When you think about the word entrepreneur, who or what comes to mind? Steve Jobs. Bill Gates. Oprah Winfrey. Terms like “go getter” or “risk taker” may occur to you. Or perhaps qualities like creative, passionate and innovative come to mind. If you are like most people you think that these traits are reserved for others – seldom for bankers, and rarely for bank marketers. But that is exactly what is needed to help you rise above the challenges you face as a financial services marketer.
There are numerous personal characteristics, both academic and anecdotal, attributed to entrepreneurs. Flexibility, responsiveness and quick learning are often cited. Harvard Business School professor Howard Stevenson says “Entrepreneurship is the pursuit of opportunity without regard to resources currently controlled.” That statement certainly speaks to some of key qualities that identify an entrepreneur. But to keep it simple, here are five characteristics and corresponding action steps that will pump a little entrepreneurial spirit into your efforts:
1: Be Willing to Reinvent Yourself
2: Do the Research and Take Calculated Risks
3: Embrace Your Role as A Problem Solver
4: Be a Self-Promoter
5: Live and Work from a Place of Passion!
