Anyone who’s started a business (or even thought about it) goes through a wave of emotions throughout the process. With little sense of stability until solid cash flow from ongoing sales or secured funding, there are times when you can really feel like a surfer with a broken board at Waimea.

Here’s a great post by Cameron Herold via Tim Ferris discussing the entrepreneurial roller coaster from Cameron’s Backpocket COO Series. He suggests certain actions to take given the emotional state of the CEO and the organization’s position within the business cycle.

Harnessing emotion for strategic action is the most efficient methodology for aligning organizational growth with human-centered leadership. Sometimes strategic planning is the most productive action while at other times it’s talking to the media, and at other times taking a few deep breaths and applying Feng Shui principles.

Action with emotion behind it is very powerful.  As human animals, we feel emotions all the time. So, being strategic with the actions we take given the emotions we’re feeling is a very prudent use of time!

This article was recently published on Social Edge, “It doesn’t take an MBA – or does it?“.

In the budding industry of social enterprise, I find an MBA immensely helpful. The combination of passion, commitment, and desire with strong management technique is essential. One without the other is inadequate, while together very powerful. In any MBA program, managing people, resources, and partners is openly discussed and studied. Every social enterprise must consider these topics.

Now you certainly don’t learn everything in an MBA program. Can leadership be taught? And I certainly did not learn much about sales, but I find myself selling/pitching everyday.

I find the skills for being a successful entrepreneur are akin to that of administering social change — innovation, leadership, risk-taking, the ability to “sell” — your vision to potential partners, funders, and employees.