Honing analytical skills
The right kind of thinking skills develop naturally in us all to some degree, but they need careful honing and practice. It is not a question of absorbing and retaining copious amounts of information. If young people are going to be successful entrepreneurs, they need to learn how to think analytically and logically, even when (or perhaps especially when) they are under pressure. Entrepreneurs require an approach that will kick in when they need it most and allow them both to identify what they know and understand what they don’t. You can’t fix problems you don’t see as problems, or that you don’t understand. Spending time and resources solving the wrong problem is an expensive rabbit hole to fall into! This is why conscious reasoning and metacognitive skills matter.
Few entrepreneurs are aware of these ‘neglected skills’, let alone think about how to improve them. But these skills, rather than ‘entrepreneurial intuition’ are central to success. The good news is that training works and teaching the brain how to think in a way that follows a sequence, rather than random ‘inspirational’ thoughts can be learned. Don’t get me wrong, some entrepreneurs can do this intuitively, and have naturally high levels of cognitive ability, but for most of us, it takes time and practice to learn. And like all other skills, the more you practice and use them the more intuitive and natural they become.
Yes – you need to have an understanding of ‘business basics’ to start a successful company, but if you lack the key thinking skills, it will not take off.
It’s never too soon to start honing your dragon skills and developing the habit of analytical thinking.
The obvious place to start is school.