Based on my experience advising entrepreneurs, I’m convinced that success is often more a mindset than a specific set of skills or intelligence. The mindset I’m looking for is one that sees challenges as exciting rather than threatening, setbacks as learning opportunities and that effort and perseverance will overcome any obstacle. Most experts call this a growth mindset.
Of course, that mindset has to translate into a set of specific actions that other people recognize as going above and beyond the fixed mindset. A fixed mindset is when entrepreneurs believe their abilities and market are fixed, and the challenge is to make the best of the hand already dealt. Here are key maxims that I believe indicate a growth mindset rather than a fixed mindset: