The born-entrepreneur..

I must hasten to comment that i have been extremely lucky to spend a couple of days with a true entrepreneur. I think we all know someone who has some business somewhere who is probably doing ok or is luckily wealthy. Well, this person is in a league of his own.

I had some interviews in the last quarter of last year interviewing entrepreneurs for a research but none of them displayed the characteristics borne by this man. I did not even know he was entrepreneurial, how surprising..because i would have interviewed him. It could also be that my research was prejudiced towards healthcare businessman because of accessibility to contacts.

The other reason i did not know of his entrepreneurial being is because he is particularly down to earth. Usually, as we all know, most entrepreneurially successful people make it known to others, somehow, that they have made it. You'll know..they can be flashy too! Not with my new entrepreneur colleague..he is different.

Every conversation i had with him, i learnt something. Every conversation added value to my future. I wish i could write everything down but that is rather embarassing. I also wanted to play cool! When he opened his mouth, he suggested a new deal..a new busines idea..a new contact..a new life! I just wondered how come he never boasted about being who he is or indeed that he has the world at his feet. Interestingly enough, he has many other traits which my research last year failed to conclude as existent in many entrepreneurs.

The man has a high need for achievement. This character trait is prevalent among many entrepreneurs although they may lack a commitment to work. He has it! He has a desire for responsibility coupled with a locus of control. He has high level of energy which i admired tremendously. His skills at organising are second to none. He has tenacity and a propensity for taking risk, calculated of course, for which i wished 'osmosis' would favour me in transferring some of it to me. In fact, i wished 'osmosis', which moves particles from areas of high concentration to areas with low concentration, would apply the above attributes in my favour.

It is crucial to note that the most inspiring people in life are not necessary the vocal ones. They may be hidden amongst the very vocal! Two years ago, i never knew Barack Obama. Two years later, he holds the most powerful office in the world. His neighbours in Chicago must be wondering how they missed the opportunity to learn from such a knowledgeable man of many inspirational attributes. Maybe they judged him! In this world of glitter and fast cars, we are forgetting that its not the glitter and fast car that matters..it's whats underneath it or the character of its driver!

I knew this man, but i did not know that he has such entrepreneurial traits and knowledge that could inspire not just me, but many others.