Entrepreneurship and success is the sum of natural and acquired virtues minus fears. We multiply this by self-esteem and confidence squared; divided by a committed team. The result is wonderful.
Flexibility is one of the many vital qualities of successful entrepreneurs. They understand that the era of rigidity in business is past and harmful. They have the vision and understanding to know that the business world is now reinventing itself on a daily basis; that it is no longer necessary to wait years, decades or centuries to change paradigms.
Examples? Facebook It is one of the most popular media in the world, but it does not generate content. Uber It is the company with the largest number of taxis on the planet, but it does not have a single car of its own. Airbnb It is the world’s largest accommodation provider, but it does not own any properties. Alibaba It is one of the most valuable marketers and does not have its own inventory. Organ He doesn’t own a single coffee shop, but he is the world’s largest distributor of healthy coffee. The business world is in constant evolution and anyone who doesn’t understand and adapt to it is writing their own chronicle of a business death foretold.
Walter Riso, in his book “The Art of Being Flexible” says: “Mental flexibility is much more than a skill or a competency: it is a virtue that defines a lifestyle and allows people to better adapt to environmental pressures. An open mind is more likely to generate constructive changes that result in a better quality of life and the ability to cope with difficult situations.”.
A tough mindset will never lead to success. It is essential to have a flexible attitude and adapt our business strategy whenever necessary. Sometimes, entrepreneurs seek to differentiate themselves from the competition and overlook the enormous advantage that startups and SMEs have over large organizations. Large companies are often like private municipalities, where each change is a slow and bureaucratic process, while entrepreneurs have the ability to quickly adapt to market changes. What’s more, they can be the generator of change.
Entrepreneurs must be like reeds, which, although they may seem fragile, are flexible in the face of changes in their environment. The fact that large companies continue to be like oaks plays in our favor.
«The story goes that on the edge of a vast lake an oak and a reed grew very close together. Over time the oak grew strong and robust. It always looked at the reed and said to it:
– Look how small and weak you are. Even a simple bird is a heavy burden for you; the slightest breeze, which ripples the surface of the water, makes you lower your head. But look at me, my forehead stops the rays of the sun, it also defies the storm.
The reed felt very sorry to see how the oak had become a conceited and arrogant being. One day a very strong storm came. Immediately the reed bent, while the oak struggled with all its strength to stay standing.
For a while he succeeded, but the weather worsened and the storm turned into a tornado. The force of the wind was such that it uprooted the oak tree. When the storm subsided, some loggers appeared and cut it down in a few hours.
The reed, sad for his neighbor, thought:
– I bend, but I do not break. What a pity that so much pride and vanity have led you to such an extreme.
Marcelo Berenstein
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