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One of my jobs in mergers and acquisitions was to research and analyze risks and benefits of possible deals. I discovered some high-risk factors while researching one company and could not recommend the deal based on my findings. I knew that my manager wanted this particular deal to go through and that she wouldn’t be happy with my findings. I put together the facts and figures on spreadsheets and made a presentation to her.Although disappointed, she trusted my work and was satisfied that I had exhibited due diligence in getting the facts needed.”
Risk-taking is an important part of personal and career growth. However, we need to distinguish clearly between reckless risk-taking and calculated risk-taking. It is the difference between picking up a fight with your boss to get a promotion, and presenting your achievements to your boss in a strong bid to get a salary increase. Both are risky, but the second approach is likely to get results with a win-win outcome. By taking risks, we come out of our comfort zone, and venture into the uncertain and unknown. It does take courage, but no great accomplishment was achieved without risk-taking born of courage, ambition, and vision.
