Five Attributes Every Entrepreneur Should Have (According To Globally Renowned Leadership Expert And Bestselling Author Robin Sharma) Discover Robin Sharma's insights on essential traits for entrepreneurial success

Globally renowned leadership expert and bestselling author Robin Sharma was one of the speakers at the 12th International Government Communication Forum (IGCF) that took place in the UAE last year.

The Canadian-Indian author, who is also the CEO of Sharma Leadership International, is widely considered to be one of the top leadership and personal mastery experts and speakers in the world.

With numerous titles under his belt, including The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari and The 5 AM Club, Sharma's book sales have exceeded 20 million copies in over 96 countries. He also serves as an advisor to several important figures in business sectors, and he is known for his dedicated efforts to support underprivileged children through the Robin Sharma Foundation for Children.

On the sidelines of IGCF, which was organized by the Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB), we asked Sharma to share with us what he thought were the five essential attributes a successful entrepreneur must have. Here's what he told us:

1. A MIGHTY AND DANGEROUS MISSION. "Having mentored many iconic billionaires and celebrity business titans for nearly 30 years, I can humbly share that the entrepreneurs who win are driven by a vision that disrupts their industry, fuels their passion to make a difference, and is a little scary to them. They can't get this idea (for a product or service or venture) out of their minds. It becomes their magnificent obsession."

Related: Here's Why Business Leaders Today Need To Have An Agile Mindset

2. VISIONARIES DON'T MIND BEING CALLED CRAZY "Members of the majority stop moving ahead on their ethical ambitions as soon as someone calls their dream unreasonable and impossible. Great entrepreneurs turn criticism into energy, roadblocks into highways, and understand that someone's opinion is just an opinion. They know that all visionaries are initially ridiculed before they are revered."

3. THE BEST HAVE TOP HABITS "Your daily routines predict your lifetime future. Elite producing entrepreneurs often rise with the sun (they are members of the 5am club), work on their fitness, write their plans in a morning journal, have clear schedules, read constantly, and do not sacrifice doing supreme work for playing with their phones."

4. LEADERS ARE RELATIONSHIP-CENTRIC "Take care of the relationship, and the money takes care of itself. Too many in business are focused on grabbing cash versus serving people. Yet, when your dominant focus is on building relationships with your team, suppliers, and customers (who put food on your family table), economic rewards are the byproduct. Get great at building a rich social network -and being of use to as many human beings as possible- and wealth, satisfaction, and deep meaning will follow."

5. LEGENDS DON'T COAST "Excellent entrepreneurs understand that the top of one mountain is the bottom of the next. And that success is a dangerous game, because it causes one to stop growing, inventing ,and taking brave risks. The best of the best are absolutely relentless in their commitment for personal development and professional mastery. As I write in The Everyday Hero Manifesto, a book for top entrepreneurs: "Education is inoculation against disruption, and the leader who learns the most wins."

Related: The First Step to Becoming a Leader: Believing You Can Be One