Do you agree that as a general rule entrepreneurs must be a little "irrational" in believing in themselves in order to be successful?
In his Inc.com article, Jeff Haden points out there’s one essential trait every successful entrepreneur possesses: Irrational Optimism.
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Feb 15, 2013
Overly enthusiastic, perhaps - irrational, no.
Irrational attracts the same - employees, investors, etc.
Feb 12, 2013
Good question, I was thinking about this very thing the other day. It seems in order for an entrepreneur to be successful they must not care about others. I know this sounds against the often cited "team collaboration, work hard play hard mentality" but think about it. For example, facebook, zuckerberg did whatever he wanted at the cost of others in order to make it mainstream. He didn't care. He gives away money now to non-profits but that is after the fact. Yes, I believe one would have to be a self serving ego maniac to stay extremely focused on getting where they want to go. :)
Jan 16, 2013
No! I dont agree. Be conservative, and have a ton of cushion in the bank. Plan, adapt and work. But be realistic that business fail all the time, and do everything you need to do to manage the risk.
Jan 11, 2013
Yes, most definitely. Especially if you're an entrepreneur who is a salesman at the same time. Copius amounts of optimism, confidence in oneself and the belief that sometimes the impossible can be achieved is greatly important.
Jan 9, 2013
This question assumes a finite definition of 'irrational' in the context of the question. perhaps that provided in the writer's referenced article, but the question alone is 'irrational.'
Dec 14, 2012
yes, they are all nuts, the only way to compensate is to surround yourself with sane people and business advisors
Nov 28, 2012
Absolutely. Entrepreneurs are "box cutters" as I like to say. Our society is full of people that are taught to go to school, get good grades, so you can get a job and work the 40x40x40 plan. While I agree education, personal development, and other things come into play, its about being consistent, persistent, helping others, and following through on your dreams. We are seen as irrational because we are 2% ers. I am irrational and crazy, but I wouldnt change who I am today or where I am going for anyone.
Nov 24, 2012
No, calculated risk to try to achieve a better solution is a very sane and very rational self-preservation mechanism. I don't believe Jeff Haden has a good handle on the skills possessed by entrepreneurs. Being irrational is counter-productive and blocks your ability to make careful and calculated risks. Being successful is hard work, and if you're successful it's often not because you believe in yourself, but because you believe in an ideal and want to see it realised. You may surround yourself in people in whom you believe, but ultimately you're driven by a vision for something better than what you have. That's entirely rational. What's irrational is people consuming their available living time doing pointless things and claiming to be successful. Curious question.
Nov 22, 2012
“Reasonable people adapt themselves to the world. Unreasonable people attempt to adapt the world to themselves. All progress, therefore, depends on unreasonable people. G.B. Shaw
Nov 22, 2012
Absolutely! Entrepreneurs often have creative out of the box ideas and will appear irrational to others as a result. They need to ensure they have people in their support environment such as a business coach (me for instance!) who will believe in the potential without judgement and that can also gently bring the idea down to earth with feasibility checks etc before embarkling on launching it.