Masonry Magazine August 2002 Page. 46
Risk and Reality: Viewing risk as another business TOOL
By Steve Saucerman
I'm a fairly confident person. Ability, skill and intellect-wise, I hold my own and people tell me I communicate well. Physically, I don't think I'm grotesquely ugly if measured by the number of small children who run screaming away when they see me.
I seldom back down in arguments when I know I'm right. And I seldom back down in arguments when I don't know I'm right. My demeanor's generally collected, my blood pressure three digits over two, and my truck almost paid off. Confidence is good.
I'm guessing your confidence level is about the same. And why not? After all, you are good at what you do. You have developed your skills, paid your dues and built your business and you do deliver good service.
But if you and I are so committed and cocksure in our beliefs and abilities, why do we bolt like flaming rabbits when we and we alone conjure up new and truly unique yet untried ideas? For example, we might develop a truly unique marketing approach for our services and/or products only to talk ourselves out of it moments later because (and say it with me): No one else is doing it!
Sound familiar? Admit it, you've done it. I do it all the time. Our tainted rationalization goes something like this: "Well, if Monstrous Masonry, Inc. down the street isn't doing it, it can't be a good idea. Right?"
"I mean, look at them, they're huge! They have a marketing department with marketing people! There must be something I don't see."
And on it goes.
On soul searching, science, and sheep
SO WHY ARE WE wired like this? Why do we doubt our intuition? How can we march assuredly through our daily business travails with poise and confidence only to doubt ourselves at the first sign of personal yet real innovation?
After exhaustive research-OK, I really didn't do any research but I was out late last night and I am exhausted- I believe I've narrowed the answer down to two distinct possibilities:
We're cautious, calculated, detailed business professionals who scrutinize, weigh and analyze any and all alternatives before making crucial and capital-depleting business decisions. We're chickens.
Now, let's look at our options. By utilizing the method known in higher-level scientific circles as SUTTERAM (Saucerman's Universal Theorem That the Earth Revolves Around Me), we can quickly surmise beyond a shadow of a doubt that the businessperson described in answer #1 doesn't exist, That's because I've never met anyone like that. By default then, we're left with the fact that we're cowards sometimes.
It's true. In my many years in this business going on 251 now, or so it feels-I've come to observe that most of us possess far more insight and creativeness then we admit. We also all have similar thoughts and insights. But, and here's the odd part, along with this there's also a common, recurring, reflexive, sheepish tendency to forego our own insight and retreat to a