When in doubt, take action.

If there’s one thing entrepreneurs have learned to do well in this economy, it’s dance. We call it the entrepreneurial waltz, and it goes like this: One step forward, two steps back, two steps forward, one step back. And then repeat until you get that dizzying feeling that you’re not going anywhere other than around and around.

We’ve all been caught up in that dance more than once. But the longer we keep dancing, the easier it is to succumb to fear. Yes, fear — that evil feeling that stops us from moving forward. So what is fear? Well, according to Webster, it’s a distressing emotion brought on by impending danger, pain, concern or anxiety. It’s that dread of losing our business, money or property, and it can cause us to lose sight of the one thing we can’t afford to let go of — our purpose.

When we begin to fear, the first thing we seem to forget is the one reason we became entrepreneurs in the first place. Therefore, that’s the one thing we need to focus on every time fear creeps in the door. Focus on your purpose, and take action. After all, fear is nothing more than an opportunity to move forward.

I remember reading about an interview of Will Smith, who said “you gotta be motivated by fear.” He went on to say that our fear starts out as seemingly enormous, because we magnify that fear in our minds. But the second we take action upon it, it’s suddenly not as scary as we envisioned it. So here’s the most important part: we must make sure our actions are aligned with our purpose. Otherwise, any action we take can lead us further from our goal rather than toward it.

So the bigger the fear, the more massive your attack. Stop dancing around and use that energy to your advantage. And when you do, watch it melt like sugar in your coffee. Soon, you’ll be drinking fear for breakfast, and asking yourself what’s for lunch.

Oprahvangelism: The purpose-driven team behind you-know-who

Q: You know you’ve made it when …__(insert your most compelling answer here)___.

A: … when Harvard Business School spends years preparing a case study on you.

For years, Harvard Business School has studied industries that have huge consumer followings. The techies, the eco-groupies, the auto afficionados -- and now, the Oprahvangelists. Apparently, Oprah’s empire has gained more followers than any computer or car company in the world. Combined.

Harvard professor Nancy Koehn presents Oprah not as a celebrity or talk-show guru, but as a case-in-point of a shift in business trends. “Consumers have always been interested in how a product or offering meets a specific need or satisfies a given want,” states Koehn.” But with the new century comes an increasing interest by consumers in looking at companies’ business practices. How they treat their employees, how they create a sense of community and justice. In other words, the company’s purpose is becoming every bit as important as the company’s product.

(Ahem. My point exactly.)

As I have stated in a number of my seminars, we’re now competing in a world where emphasis on the self (and self-promotion) is no longer enough. A company’s strength and level of satisfaction hinges on their core purpose -- on how they connect not only to a customer’s needs, but the needs of a community. The more you can connect with others, the more they become not just customers, or employees, but followers.

Oprah has been unbelievably successful at modeling leadership with a small “i,” and creating an environment where people love to work. There is little turnover, and employees truly want to come to work every day. According to HBS, you can feel the passion when her executives talk on the phone, and you can hear the vast scope of their knowledge about the business they support.

When you get a chance, check out hbs.org. For $6.95, it’s money well-spent for the Harvard case study on Oprah Winfrey, by Nancy F. Koehn, Erica Helms, Katherine Miller and Rachel Wilcox.

Oscar’s Purpose Discovery

Now, don’t quote me on it — but I’m willing to bet good money that Oscar must have been through one of our Purpose Discovery workshops. Oscar (yes, that little gold naked man on a pedestal) seemed to have rediscovered his true purpose as an Academy Award statue, and went home that night with men and women who respected the power of film as a tool to convey messages with heart.

Take the first woman director ever to win an Oscar. Her statue was well deserved not because she was a woman, but because she fought so hard to make a film that paid tribute to the dangers encountered by those who have fought so hard for our country. She had a purpose to tell the story of soldiers who have a hard time returning to life-as-normal after their tours of duty. She stayed true to her purpose, and succeeded because of that.

Another woman committed to producing and starring in a film, solely because of its message of love and hope. Sandra Bullock’s acceptance speech included a special thank-you to those who take in children who need homes, regardless of the difficulties it could bring to their lives. That Oscar win had purpose written all over it.

Okay, so Jeff Bridges played a down-and-out drunk and won an Oscar for it. You can’t say it wasn’t a performance of a lifetime, though, and the man behind the role has also been a man of a higher cause long before it became so hip for celebs to be charitable. Bridges founded the End Hunger Network back in 1983, and has devoted much of his time to the organization’s purpose — to create and support media projects, programs and events to raise awareness and generate action to end U.S. child hunger.

Oscar also went home that night with two members from the film Precious, a film that was created to raise awareness of the tragedy of domestic and family abuse.
Kudos, Oscar.

I’ve got to hand it to that little gold naked guy for really getting his act together this year, and rediscovering why he took on his job in the first place — to award those whose films questioned the standards, challenged people’s perceptions, and encouraged people to create positive change for this world.

The R4 Method: Four steps for turning purpose into profits in 2010

Business owners get so caught up in “go” mode, they forget that taking time off (for) their business is as critical as taking time off (from) their business.

Just as R & R is good for your own health, some serious R4 is imperative for your company. And yet, this is exactly what people neglect.

The R4 (Retreat, Review, Refuel and Repeat) Method should be an established practice in every company that takes place right at the beginning of each year — and more importantly, at the beginning of each quarter. It’s easier to work “in” your company, rather than work “on” it. But if you step back once a year and reflect on our business for a few days (ideally seven), you’ll gain valuable insight into the nuts and bolts of your company that you don’t notice on a daily basis.

So here are the four “R”s to start the year — and the decade — on a positive, profitable course:

Retreat: Take one-to-two days to retreat from your business. Recharge your mind, body and spirit, so you can focus on the next steps. Force yourself if you have to!

*Review: Now it’s time to dig! Make a numbered reflection list that includes 1. Values, 2. Vision / Mission, 3. Purpose, 4. Analyze strategies that worked, 5. Analyze strategies that didn’t work, 6. Review your **CUSTOMER SERVICE** (capitalize and star that one), and 7. Re-asses your own knowledge (are you up to date with technology? Best practices?).

* Your Review process should take at least two or three days. The further you dig into each reflection item, the better the insight you’ll have. Also, get a team of two or three to review together — be as objective as possible.

Refuel: Now that you’ve spotted the good, the bad and the ugly in your mode of operations, get set to strengthen and support your conclusions as you implement them into your business. This is an important step that will help transform employees and customers into your loyal followers.

Repeat: Take a mini-R4 retreat at the beginning of each quarter to track your reflections and results. Don’t wait another year to give your company some well-needed R4!