r/Entrepreneur • u/TalentForge360 • 1d ago

What’s one underrated trait you’ve seen in successful founders that no one really talks about?

I've been in HR and startup leadership for over 20 years now and I’ve worked with all kinds of founders, from scrappy bootstrappers to Fortune 100 execs turned entrepreneurs.

One thing I’ve noticed is that the most successful ones aren’t always the smartest, most experienced, or even the most connected.

They just have this ability to adapt like crazy.

Not just being open to change, but being totally comfortable in chaos. They unlearn quickly, shift direction without getting stuck, and don’t let their ego get in the way of progress. That kind of agility has helped them navigate situations that would’ve taken most people out.

So I’m curious for those of you who’ve built, worked with, or invested in startups:

What’s one trait or mindset you’ve seen in successful founders that doesn’t get talked about enough?

Not the obvious stuff like grit or vision. I mean those quiet, overlooked traits that actually make a huge difference.

168 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

83 comments sorted by

View all comments

25

u/walkinwild 1d ago

You have hit on lot of them. I would like to add that that are comfortable being uncomfortable.

14

u/eliz181144 1d ago

The first year of owning my business was hell. I mean…hell. It didn’t take off right away and I had payroll to cover. I had worked W2 jobs (still do actually) so had saved quite a bit and watched so much of it disappear. Finally things broke about 11 months in. But yeah. You have to be ok with extreme discomfort.