📺 Stream EntrepreneurTV for Free 📺

How to Do Business Like a Genius Here are four traits of highly intelligent people that everyone can adopt in business and in life.

By Nina Zipkin

entrepreneur daily

Who is the smartest person you know? An average IQ is 100 points, while someone who is a genius has an IQ of 140 points or more.

Of course we can't all be prodigies (actually, the IQ score is debatable as a measure of intelligence), but you can take a cue from Albert Einstein or Bill Gates by incorporating the characteristics and habits of highly intelligent people in your approach to business.

Here are four:

Related: 3 Problems That Became Opportunities to Change the World

  1. Be persistent. Don't let failure define you. After all, Thomas Edison had to get through more than 1,000 prototypes for the light bulb before he made one that worked.
  2. Be goal-oriented. Setting a high bar for yourself and sharing your goals with others -- whether they are friends or colleagues -- can make you more likely to accomplish them.
  3. Read more. People who read for 15 minutes a day can be exposed to more than 1 millon words a year.
  4. Be curious. Smart people are always asking questions, making inferences and thinking critically about the world around them.

For more on intelligence, and the bad habits of smart people, check out the video above.

Related: Inspire the Innovation Monster Within

Nina Zipkin

Entrepreneur Staff

Staff Writer. Covers leadership, media, technology and culture.

Nina Zipkin is a staff writer at Entrepreneur.com. She frequently covers leadership, media, tech, startups, culture and workplace trends.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Leadership

More Companies Are Holding on to Their Employees — and Vice Versa. Here's How to Capitalize on This Labor Market.

Your retention and recruitment strategies need to adapt as workers and businesses look for longer-term relationships. Try these strategies to do it.

Business Solutions

Redefining the Future with Artificial Intelligence Buyouts

Here's a look at RAD AI's strategic approach to AI acquisitions in the marketing landscape.

Growing a Business

The Only Way to Win Over Customers Is to Become Their First Choice. Here's How to Do It.

The best businesses focus their customer experience programs on doing the things that delight customers and put them ahead of their competition. Here are three little secrets to achieving this goal.

Business News

AI Is Transforming Drug Matching for Cancer, Rare Diseases — Here's How

One AI pharmaceutical startup works backward, starting from drugs already on the market.

Employee Experience & Recruiting

How Empathy-Based Leadership Can Transform Your Teams and Businesses

Empathy-based leadership is increasingly recognized as a valuable approach in the business world, where traditional strategic plans often fall short.