Taking Risks

“If the highest aim of a captain were to preserve his ship, he would keep it in port forever.” ~ Thomas Aquinas

Doing things can be risky—things can go wrong.

Not doing things creates different risks—you can miss opportunities and fall behind.

As leaders, we need to take some risks. Smart risks. Calculated risks. Not hold-my-beer-and-watch-this risks.

Maximize your chances for success. Don’t go it alone—bring some trusted people in to be sounding boards and to suggest improvements to your planned course of action. HAVE a plan of action—don’t just “wing it;” you can analyze a lot of the risk out of taking risks when things are well-thought-through. Use excellent, frequent communication to share your vision for what you want to do, how you want to do it, and how it will benefit the team. Allocate resources that may be needed and build in time for people to learn new skills and methods of doing things. Celebrate reaching milestones and reward extra efforts people make to help the process.

(image source: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/thomas_aquinas_187122)