Featured Blogger

Risk. Can ya dig it?

Are you a risk taker?

I recently read an article (well, a rather incomplete one) about risk tolerance being a differentiating factor between leaders and managers. Leaders take risks and inspire others with their vision, while managers handle managing the activities to bring out the vision. How about also relating risk tolerance to the difference between those who stand out and those who blend in with the rest of the pack?

First off, what is risk tolerance?

In lay(wo)man terms, I take it to mean your ability to handle risks and not be averse to taking them. 

To be able to stand out in your organization, you need to be willing to put yourself out there, which is inherently a risk. Think about it. When you put yourself out there, regardless of the type of situation, you do have the chance to fail. But, that’s not as important as is the opportunity to succeed.

Many of us, when faced with new situations tend to see the negatives first and let them stop us. Yes, this includes me. Instead what we should do is combine risk tolerance with risk mitigation. Look at the both the pros and cons, and devise a plan to overcome any foreseeable setbacks as they come. Make your risks smarter and work for you.

Risk.

Can you handle it?

E-mail me when people leave their comments –

You need to be a member of Engineers Looking For Stuff to add comments!

Join Engineers Looking For Stuff

Comments

  • Thanks for this. I'm always struggling with risk in my own career - I got my master's degree thinking that would lead to natural progression but then realized that I still have to put myself "out there" as you say, in order to advance. Having the credentials isn't enough if you're not actively pursuing something. The people that move up and on in their careers mainly don't do so by luck, but by keeping their eyes open to opportunities and sometimes creating opportunities which is risky, and I like the reminder you just gave me that I need to take those risks sometimes otherwise my credentials are rather useless.

This reply was deleted.