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7 Entrepreneurial Traits to Teach Your Child
By Jen
Prosek
I own an
international PR firm and my brother is an artist, writer and naturalist.
We both
became entrepreneurs in our early 20s.
People
often ask if our parents did anything special in raising us.
When I
had my daughter in 2007, the question took on new meaning — I wanted to know if
parents could influence their child’s entrepreneurial IQ.
To help
answer the question, I contacted Richard Rende, Ph.D., who studies child
development, and together we identified a number of areas where parents can
have a great impact.
Why does
it matter? In our fast-changing world, kids need a whole new set of skills to
succeed. Helping children gain entrepreneurial traits will give them a solid
foundation for defining, pursuing and achieving their own success.
Here are
seven entrepreneurial traits well worth cultivating in your child:
1. Openness to Experience
Babies
and children are born to explore. They are open and curious about the world around
them.
Free form
“playful learning” is a proven way to advance academic readiness and lifelong
curiosity.
Let your
kids follow their instincts and discover — and reinforce that with enthusiasm
and wonder.
Adults
who are open to experiences have their “radar screens” on all the time.
They see
opportunities where others don’t and welcome challenges, hallmarks of success
in the workplace and in life.
2. An
Innovator’s Perspective
Innovation
isn’t just for people who will create new technologies or businesses.
Kids growing
up today will need to be perpetual innovators,
devising new solutions and approaches to problems.
Permit
kids to test out their ideas when playing or doing schoolwork (without
critique).
Coming up
with their own solutions helps develop and reinforce creativity and critical
thinking skills.
And make
sure to cultivate an environment where failure is tolerated. Innovators embrace
experimentation and know that you must fail in order to succeed.
3. Optimism
If
there’s one trait associated with entrepreneurs, it’s optimism.
Successful
entrepreneurs believe they can change things for the better through their own
efforts.
Being
optimistic confers real life, career and health advantages.
To
encourage optimism, frame the day in a positive way, model optimistic thinking
and problem solving and cultivate gratitude.
And
remember that optimism is contagious. If Mom and Dad’s outlook on life is
positive, it will rub off on the kids.
4. Industriousness
Whether
they’re children or adults, successful people get their hands dirty, sometimes
literally.
To help
kids develop a strong work ethic, they need to learn the intrinsic rewards of a
job well done.
Parents
should resist the urge to smooth their child’s path or do for them what they
can do for themselves.
One
time-tested way to build industriousness is by giving kids chores.
Researchers
have found that participating in chores early in life was strongly associated
with personal and academic success 20 years later.
5. Opportunity
Seeking
Children
need to feel comfortable seeking out opportunities — academic, social, personal
and physical — without fear of negative consequences.
When
children feel secure and supported, they develop the self-confidence they need
to trust their judgment and instincts and are free to embrace opportunity when
they see it.
6. Likeability
Likeability in
childhood translates to success in adulthood. It’s important to note that
likeability is not the same as popularity.
Likeability
is about getting along well with the people around you. Parents play a big role
in helping kids develop social proficiency.
They can
help them negotiate conflicts without becoming disagreeable, model how to
collaborate with others and boost their communication skills.
7. Empathy
There is
one tendency above all others that entrepreneurs endorse as key to achievement:
serving others.
In any
endeavor, if people don’t contribute something that is wanted or needed, they
can’t succeed.
Kids
today can have extraordinary “résumés,” but having a sense of entitlement and a
lack of empathy will ultimately hinder them.
Talk
about your emotions and help your child understand that the feelings of others
matter.
Compassion and empathy will
change their world and their lives for the better.
Not every
child will grow up to be an entrepreneur but every child can benefit from
having entrepreneurial skills to help navigate our complex world.
As
traditional life and career paths disappear, children will have to be able to
adapt and learn at every stage of life.
Like
entrepreneurs, they must make their way in the world with no roadmap to guide
them.
Parents
can help set them on a path to use their talents and abilities to create
success for themselves and others.
Jen Prosek is the owner of Prosek Partners, an international public
relations firm, and the author, with Richard Rende, Ph.D., of Raising
Can-Do Kids: Giving Children the Tools to Thrive in a Fast-Changing World.
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