Masonry Magazine November 2001 Page. 32
RISK/continued
Many (most) industry leaders didn't get to where they are now on only luck, they're lineage, or shady dealing.
Unquantified (in our own minds anyway) attribute among past and present business success: risk. It turns out that many (most) industry leaders didn't get to where they are now on only luck, they're lineage, or shady dealing. They simply had the courage to act on their beliefs and abilities. They discovered somewhere along the line perhaps early that risk-in our example, marketing risk and reward are inextricably linked and that sometimes taking a risk was the only avenue they had to guide their (often fledgling and teetering) companies through inevitable down periods and market stagnation. You search further and find that indeed history is littered with business success stories who, being no smarter or skilled than you or me, took the right risk at the right time.
But It All Sounds so... so... Risky
Exactly!! That's why it's so fun and challenging. Do some risks fail? Yes. Is any risk fool-proof? No. Could there be potentially serious consequence-financial or otherwise if the risk we take fails? Of course, otherwise it wouldn't be a risk. But always remember that most of the time assuming we're taking a calculated business risk to ultimately enhance revenue - the reward you reap (if successful) will be that much greater.
Now we're certainly not advocating rushing into risky ventures blindly and naively. There are steps you can take to greatly improve your chances. A risk will never be a sure thing, but it can be made to be a surer thing. The first step, as mundane as it sounds, is simple persistence-good 'ol American stick-to-it-ivness. Success in business (and life for that matter) has always been more about perseverance than genius. This means believing in yourself and your decisions even after the initial "yahoo-damn-the-torpedoes" feeling is gone. I've always felt that Thomas Edison wasn't that much smarter than his contemporaries; he simply tried harder and had better discipline. I feel the same about Bell, Howe, and Franklin. We all have plans, schemes, and product ideas we've concocted over our lifetimes. It's carrying through with the idea and persevering when things aren't going well that crowns the winners.
When Failing Isn't Failing
Why we humans don't take more risks than we already do is because we don't like to fail. But though it may not seem (more on page 34)
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32 MASONRY NOVEMBER, 2001