Being entrepreneurial is something that we tend to link with those starting or running new businesses and ventures. Further, that these are skills and attributes that only some people possess or are born with. Actually, we all need to embrace entrepreneurial skills far more than we do. Whether employed, self-employed or managing a portfolio career job security, as we once thought of it, exists no longer; everything is short-term and performance based. Rejection and setbacks happen every day.

Reid Hoffman, co-founder and chairman of Linkedin, argues in his new book “The Start-up of You” that people need to think of themselves as entrepreneurs, not literally, but  as a mindset, so making sure they continue to adapt and develop their skills to retain a competitive edge in the job market. He says: “you need to be adapting all the time. And if you’re failing to adapt, nobody – not your employer, not the government – is going to catch you when you fall”. This is because competition is so fierce and the amount of time spent in one job is decreasing. We live in harsh times and there’s no sign they will get better any time soon. I’ve often thought that in these changing, dynamic times it is those who are able to reinvent themselves that get somewhere. If there are 5,000 people applying for 20 jobs, there’s something not quite right with that mindset.

Passion is often cited as one of the key elements in being entrepreneurial and, yes, most people work harder and better when they care about what they are doing. But passion alone is not necessarily enough to recognize and grab new opportunities.

According to the Founders’ Institute, a Silcone Valley start-up accelerator firm, these are traits successful company founders have. But I think we all need them!

1. High fluid intelligence. Not about IQ but more about your ability to apply known rules to new problems. You’ll need to be creative and come up with innovative solutions and ideas, whatever field you are in.

2. High degree of openness. How willing are you to challenge norms? Do you even dare to? Are you going to take the initiative to tackle or suggest new projects?

3. Moderate agreeableness. Can you balance cooperation and antagonism? Are you generally warm and considerate but also able to be straightforward and firm when it’s needed? What are your communication skills like?

Check out this fun infographic to see if you display some of these.

So, how does one person successfully take advantage of an opportunity, while another, equally knowledgeable person does not? Do entrepreneurs have a different genetic makeup? Or do they operate from a different vantage point, that somehow directs their decisions for them?

Though many researchers have studied the subject, there are no definitive answers. What  is known that successful entrepreneurs seem to have certain traits in common which we need to emulate and bring into our lives, no matter what our job, role or business. Traits like resilience, risk-taking, optimism, listening and communication, decision-making and knowledge (of your industry and expertise).

So, get some of this entrepreneurial energy yourself this week:

• Take every opportunity you can to learn something new about your business or industry. Inform yourself via Twitter, reading or updating your knowledge. Bring it into conversations and increase your capacity for learning.
• Learn optimism! Yes, this trait can be learned if we understand what healthy optimism really is. Start by taking time to understand your own inbuilt responses and reactions to change, disappointment or just stuff going on around you. From there you can start building more awareness. Here’s a great TED video on this by Martin Seligman.
• Listen with empathy. This will have an immediate impact on all of your relationships, whether on or off-line.
• Get resilient. Get used to bouncing back quickly from setbacks or rejection and moving forward. Be willing to try out new things or grab opportunities that perhaps you normally wouldn’t.

The Advantage, published by Pearson and focusing on building personal competences like these. Unimenta - free, personal support for trainers and practitioners who are delivering soft skills and personal development - www.unimenta.com

• Resilience is so important because the dynamic and changing conditions all around us right now mean we not only need to bounce back quickly, but also be willing to try out new things and venture into things or  grab opportunities that we haven’t before. – See more at: http://www.unimenta.com/Default.aspx?pagename=Soft-skills-resilience#sthash.OkPoJrta.dpuf
  Resilience is so important because the dynamic and changing conditions all around us right now mean we not only need to bounce back quickly, but also be willing to try out new things and venture into things or  grab opportunities that we haven’t before. – See more at: http://www.unimenta.com/Default.aspx?pagename=Soft-skills-resilience#sthash.OkPoJrta.dpuf
  Resilience is so important because the dynamic and changing conditions all around us right now mean we not only need to bounce back quickly, but also be willing to try out new things and venture into things or  grab opportunities that we haven’t before. – See more at: http://www.unimenta.com/Default.aspx?pagename=Soft-skills-resilience#sthash.OkPoJrta.dpuf