Do You Encourage Risk? You Should!

Thursday I attended the Girl Scout Women of Distinction Award Ceremony. I was enthralled with the speaker Dr. Mae Jemison, who was the first woman of color to go into space. What an articulate, bright, sensitive, caring woman! I could have listened to her all day.

In her presentation she said, "Ideas are wonderful, but nothing will happen until we risk putting them into action." I couldn't agree more. If you read my introduction, it says, "A business strategy is just an idea until it is implemented in a strategic manner to meet the business goals."

I love the word "risk". Every time we put an idea into action, we are taking a risk. To truly move the earth, risks are necessary. I would submit that we don't take enough risks, in our business or personal lives.

So why don't we take more risks? Why do you see so many great ideas wither on the vine? People are afraid to take risks because of the negative ramifications. They are afraid of failing, they are afraid of being demoted, they are afraid of being the brunt of their peers' and boss's jokes, they are afraid their mistake will show up on their review, sometimes they are even afraid of success... fear is holding them back.

What kind of risk atmosphere do you create in the workplace and at home? Are people rewarded for taking risks? Do they get points on their reviews for taking risks even if the idea failed? Do you have a "risk taking" award? Do YOU take risks? Are you genuinely walking the talk of taking risks? YOU set the tone for your team to take risks- reward the behavior and you will get results beyond your expectations. Penalize the behavior and you will get what you've always gotten and this will stop a company's growth and an individuals growth.

Dr. Jemison talked about being a little black girl from South Chicago in the 60's who had the audacity to live her dreams. She credits her parents for encouraging her. Dr. Jemison has influenced and changed the lives of many because she was encouraged to take risks. I challenge us all to think about how we view and react to risk... do you encourage risk? How different could your business, life, kids be if you did encouraged risk? Even though I am blogging about this, I realize that I personally have not taken enough risks in my life... I can't change the past, but I can affect the future. My resolution is to take and encourage more risks. How about you?