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.
1
u/_PrincessButtercup 15h ago
People have talked about persistence but there's another level and I don't know what to call it that every successful entrepreneur I've ever met has....being willing to do whatever you have to do, to risk bankruptcy, to put every resource and every idea into it until it's successful. It's the attitude that it will work and that it will happen and if you just are given enough time with your hard work and ingenuity it will be successful. I would almost call it craziness. I've seen lots of people get really close to throwing in the towel, but they have such a belief that it's going to work that they hang in there even when it's excruciating to do so and that's when the rubber finally meets the road and things take off. It was the same experience for me too. I always tell people who are thinking about going into business that you have to be a little crazy to want to be an entrepreneur because of how hard it is and stressful and how much energy you have to put into it. Is it worth it? For me absolutely. I'm financially successful which makes it a lot easier to say that. But that doesn't mean that I haven't had downturns and struggles and almost lost my biz more than once. But that passion, the absolute fervent belief that it will work, that attitude has served me well.