Think about what’s in front of you, not behind. It’s proven to keep you motivated, says Stanford lecturer and author Amy Wilkinson in a talk at this year’s IBM World of Watson.

Wilkinson’s book, The Creator’s Code, is based on more than 200 in-depth interviews with leading founders including those from PayPal, AirBnB and Tesla.

From her interviews she uncovered six essential skills every exceptional entrepreneur lives by:

Skill #1: Find the Gap: How do you spot an opportunity others don't see? 🔍 Keep asking questions, says @amywilkinson at #ibmwow

— TechPORTFOLIO (@TechPORTFOLIO) October 24, 2016

Skill #3: The OODA Loop. Observe. Orient. Decide. Act. 🔁 cc: @amywilkinson #ibmwow

— TechPORTFOLIO (@TechPORTFOLIO) October 24, 2016

Skill #5: Network Minds. Put different types of brain powers together. Extrovert & introvert. Expert & free thinker💡 @amywilkinson #ibmwow

— TechPORTFOLIO (@TechPORTFOLIO) October 24, 2016

When you do these 6 things together, you build momentum. Practice these daily, to grow and scale cc: @amywilkinson #ibmwow

— TechPORTFOLIO (@TechPORTFOLIO) October 24, 2016

If you want an example of how powerful these practices can be, you need only look at PayPal. The company spawned 13 men — known as the PayPal Mafia — who have gone on to found some of the most popular tech companies, including YouTube, SpaceX, LinkedIn, Kiva and Square.

IBM World of Watson is in Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, until Thursday, 27 October. Follow TechPORTFOLIO on Twitter for up-to-the-minute coverage.

To learn about what Watson can do for your business, read more here.