HOW MANY BUSSES HAVE YOU MISSED?
Opportunities are like busses. If you miss one, another will be coming along.
5. LEADERS TAKE RISKS
Exceptional Leadership Law number 5 is taking risks. Risk-taking is often the difference between success and failure as a leader, especially in setting targets to grow new products and services, and to enter new markets. Too often, leaders only look inward, reinventing the same old products or problems. But in today’s business world, the imperative needs to look outward and not just refine what already exists. This is a key to developing the reputation as an innovative thinker.
Risk-taking does not mean “bet the company” type risks. Remember, Google was founded based on one question: “What’s out there that we can gather?” And once the concept was identified, the founders pointed everyone in a single direction and drove the team. In the beginning, they were the leaders with advisors. But once a decision was made, the managers and followers took over and built the system in the face of great risk. Just think of all of their products and services that have come from risk-taking: Google AdWords, Images, News (from 4,000 to 50,000 news sources), Maps, etc.
Working for a NYSE – 15,000 employee organization, I was tasked with refining and improving new business development. In my presentation to the Directors, I indicated that there were more than 50 positions being paid by the marketing department that had nothing to do with marketing. The president of the largest division challenged me by saying that does not apply to my group. Not wanting to embarrass him but needing to risk the point, I named the 8 people in that division that met this criteria. After a hush for several seconds, he replied, “They are all gone tomorrow.”.
The idea is to not limit your company, firm or non-profit to the same old practices that stifle creativity and ingenuity.
- Clarify what the objective is and why it is important to the organization’s future.
- Insure all involved understand the importance of providing this substantial value.
- Identify concrete tasks that can be developed and improved along the way.
- Prepare to follow up after the approach is stated and the risk identified.
People will do the what if they understand the why.