5. Take action. Much has been written about the need for an action orientation, including Peters and Waterman's "bias for action" (1982). In our proactive studies, participants made comments like, "We learned by doing, just jumped in," "We were the first..." and "We're pioneers..." They were not passive, did not stop at the idea stage, and did not hesitate to take the lead. They took the plunge despite the uncertainties.