4 Skills entrepreneurs can learn from Picasso

Entrepreneurship is a dynamic and life-changing experience. It is about seeing a dream, having a goal and a vision…then giving yourself over to it. It is concerned with stepping up to the plate and being responsible, working very hard, and taking ownership of everything concerned – every single task, objective and goal. There are a lot of aspirations and ideas in people’s minds – only an Entrepreneur steps out of his comfort zone risks ridicule and goes beyond every conceived notion of difficulties to achieve his goal. And by no means is every entrepreneur successful or every business a roaring success. There are innumerable stories and examples of people who tried and y, albeit with a few hiccups. To err is human.

Also Read: 5 Time Management Tips for Busy Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs need to be good leaders also, and it is a difficult cross to bear, with colleagues, employees, stakeholders and investors –everyone expecting the leader to be correct, all the time. There are difficult situations to face, every single day and Entrepreneurs must face them alone – along with bearing the consequences. Failures or setbacks are the leader’s alone, while success & plaudits are supposed to be shared with the team.  Modern day Entrepreneurs need to be on their toes all the time – mentoring, running their daily schedule of tasks while keeping their eye on the larger picture – the vision to kickstart the process with business registration and see it making profit over time.

Inspiration, learning and insights can come from anywhere – and leaders must seek it from unconventional sources. Let’s look at an unconventional source for ideas…Pablo Picasso, artist extraordinaire.

View ideas and problems like a Child

In the journey of Entrepreneurship, there will be 1000 ideas, problems, obstacles and solutions that come into your path. 1 good way to respond to this is to remember what Picasso said: “every child is an artist”. What he means is – forget the rules that others impose on you. Instead, try to envision the way forward like a child. Express yourself, go forth and do what you need to without seeking validation from others. Don’t ask others for their feedback on your actions. A child doesn’t need approval from others on their art. They create art for the sake of it— because it is fun. So, forget the rules, restrictions, and conditions that are imposed on you and just do your thing. Cease to worry about ridicule, appreciation, awards, rewards…everything. This will not only enable you to focus on the actual task but also give you lots of freedom to maneuver.

Get Moving, Action is the key

Having an idea for a business is good, but unless implemented, it is just an idea. That’s it. A firm believer in action, Picasso put it bluntly: ”Action is the foundation key to all success”. Taking inspiration from this, entrepreneurship demands putting ideas into action – never think there is a “right” or “proper” time to do something. The time to do it is ‘Now’ – roll up your sleeves and get started. As you go forward, you will find your rhythm and slowly it will transform into the beginning of a journey. The journey of your entrepreneurship. Yes, there may be obstacles, there will be things no one told you about entrepreneurship and seemingly unsurmountable problems – but that is the core of the learning.  Don’t be disheartened – you are not the first person to have faced problems and not the last. Rest assured there is a destiny for you and you will get there. Just don’t give up and keep moving, keep the action as your credo.

Focus on what matters & Junk the rest

As an Entrepreneur, you will find that there will literally 10 things that demand your attention every single moment. How you deal with that is what will set you apart from the rest. Focus on priorities and what is most important – prioritize. As Picasso emphasized: “Art is the elimination of the unnecessary”. He often used to do this with his paintings – he would devise an image of what he envisioned and then keep deleting whatever he thought was not required or important. This way, he would be finally left with what he called the “essence”. Similarly, there will be a lot of things that “seem” important. But by prioritizing, they will actually not be that important – can be junked, delegated or postponed. This way you will be able to focus on what matters and really do justice to your vision, dream & goal.

Also Read: Entrepreneurship lessons that my dad taught me!

Don’t delay on what’s important

Amongst the most prolific artists in history, Picasso was fully focused on what mattered. Though he really loved meeting people, socializing and partying, when it was time to paint, he would shut out the world. He understood clearly that to create his masterpieces, he would need silence, solitude…to think, meditate and create. He would never procrastinate. Similarly for Entrepreneurs, delaying things may create huge problems. For them, focusing on the Now and today will ensure that there are tomorrows. Learning to focus on outcomes, breaking it down into goals and therefrom, tasks to implement, priority-wise, will really help. Lead with a “no-delay” attitude and things will fall into place. Roll up your sleeves, jump into it with both feet without being afraid – in the years to come later, you will be thankful that you cultivated this habit. Most importantly, it will help avoid problems arising out of having postponed tasks and issues that needed instant handling.

Pablo Picasso created his masterpieces by listening to his own heart, his instincts, prioritizing and working very, very hard. He believed in action and the power of now. Share with us any insights, experiences or ideas you have in this regard.