Dave helps leaders fire up their entrepreneurial drive so they can be successful. Email your comments to dave@profityourselfhealthy.com.
