Risk
Read this in Fast Company on Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn:
"Starting a company is like throwing yourself off the cliff and assembling an airplane on the way down," he tells Bloomberg, with all the velocity, time pressure, and mortality that implies...an the prospect of making something that can fly before you hit the ground."
I think we can all relate to that in one way or another. Entrepreneurs who have started companies, who have bet everything on an idea, certainly can relate to the mortality of the bets they place. No matter the preparation and diligence, entrepreneurs take risks and when the momentum builds I'm pretty sure that Reid's analogy hits home.
As leaders we take risks all the time. Sometimes the cliff is small, sometimes it is big, but that leap of faith happens over and over - a new business venture, a stretch assignment for an employee, a product launch, an all or nothing presentation to convince the board, an innovative pitch to your customer. But velocity and time pressure, the risk of trying something new, creates moments where our boldness thought transcends to action"and (the) mortality that implies...".
When we hit that go button is when risk assesment turns to action, when planning becomes execution, when in some way we are letting go. It is those moments that stare status quo in the face, that define progress.
"Starting a company is like throwing yourself off the cliff and assembling an airplane on the way down," he tells Bloomberg, with all the velocity, time pressure, and mortality that implies...an the prospect of making something that can fly before you hit the ground."
I think we can all relate to that in one way or another. Entrepreneurs who have started companies, who have bet everything on an idea, certainly can relate to the mortality of the bets they place. No matter the preparation and diligence, entrepreneurs take risks and when the momentum builds I'm pretty sure that Reid's analogy hits home.
As leaders we take risks all the time. Sometimes the cliff is small, sometimes it is big, but that leap of faith happens over and over - a new business venture, a stretch assignment for an employee, a product launch, an all or nothing presentation to convince the board, an innovative pitch to your customer. But velocity and time pressure, the risk of trying something new, creates moments where our boldness thought transcends to action"and (the) mortality that implies...".
When we hit that go button is when risk assesment turns to action, when planning becomes execution, when in some way we are letting go. It is those moments that stare status quo in the face, that define progress.
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