Prominent role model must demonstrate some certain characteristics and exhibit some features such as confidence and leadership skills.
Role model is someone who is always positive, calm, and confident in themselves. You don’t want someone who is down or tries to bring you down. Everyone likes a person who is happy with their achievements, but continues to strive for bigger and better objectives.
The Seven Traits of a Role Model
At its core, all businesses are just people carrying out an idea. It’s never the other way around – there is no idea so big that it doesn’t need people to make it succeed. Investors know this, hence the saying “Bet on the jockey, not the horse.” A great jockey is a great role model.
Like it or not, everyone looks to the entrepreneur as the jockey of a new business. Typically this energizes rookie startup founders, but some struggle trying to live up to their own – as well as everyone else’s – expectations. In reality, nobody really expects anyone to be superhuman, but it can feel like that, likewise a role model.
We certainly wouldn’t expect superhuman behavior from the people looking to us for guidance, nor would we want them to expect flawless behavior from themselves. What characteristics and actions do they look for?
Here are seven frequently mentioned qualities:
-
Confidence and leadership.
A good role model is someone who is always positive, calm, and confident in themselves. You don’t want someone who is down or tries to bring you down. Everyone likes a person who is happy with their achievements, but continues to strive for bigger and better objectives.
-
Boldness.
Whatever you choose to do with your life, be proud of the person you’ve become, even if that means accepting some ridicule. You want role model who won’t pretend to be someone they are not, and won’t be fake just to suit other people.
-
Good communication.
Good communication means listening as well as talking. People are energized by leaders who explain why and where they are going. Great role model knows they have to have a consistent message and business plan, and repeat it over and over again until everyone understands.
-
Respect for others.
You may be driven, successful, and smart, but whether you choose to show respect or not speaks volumes about how other people see you. Everyone notices if you are taking people for granted, not showing gratitude, or stepping on others to get ahead.
-
Knowledgeable.
Great role model isn’t just “teachers.” They are constant learners, challenge themselves to get out of their comfort zones, and surround themselves with smarter people. When team members see that their role model can be many things, they will learn to stretch themselves in order to be successful.
-
Take responsibility.
Nobody is perfect. When you make a bad decision, let those who are watching and learning from you know that you made a mistake and how you plan to correct it. By apologizing, accepting responsibility, and correcting course, you will be demonstrating an often overlooked part of being a role model.
-
Do good things outside the job.
People who do the work, yet find time for good causes outside of work, such as raising money for charity, saving lives, and helping people in need get extra credit. Commitment to a good cause implies a strong commitment to the business.
True role model is the one who possess the qualities that we would like to have, and those who have affected us in a way that makes us want to be better people. They help us to advocate for ourselves and take a leadership position on the issues that we believe.
We often don’t recognize true role model until we have noticed our own personal growth and progress. That really implies that it takes one to know one. Thus, if you are asking the question, that may mean, you are well along the road to being that role model already. Don’t stop now.
