“If you obey all the rules you miss all the fun” Katherine Hepburn Nice quote but is there anything in it for you to bring to your career? Are you a risk adverse good girl or would you rather take big chances that may pay off? It’s widely accepted that entrepreneurs have greater tendency towards risk and the bigger the risk the bigger the payoff. But how can you ensure you shine in business and get the balance between both? Stick with the Sirens to find out. Small risks daily You might know your job inside out but sometimes this isn’t a good thing. Starting today, take some time to do one thing differently. It might be meeting a supplier who doesn’t have an agreement with the business or having coffee with a person in a department not directly related to yours. It could even be hanging out in one of the stores that sell stuff for your business or on a call centre line for a morning. Changing your behaviour might be an eye opener into an area that will give you edge at your next ideas sessions and improve the business. Learn more As with above, these are day to day opportunities to learn more but what about attending a couple of seminars in areas of interest or that might not be within your remit but will expand your knowledge of the area? Not only does it show your manager that you are keen, but also that you want to expand your thinking. Network more If you’re in a job that’s a ‘gatekeeper’ position, like an IT database specialist for example, chances are you don’t want to meet more people who will just want a quicker way through the system. But if you open up to people either within or outside the organisation even if you don’t need them ‘now’, it may pay off in the future. Who knows what you’ll need in 6 months time (it may even be a new job) and having good, professional network of contacts is essential. Go with your gut – forget what you know A lot of organisations, rightly so, demand oceans of evidence to prove the existence of a project or the investment in one. Sometimes though, if you really feel like something is going to work well in your gut, act on it. Even the sheer buzz of presenting your ideas to more senior managers can be a risk without the proper backed up insights but try to prove that it will be beneficial financially to the business. If you think they won’t go with it, try still as you will be seen in their eyes as an ideas person who isn’t afraid of failure. So either way the risk will have paid off. Sometimes it pays to be bold.
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