 | #78 Leadership Corner - Taking Risks!posted by LSF Guest, Premium MembershipSaturday, September 11th 2010 @ 8:41 PM |
Risk taking is at the heart of every true leader, it is just the question of what risks to take and which ones to leave well alone!!
So lets kick this off with some quotes:
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I . . . I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."
Robert Frost
"Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly."
Robert F. Kennedy
"To win without risk is to triumph without glory."
Pierre Corneille
"Living at risk is jumping off the cliff and building your wings on the way down."
Ray Bradbury
"Life is being on the wire, everything else is just waiting."
Karl Wallenda
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So risks are necessary to make changes happen and leadership always requires some level of risk taking. So here are some key areas to consider
Taking Risk(s)
When to take a risky challenge on or not is a cue that their staff will carefully assess for themselves. A great leader makes these decisions transparent and does it with a moral basis, emotional attachment and passion to resolve the problem.
Your comfort ZONE!
Anyone who is afraid to step outside their comfort zone is also too afraid to take the risks that are often needed as a leader. A leader needs to give up the daily routine and working comforts so that he/she can move towards and tackle the next challenge which has a more rewarding goal!
Remind yourself that it’s the challenge itself that you learn from, develop skills from and improve not only yourself as a leader but all the people you lead through the challenge as well.
Innovation
Innovation is when you look for new ways of doing things, building things or perhaps new ideas being realized as a product. It enables change and opens opportunities that were impossible to see before the change occurred. Innovation is not the job only of the leader. For innovation to happen at all levels and from followers as well, a leader must look to steer what is needed for a change or direction, but should never limit how to come about doing that.
Radiate with Confidence!
A leader must show their confidence in an obvious way to convince these people who are still waffling about the decision that it is OK to proceed with it now. This is the kind of confidence necessary. A leader definitely should not show confidence that comes across as arrogance. Be confident in the ability to get through problems, to make the change happen and in your ability to lead. Do not show the confidence that you are right about the decisions or that you will not fail.
