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True Entrepreneurship Means Being a True Leader

There comes a time (or several) in every entrepreneur’s life when self-doubt sets in. You question your every action. You doubt your gut; heck, you doubt your own thoughts and ideas.

When this happens, there are generally two actions we business owners take. The more secure and seasoned among us know that this paralysis is likely to pass. So we wait it out, sometimes seeking advice and counsel, but never making a move born of desperation.

Or — we panic. We reach for any solution we believe will get us unstuck. Since we’ve lost touch with ourselves, we often turn to outsiders for support and validation. And before we know it, we’re ignoring the voices in our heads, disconnecting from our guts, and blindly following paths set down for us by someone else.

In other words, in the words of Rebel Brown, author of Defy Gravity, we “give our power away.”

Brown, an international business consultant and corporate turnaround specialist, said this surrender happens all too often, especially these days when there are so many “self-proclaimed gurus” asserting only they know the true path to success. Brown believes many businesses get (and stay) grounded because they’re mired in the status quo. Instead, we need to learn to “defy gravity”-break the binds that tie us to past behaviors, even the ones that may have been successful.

The trouble comes when we believe we’re not capable of taking flight and rely on outsiders to create a new flight plan for us. Brown’s not saying it’s a bad thing to turn to consultants and experts (obviously since she is one), but she thinks you should approach it as a collaboration — not a capitulation.

It is the social media charlatans Brown is particularly concerned about. On her blog this week she wrote, “Social media is creating gurus who aren’t necessarily proven experts, but instead [are] simply the loudest and most self-promoting.”

Instead of blindly following them, Brown said you have to take charge of your own destiny. (And isn’t that why you became an entrepreneur in the first place?) She advises, “Instead of shifting to become what others believe you are or should be, ask yourself ‘where am I now, and where do I want to go?’”

Losing one’s sense of self is fairly common. Recently Brown herself discovered she had given away her own power. And even though it didn’t feel right, she kept going until she finally realized she was stuck following someone else’s path.

Are you stuck? Maybe you’re emulating someone else’s success map and not doing what’s best for you? Or you could be following your own plan, only it’s now year two of your original three-year plan, and things aren’t going exactly as you’d envisioned. Brown said it’s time to “throw away those three-to-five year plans” because, as she wrote in her book, “What was true a month ago may no longer be valid. The amazing value we offered six months ago is probably not so compelling today. It certainly won’t be in another six months. New market opportunities are popping up all around us.”

What should we do instead? Well, like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, it’s likely we already know the answers. While it’s not quite as easy as clicking your heels together, the solution is fairly simple: “Listen to the experts. Gather diverse perspectives.” And then, said Brown, “If you want to get your power back, listen to your gut. It knows the truth, but we either don’t listen or don’t want to hear what it’s telling us.”

To start the “conversation” Brown suggests you ask yourself the following questions:

• What do I believe?
• What are my goals?
• What was my original intent?
• Where am I now?
• Where am I headed?

If you’re still floundering, call your clients, and ask them what they think you do best. True value, said Brown, “is in the eye of the beholder. And the best beholders are your customers.”

Obviously, you can’t grow your business on your own. You need help, advice, and inspiration. You can get that from many places: friends, family, colleagues, consultants, or yes, even people on Twitter. But ultimately, it all comes down to you. Successful entrepreneurs are leaders. And, as Brown said, “Following others is not how to be a leader.”