(Re-)Consider
Taking Some Risks
Sometimes we're asked questions
about management or being a professional, and we give honest answers
that the questioner or audience don't like. The rebuttal sounds like,
"well, but what if my team doesn't agree?" Or, "that seems very direct
- what if they argue?" Or, "what if it doesn't work?"
Our response sometimes doesn't
seem terribly kind, though we don't mean it in an unkind way. We say,
"We never said this was Risk Free Manager Tools, or Risk Aversion
Manager Tools. Sometimes you have to do something different, and
exchange some kind of risk you are already living for a risk that's
different but perhaps better."
For instance, there's a risk that your
directs won't like One on Ones initially, but we see that as a better
risk than not having a solid relationship with your directs. Maybe
giving negative feedback risks stinging your directs' feelings a
bit...but it's better than the risk of them not changing their
ineffective behaviors. (This is in part why status quo is always one of
the options in our decision briefing guidance - you have to analyze
what you're already doing too.)
Sometimes, you have to take
risks. Sometimes risks are the
right thing to do, despite your fear.
I read something recently about
the huge U.S. oil spill that really impressed me. Read carefully and
see if you can see the tremendous risk:
The
day the Deepwater Horizon
exploded, TMT CEO Nobu Su ordered the A Whale, a brand-new $160 million
cargo hauler, to start sailing west from China, while he commissioned
Hyundai engineers to devise a plan to convert it into a skimmer. The
plans were worked out by the time the ship made it to a Portugal
shipyard, where it was modified.
(You can read the full article at the Wall
Street Journal)
Maybe you're not a CEO, but I
can assure you, this was an
enormous risk. That CEO had gone
to his
board and gotten approval for capital spending on a cargo ship, which
he then built - and in one day, changed everything. But what's more, he
didn't have a plan for the change - he just sent it west. Not knowing.
Not sure.
Mind you, as I write this, this
ship still isn't approved for
service in the Gulf (though it arrived 30
June). That
couldn't happen until the retrofitting occurred and they
could test the retrofit (which they say has worked),
and then and only
then get approval from the
U.S. government to help.
Next
time you're not sure what to do, we'd bet that there are options you
considered but ruled out because of risk.
Reconsider
them.
Manager
Tools 5th Birthday
As some of you mentioned on the
forums, it was recently Manager Tool's 5th anniversary. Just over 5
years ago, Mike and Mark went to Best Buy, bought a microphone, and
recorded a podcast. That one was never released :-)
The second podcast was Solution
To A Stalled Technical Career
and it's as relevant now as it was then. (I still remember where I was
when I heard that cast, which shows how much impact it had on me -
Wendii).
Over the time, the style has
changed a little, but Manager Tools (and now Career Tools) have never
strayed from the commitment to give you simple, actionable guidance,
which can be used by anyone in any company, in any industry and in any
country.
Every
week, we get emails from listeners who have implemented that advice,
and (often surprisingly to them, but not to us) have found it works.
Whilst we have added products in the last five years, the commitment
Mark makes in the comments of that first podcast has also never
changed. Rishikesh says: "I really appreciate that it is free because I
could not afford it otherwise", and Mark says: "There will always be
free content on Manager Tools...for situations just like yours, and
because we like being helpful". The notes we get telling us how helpful
the guidance is, are valuable beyond measure.
We're
happy to be celebrating our 5th birthday with you. We're thankful for
the gifts you've sent to mark our celebration. And, we're excited to
serve you in the next 5 years and beyond!.
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