This post continues the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center’s BizWiz student venture group‘s discussion about:
- “If you could hang out with any entrepreneur or leader, who would that be?”
- “Why did you choose that person – what quality do they have that you admire and would want to learn from him or her?”
Entrepreneur Quality Number 3 – Be a Charismatic Marketer and an Inspiring Leader
Take a guess who received the most mentions as a “charismatic marketer”. Did you say the master of the black turtleneck, Steve Jobs? Regardless of whether you love or hate Apple, you have to admit that the guy is a darn good front man. His presentation style has been talked about and written about a lot, including this presentation on SlideShare.
But, don’t you think that it goes a LONG WAY past mere presentation style? The guy is the number one advocate for his venture and its products. He never wavers. He is uber confident. He is SO into his products that it rubs off on you a bit.
One more thing. If you listen to the press talk about Jobs, you will quickly find that he inspires people. An alien stopping off at our planet would wonder just exactly what an Apple Fanboy is and what they are all doing hanging out outside those glass-front buildings overnight. But, the mere fact that Apple has fans who line up outside stores overnight, sometimes even when they aren’t sure exactly what product will be announced, is a sure fire sign that they have been inspired.
And, although we hear less about it, he also inspires the people who work with him in his venture to create products that wow people. Products that don’t compromise, but hold onto a vision of excellence that started with a guy in a black turtleneck at the top of the venture.
Wouldn’t you like a crowd of fans lining up to buy your stuff and hanging on your every word? And a group of employees that shares your vision for excellence? I can’t think of an entrepreneur who wouldn’t.