by Ying Yang

Created on: April 12, 2011

Social entrepreneurs are arguably becoming the movers and shakers of the world, tackling the hard problems and motivating people to affect positive change. Anyone can become a social entrepreneur but there are some certain characteristics that can help ensure success.

1. Vision and Strategic Thinking.

Social entrepreneurs need to have a very clear vision and specific ideas of how to realize the vision. It’s no good just saying “I want to make the world a better place” really passionately, but rather a specific problem or goal needs to be identified. By taking baby steps and building on momentum gained in the past, social entrepreneurs can transform a one-man campaign for change into an international social movement. This takes a lot of time and hard work, though, and it will only be successful if the mission, vision and strategic planning is in place right from the beginning

2. Excellent Communication Skills.

Social entrepreneurs are naturally social people. They are so passionate about a cause that they tell anyone and everyone about it. With excellent communication skills and an infectious enthusiasm, social entrepreneurs know how to get their ideas across and get others engaged in what they are doing.  

3. Self-awareness.

Success stems from within so a social entrepreneur has to be willing and able to examine themselves and their organization and critically evaluate the progress they have made. As an organization grows, it can often morph into something quite different than the original intent. This is especially true when people like corporate sponsors, government agencies, or other external stakeholders become more heavily involved. A successful entrepreneur needs to continuously re-evaluate their position and check that the work they do is aligned with the mission, vision and values. This can take a great deal of courage and resolve, and could mean saying “no” to tempting monetary offers. This self-awareness and willingness to examine, change, or stay the same is very important to the success and long-term sustainability of a social venture.

4. Determination.

Drive and determination are essential characteristics of social entrepreneurs. Many of the most successful social entrepreneurs had the seed for their ideas many years before it came to its fruition. In between, the social entrepreneurs had to toil away in relative obscurity and faced many challenges that could have brought the social venture to a grinding halt. But, social entrepreneurs are determined people and they don’t give up. They work steadily to find ways around obstacles, always bearing in mind the mantra “winners never quit and quitters never win”. 

5. Energy

As the face of an organization, the social entrepreneur is always busy and always needs to project an image of enthusiasm and excitement. This means they basically need to be the Energizer Bunny. Amazingly, social entrepreneurs really do seem to have this boundless energy. Maybe there’s another mantra being chanted.. “lazy entrepreneurs aren’t successful and successful entrepreneurs aren’t lazy”?

The characteristics of social entrepreneurs offer valuable lessons for everyone. Perhaps the coolest characteristic of all is that social entrepreneurs are truly inspiring and they motive us all to make a difference in the world. 

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