Innovators and Entrepreneurs ...

 

Starter Toolbox for Innovators and Entrepreneurs

Let's get ourselves some SPLUCK!

SPLUCK: an acronym for Skills, Passion, and Luck … traits shared by every successful Innovator and Entrepreneur. 

SKILLS can be learned. There certainly are a basic set of skills that most every innovator and entrepreneur must have ... but, they aren't necessarily the same set of skills for all.

PASSION is something internal to every individual … some have lots of it, others don’t. We can try to motivate passion in others, but it can’t be forced upon them. They either are, or they aren’t. Heredity versus Environment?  Closely related to Passion is Persistence ... someone passionate is usually someone persistent, too.

And then there's LUCK ... serendipity! Win the lottery!! YeeHaa.  So many folks wait for luck to change their lives. But the Innovator and Entrepreneur ... they don't wait for change to happen to them. Nope! They are the change they want to see in the world! They make their own luck!

SPLUCK: Skills, Passion, and LUCK! 

[Jim's TooSense: I was looking for word that would summarize the key traits of successful innovators and entrepreneurs. Many articles written about why they are good at what they do, and there is a diversity of other characteristics, too. But put them all in a big pot, and the big three that surface are Skills, Passion, and Luck. So I just slammed them all together into SPLUCK. And now you know the rest of the story!]

Traits of Successful Innovators and Entrepreneurs

Able to accept rejection ... able to build new structures ... able to build on the strengths of others ... able to communicate non-verbally ... able to concentrate ... able to control and direct ... able to cope well with novelty ... able to creates internal visualizations ... able to elaborate ... able to escape
perceptual set and entrenchment ... able to express themselves ... able to fantasize ... able to find order in chaos ... able to focus ... able to get along well with others ... able to go beyond logical expectations ... able to handle abstractness ... able to identify problems ... able to imagine ... able to juxtaposition two or more incongruities ... able to keep an open mind ... able to keep options open ... able to make independent judgments ... able to observe trends ... able to organize ... able to perform "miracles" ... able to resist jumping to premature conclusions ... able to see inside-out ... able to solve collision conflicts for which there are no readily apparent solutions ... able to synthesize or combine ... able to think logically ... able to think metaphorically ... able to translate ideas into action ... able to use existing knowledge as base for new ideas ... able to use wide categories and images ... able to visualize ... able to visualize the future ... action-oriented ... adaptable ... adept with numbers ... alert to gaps in their knowledge ... alert to novelty ... ambitious ... analytical ... articulate ... attracted to challenges, not risks ... aware and empathetic of the needs of others ... aware of the world around them ... basically knowledgeable of their target area ... bold ... breaking the boundaries ... charismatic ... colorful ... confident ... considerate ... creative ... creative in a particular domain ... curious ... driven ... earthy ... emotionally appealing ... emotionally expressive ... emotionally stable ... empathetic ... enthusiastic ... ethical ... exciting ... expecting success ... expressive ... flexible ... fluent in areas of expertise ... full of energy ... futuristic ... get along well with others ... good at maintaining interpersonal relations ... good at timing ... good communicators ... good judgment ... good leaders ... good sense of timing ... have good communicative ability ... healthy ... humorous ... imaginative ... in good health ... in need of feedback ... in need of high achievement ... in possession of a positive attitude ... independent ... independent in outlook ... independent in thinking ... innovative ... inquisitive ... intelligent ... intense ... inventive ... know how to organize ... knowledgeable ... listeners ... lively ... loaded with energy ... logical ... looking for opportunities in problems ... looking for problems to solve ... magical ... maintain good interpersonal relations ... not status seekers ... not willing to give up ... objective in their approach to interpersonal relationships ... open-minded ... original ... possessing a sense of urgency ... possessing a vivid imagination ... possessing stamina ... possessing superior conceptual ability ... possessing supra-rational creative abilities ... possessing wide and varied interests ... productive ... proud of what they do ... rational ... realistic ... resistant to closure ... resourceful ... self-confident ... self-starting ... self-sufficient ... sensible ... sensitive to problems ... skilled decision makers ... skilled in good judgment ... sociable ... stimulated by variety ... tactful ... take pride in what they do ... unwilling to conform ... welcome responsibility ... willing and able to make decisions ... willing to accept responsibility ... willing to ask "why?" ... willing to invest in the future ... willing to question norms and assumptions ... willing to solve puzzles ... willing to take a chance ... willing to take calculated risks ... willing to work hard ... word fluent ...

Tips for Innovators and Entrepreneurs

1. Be passionate about everything you do.
2. Proactively seek new opportunities.
3. Stay alert.