Like Bill Gates: how do you raise a child entrepreneur? An expert explains - voila! health

Innate trait or education?

Bill Gates (Photo: ShutterStock)

The dream of the child growing up to be a startup is shared by many parents, and the education system today also aims to cultivate entrepreneurial thinking and entrepreneurial skills among children and youth.

The logic in promoting entrepreneurship was created due to the understanding that knowledge is everywhere at the click of a button or AI, therefore there is no point in teaching knowledge.

Instead, children and youth should be taught entrepreneurial skills of 'agility' - swiftness of action and flexibility of thought.

This, so that they can deal creatively and productively as citizens of tomorrow with the challenges of the future and the future employment market.

Just like in the leadership issue, also in the context of entrepreneurship the million dollar question 'Is entrepreneurship innate or acquired?'

This is why it is said: 'Entrepreneurs are created, not born' (Shafsky, 1995).

Shafsky claimed that entrepreneurs are indeed special people, but anyone can be an entrepreneur if they have a willingness to learn, are self-directed and have a clear goal, and the IQ level has nothing to do with gender or any other personality characteristic.

Studies have found innate mental, emotional and behavioral personality components identified with the entrepreneurial type such as the tendency to take risks, high emotional intelligence, high order thinking, curiosity, high self-confidence, courage and determination.

At the same time, it is known that it is possible to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset that strives to change a problematic situation into a better reality, and even cultivate entrepreneurial skills such as self-learning, teamwork, cooperation, empathy for others, the use of technology and media, strategic vision, quick adaptation to changes, agility of action, Problem solving, creative thinking, critical and consequential thinking.

So how do you do it?

1. In research: entrepreneurship is characterized by the courage to experiment with the new and unknown

encouraging the children to break out of the routine, change their routine, make new friends, be exposed to new areas of thought, learn from experiencing the new.

fostering the understanding among the children that it is permissible to 'step outside the lines', to think differently from what is accepted and profitable, that it is permissible to change the constant, that it is desirable to learn from experiencing something new even if it is possible to reach a dead end, fail, make a mistake , and understand that you have to show patience for mistakes.

to cultivate an understanding that a challenge is not a threat but an opportunity to create something new.

Cultivating manifestations of care and empathy in the children for the suffering of others and for problematic environmental realities.

To regularly give positive feedback to the child's statements/reactions of identification with the plight of the other.

To use cinema/art/children's literature adapted to the child's age that deals with children's hardships and dealing with these situations (for example, the generous tree, the elephant who wanted to be the best, Greta saves the world, etc.).

You might be surprised, but empathy is an important quality.

Children hugging (Photo: ShutterStock)

5. In research: entrepreneurship tends to show curiosity and mental flexibility towards the world and reality

fostering questioning on the part of the child, it is not recommended to inhibit the question of "why?"

(Because you don't have an answer, or because you are tired and the child is digging).

Encouragement to research independently and find out the answer to the question.

Exposure to changing situations adapted to their age, to familiarity with diverse environments, to face challenges from different areas of thought adapted to their age.

In addition, it is useful to give positive feedback to the attempt to create a dialogue or discussion even if the question / opinion / interpretation sounds, to us adults, imaginary or illogical, to try to flow with the flexibility of the child's thinking whether in text / drawing / construction / production / movement.

It is recommended to avoid framing the thinking of the child who shows curiosity and dwells on the small details of the situation he/she discovered according to our patterns of thinking as adults (to 'What is white? E allows, and it has already been said: "If we go out, we arrive at wonderful places" (Dr. Seuss).

Encouraging the children to observe reality from different vantage points, role playing, to be in continuous interaction with their peers, to work in a team, to cooperate with their friends in finding creative solutions to problems, and to identify opportunities to create new knowledge / an innovative product that has value and benefit to others and the environment.

It is important to know that everything written is based on research literature in the field of entrepreneurship, emotional intelligence and creative thinking and is only recommendations.

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• parenthood

• Education

• Entrepreneurship