Lesson 14: Throw Off The Shackles Of Security
“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.”
— Helen Keller
A story is told of a blind man who had been waiting a while at a busy road for someone to offer to guide him across, when he felt a tap on his shoulder.
“Excuse me,” said the tapper, “I’m blind – would you mind guiding me across the road?”
The first blind man took the arm of the second blind man, and they both crossed the road.
When asked later, the first blind man, jazz pianist George Shearing, is quoted as saying, “What could I do? I took him across and it was the biggest thrill of my life.”
I have learned that risk taking is an integral part of leadership success. A certain amount of ‘calculated’ risk in business is healthy because it provides growth opportunities. Leaders with a clearly defined framework for success are able to embrace opportunities that appear risky provided the opportunities enable them to move forward in the direction of their goal. According to Steve Pavlina, the most intelligent risks are those where the potential downside is limited, but the potential upside is virtually unlimited.
The interesting thing about risk taking is the fact that humans tend to overvalue the consequences and underestimate the rewards. Successful leaders focus on the reward and this enables them to take the necessary risk and move forward.
Don’t be deterred by risk. In these highly competitive and fast-moving times pushing the boundaries is a necessity. Risk taking is imperative to long-term growth – the key is to understand and manage the risk. Know the benefit to taking the risk, the potential reward, work out the obstacles that stand in your way, remain focussed on the end result and just do it!
With love and thanks!
