A champion is a hero in the circumstances he faces. You do not necessarily have to be in a leadership position to be one. Instead, it is a ‘winner’ who is a true champion.
For some, it is an action hero who is a champion and for others it’s a sports person. Have we ever thought of being a champion ourselves? Can’t an entrepreneur be a champion?
Terms like ‘champion’, ‘leader’ and ‘hero’ are usually ascribed to ‘larger than life celebrities’ mainly because they work in the public domain. What about normal people like entrepreneurs who are ‘silently’ improving lives through their products or services?
Believing in your abilities is the most important factor if an entrepreneur is to be a champion. It is your belief in your business idea that will develop an atmosphere of passion that in turn is reiterative of your skills. If you do not have enough belief that your idea is going to make a difference, you won’t be able to speak about it with conviction.
A startup is a manifestation of the idea, skill set and belief. If the third element is missing either in general or from any of the other two, you can’t create magic or have an impact that a champion does.
Secondly, to become a champion, an entrepreneur should be a ‘realistic idealist’. I have written about this in detail in an earlier post ‘To be a real idealist’. Idealism, the ability to dream, is to be wrapped in realism for the superior ideas to materialize and be effective. And how does that happen?
An idealist, sees things differently. Where others identify a problem, an idealist finds an opportunity to be innovative and fill the gap. But to be that, you must be sure of your ability to do so! Make a strategic plan (ideally with preemptive short-term back up plans) and share it with your team so everyone is on the same ground and focused towards the shared goal.
The process of strategy making involves analysis of the situation – the problem at hand, the resources available and the outcome to be achieved. True, an entrepreneur is a risk-taker and is not afraid to take a new path, but a champion is not naïve. All associated risks are quantified and weighted to map the most effective way.
A champion is aware of and realizes his strengths and weaknesses (and of the team, with individual denominator and as a whole). Make a strategy with your strengths as the foundation and build your plan around that so you get to utilize them to the maximum.
As I say often, good is the enemy of great. To become great, one must try to overcome his weaknesses. Therefore, acquire new skills and engage in peer-review sessions with your team so you can continue to learn. Also, as these meetings are less-formal, it’s a good way of providing feedback to each other.
A champion is receptive to criticism and is not ashamed of accepting his mistakes. In fact, he takes pride in learning from them.
Thirdly, a champion stands by the decision he has made. He does not give in to ‘criticism’ (unless it’s constructive feedback) and neither does he quit out of demotivation. It is your ability as an entrepreneur to see the ladder beyond the first step that will make you a champion. Short-term fluctuations such as number of users or cash-flow must not distract you.
A champion is simply the one who is the best at what he does. And it’s not that difficult to be one!