I've mentored a quite a few already-successful entrepreneurs over the years. To folks holding jobs inside businesses, these business owners appear to be a breed apart. I say 'appear' because you may think all entrepreneurs fall into a single unique category and can be considered 'successful' for making that choice. You'd be wrong and there's a lesson in how to create your High Payoff results by understanding what distinguishes them.

You've heard me say that I'm all about getting my clients what they want (usually it's to achieve their Vision further, faster and easier). One key group of entrepreneurs says to me "Linda, there has to be a better way. Show me what action to take and I'll do it." We keep their focus on a repeating cycle: Intention - Plan - Action. They attend to those steps systematically, repeatedly. Those are entrepreneurs who are 'Movers.'

But that's not the only kind of entrepreneur in business. There's also the person who creates their own business so that no one else will ever tell them what to do, or how to do it. While they put a flag in the ground, and declare "This is mine!" they don't necessarily set goals, or spend any time putting a plan in place that will guide them towards those goals. So they're constantly busy trying to get it all done and won't hear of handing any of it off. Those are entrepreneurs who are 'Doers.'

You might think these are the only versions of entrepreneur to model if you're considering creating a business of your own, you might believe that the only way to create exceptional success is by following the path of a Mover. But that's not the full story. And to understand what it takes to create High Payoff results, you need to know of the third type of entrepreneur as well.

There are also 'Hyper-Achievers' out there. You'll recognize them (if they stop moving long enough for you to spot them). They have more than one business endeavor on their plate at the same time, and six more in their hopper. They have more happening in one day than many of us take on in a given week, or month, let alone year.

So, now you're wondering if I'm walking you through all of this because I want you to walk the hyper-achiever path. But the truth is that focusing on these three labels misses the true keys to creating valuable business results. Each of these versions of business leader might be succeeding enormously or failing spectacularly in their businesses.

Every day, you're surrounded by entrepreneurs who are attorneys, manufacturers, retailers, executives. What makes them each an entrepreneur is that they wake each day with a singular attitude. They take a look at the world around them and declare "I know what I want to create, and I'll take steps today to make that happen!" And then, just like the rest of us, they lead either effective or ineffective days.

For each of them, the roots of their success or failure lie in the actions that follow that declaration.

Remember the Movers? They started with a Vision they want to create in the world. That underpins their decisions. They marshal all their resources to create that result, and then set a game plan that will make it happen. Some of them, however, become absorbed in each detail, worried that it will all collapse if they take their hands off of any of it.

And the Doers? Many of them slip into becoming an employee of a new boss - their own company. They're working long hard hours and their key motivation is doing it themselves, rather than building toward a specific goal. As a result, they wake every day with even more responsibilities than they held onto before.

And the Hyper-Achievers? Some of them set up the structures and processes and delegate the doing so it actually gets done. Others tread a dangerous line between building one fabulous idea after another, and chasing bright shiny inviting opportunities no one else yet sees. You might spot them launching new initiatives one after the other and bringing few of them to completion. Each of these entrepreneurs increased their risk and severely jeopardized their returns.

The 'Already-Successful' achievers I've worked with come from all three styles of entrepreneur. You can learn and use the fundamental High Payoff techniques that set them apart from those who fail. What distinguishes these achievers is that they keep a clear focus to their attention, get rid of their distractions over and over, daily, and keep their attention on the activities that actually are aligned with getting them to their Vision.

How are you approaching your business?

Copyright (c) 2008 Linda Feinholz