Category Archives: risk

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full risk

Full Risk, Are You Ever Willing To Take It?

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Assessing risk can feel complicated. It probably is. Are you willing to take full risk, or do you try to cut it in half?

All of life includes risk. Risk means you’re not guaranteed an exact outcome.

You take a risk leaving your home and driving to work. You take a risk with the unknown menu item at the restaurant. In the meeting, there is risk in speaking up.

Success, or not, depends on the risk you are willing to take.

Risk is also often connected to money or time.

Business operations have to weigh the risk. What is the risk to ship, should it be overnight, or the slower method? What is the risk of the new hire?

Promising when the product will be finished or the service is completely delivered involves some risk. Expected quality has some risk.

How far do you go? How much or how deep? What is tolerable? What can you afford?

Full Risk

It is a very scary place for many people. Big changes, life changes, expensive changes, and things that cost time.

Do you take risk in your job?

Are you willing to tactfully and appropriately challenge the process?

What is riskier, speaking up when you see something going astray, or staying quiet and watching it unfold in a costly or catastrophic disaster?

Weighing risk is often the most difficult part.

Many people want to play it safe.

Do you go in halfway? Is that safe? Somethings in life aren’t halfway.

You can’t halfway turn on the lights, dimmer switches don’t count.

You can’t get halfway married, not really.

Perhaps you can go halfway across a narrow bridge, but you’ll never get to the other side. And worse, you might get stuck there for a while.

Sometimes you have to go full risk.

Are you willing?

It won’t be completely safe.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.


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worth

Worth It? Is It a Question About Time or Value?

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When there is disappointment or a decision to be made, someone might ask, “Is it worth it?” It seems commonplace yet it may not be asked as often as it should.

Was it worth it when:

  • You did your best work?
  • You cut quality to improve in speed?
  • Someone suggested you deviate from your current path to try something new or different?

Time is a constant for everyone, yet, it is a finite resource. It is one that everyone has the same amount of so the only way to benefit is through productivity and efficiency.

When you spend your time putting in the extra effort, does it make a difference? Time for studying, education, or family, have you balanced it appropriately. When you aren’t sure, you may ask yourself, “Is it worth it?”

Worth It

Life is full of choices and decisions. Life is also full of risk.

There is always risk. Sometimes it is viewed in trade-offs, or viewed to benefit the one, instead of the many.

Workplace risk is often measured as personal risk. A risk to speak up, or stay silent. Silence may allow the team to go off course, on the other hand, disagreeing with the boss might get you fired.

Assessing risk often reaches a conclusion based on a question of worth.

At the pawn shop or flea market, a used item is assessed by worth. The question develops and worth is measured.

Perhaps it should be questioned more. Questioned for compensation, questioned for the customer, and questioned for the activity that you’ll perform next.

Is time part of the equation?

Time and Value

Time is nearly always relevant. It pushes people to weigh risk, prioritize, and assess value.

The next time you’re curious about worth, consider how the boundaries of time change value.

More time often makes things have more worth.

Time is always associated with the price you pay.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.


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trusted decisions

Trusted Decisions Are Change Decisions

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Are you making or encouraging trusted decisions? Is every decision trusted?

Most decisions involve a change. A shift of direction, a pivot, or a whole new beginning.

People often suggest that you can’t change other people. Each individual decides when and if they will change.

Technically, there is probably some truth in that notion.

Begging, pleading, or pressuring someone to make a different choice or decision really only happens when they decide or agree that they will do it.

You might present evidence, tell a compelling story, or simply ask for a new direction. Sometimes this is the mind-changer and sometimes it is not enough.

When you don’t trust the choices, when you don’t have the vision for the future outcome, you may stay undecided.

Is trust a factor?

Trusted Decisions

At the restaurant, you’re often curious if the special is good, if the portion size is right, and if it is a popular item. You seek answers to those questions. When you collect the data, you may decide to trust the special as a viable option.

In the workplace, people are often seeking data for their decision. They may ask for feedback, ask for the report, or dig into a spreadsheet to discover what the data shows.

Wrong choices are costly. They may add costs to the operation, may lead to declining sales, or even worse, tarnish a brand or your reputation.

Trust is one of the most significant factors of any decision.

People will decide. They’ll make a shift, a change, or pivot when they trust. Trust their gut, trust the data, or trust the recommendation from someone else.

Until then, things won’t change.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.


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chance opportunity

Chance Opportunity and Gauging Your Risk

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What about chance opportunity? The opportunity that presents itself, or you create, yet there is risk involved. Should you take it?

People often wait for the opportunity of a lifetime. They nestle in, they coast, they cruise, and they wait.

They may wait for the lottery, a marriage proposal, or a job with a salary that changes everything.

Life is full of risk. Error on the side of caution is often the advice. It may not be bad advice and it also may not be good advice.

Your chance opportunity is going to require some risk.

Will you take that chance?

Chance Opportunity

You have a chance to close a big sale but it requires a lot of unusual effort. You’re busy and can pick some other low-hanging fruit, but those opportunities are with lower revenue-producing clients. Do you put in the unusual effort or stay where it is safe and comfortable?

The product development team at your job needs a new design. There is both a stall and a void in the marketplace and you have an idea. Bringing the idea forward will require you to approach the CEO with some very unconventional strategies. You risk being labeled as crazy or seeking to break organizational norms. Should you speak up?

An unexpected job offer lands on your plate. It is a big change and you’ve been committed to your current endeavor for a long time. It will change your daily routine greatly, but your family would benefit from the additional income. Stay or go?

Lessening the risk is sometimes possible. It is also often a gamble, a negotiation of sorts, and a wrong move might weaken or completely sour the deal.

You’re never going to have zero risk.

It’s true that most cases of big rewards come with even bigger risks. Taking risk lightly is not the solution. Frozen in fear isn’t a good idea either.

This may be your only chance. Are you willing to risk the loss of the opportunity? Have you calculated what that costs?

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.


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small wins

Do Small Wins Lead To Big Gains?

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Are you building from your small wins? Are the big wins the only thing that matters? Never had a big win?

Many people measure luck as linear to success. The truth often is that many people experience luck, but they don’t react to it the same.

A good friend of mine has had great success. He recently told me that he got lucky. In a sense, I disagreed. He definitely had some good opportunities but it was his reactions to those opportunities that have made him appear so lucky.

Forward Motion

There are at least two important aspects to forward motion for your business or your career. The first is, are you constantly moved towards opportunities that are presented, and the second is, are you counting wins or losses?

Not every opportunity is a good one. At the same time, some opportunities are good, only they appear cloaked with risk. In this state, those who are risk-averse choose not to move on them.

Risk is a natural part of life. Risk is a matter of leadership.

Not everyone gets the same opportunities. Not everyone takes opportunities that lead to great success.

In a marathon the people who are still moving eventually finish. This is likely true for your measurement of success as well. It is when the motion stops that is over.

Small Wins

Are you moving or are you stuck? Are you taking any risk or waiting for the right opportunity?

Counting losses often results in fewer risks taken.

Most people have more wins than they count. Small wins compound, they grow, and they often lead to more wins.

Instead of a focus on small wins, people often reflect more on the disappointments, the misstep, or the closing door. Reflection can be healthy. It can also lead to a depressive state.

Opportunities have a funny way of appearing when you are counting wins. The quantity may not be any different, but you start to see more of them.

Counting small wins may be exactly what you need to create big gains.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.


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participation costs

Participation Costs and What You Pay

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Have you analyzed participation costs? What does it cost you to participate and what if you don’t?

There are many things in life where the price listed on the tag feels like it makes it all very clear, but does it?

If you have a headache and you buy an over-the-counter pain relief medicine from the local pharmacy it has a price tag. Yet, that is not the true cost.

What about the cost of not buying it? Do you simply save the money or is there something else?

Of course, there is more. There is the pain that holds you back, keeps you down, lessens your patience and weakens your energy. What is the price of that?

On the job, you may have an option to voice an opinion in the meeting. You may get a voice about the potential new hire or whether you’ll participate in the pizza party. There is a cost if you do and a cost if you don’t.

What are the real costs of participation?

Participation Costs

Sometimes it feels hard to participate, even when there is not a monetary price to pay.

When you voice your opinion on the future direction, it costs. You are on the hook with your reputation and must face the onlooker’s opinions of your competence.

Sometimes it may feel easier to say nothing, to not get involved, or to relinquish the offer to participate.

It happens in your workplace every day. It happens when there is a political election.

Sometimes the price you pay for lack of involvement is greater than the price you pay for the hook you decide to hang your hat on.

Participation itself is often free, but not participating may present the biggest price tag of all.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and corporate trainer. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.


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workplace opinions

Workplace Opinions Determine Fit

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Opinions, we all have them, right? Do your workplace opinions fit, or are they out of place?

For clarity, there is a difference between opinion and fact.

That’s a Fact

Suggesting that the pizza shop on the west side of town has the best pizza is an opinion. Unless, of course, the statement is, “Antonio’s Pizza won the best pizza in Clifton contest for the third year in a row.”

When we suggest that getting to work early is better than staying late, it is an opinion. The same is true for taking breaks, having background music in the office, and whether or not to have Hawaiian shirt Friday’s.

Opinions help form the culture. They help form what is symbolic about the organization, what stands out, and how outsiders remember or connect.

When you want to join the Facebook group, or when you choose to join an organized club or association, there is an expectation of conduct and fit.

Individual attitudes and perceptions help shape the image. They’re often based on opinions, not facts.

Workplace Opinions

There is more than a statement in, “This is the template for all corporate slide decks.” It is true for how visitors are treated, response times for customers and vendors, and how the pecking order of the parking lot works.

Organizations often promote the idea of change. Yet, largely, their opinions and beliefs about whether the clock pendulum ticks left before right, or right before left, is deeply rooted in the culture.

Opinions often determine fit. Opinions also tend to steer the direction of culture.

The next time you give a presentation to the C-Suite, request a lunch appointment with the CEO, or decide to wear flip-flops on Friday, you may want to check the culture for fit.

If it is important that you fit, it is best to develop an understanding of the cultural opinions first.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.


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analyzed enough

Wait, We Haven’t Analyzed Enough

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One person always wants to decide fast, quick, and hurried. Another wants more time, more data, and additional input. Have you analyzed enough?

It seems that there is always more data. We can ask a few more people, research some old work, and attempt to benchmark the industry. Does it really matter?

One trouble spot is that more data isn’t really what people seek. They are seeking more certainty, less risk, and the fear of a bad decision.

Wait for What?

Procrastination on a decision can still be a decision. “I’m making the choice to not decide, yet.”

A delay sometimes feels safer. The feeling is that you can’t be criticized because you didn’t decide, only if you do decide and you’re wrong.

You weigh the risk of the decision on the cost of being wrong instead of on the cost of time or the cost of being stuck.

It is the fallacy of critical thinking. No choice is a safe choice.

Analyzed Enough

The reality is that time is often not on our side. Patience is important, but time always keeps moving.

A decision or choice not made may allow the window to close, or worse, the competition jumps through leaving you behind.

You can spend a lot of time reviewing the past. Reliving the mistakes from before and feeling stuck about the action you should take next.

Experience suggests more watching, listening, and learning, yet time can’t wait.

Change needs motion. Motion means you are not stuck.

If there is a change you need to make, today may be a great day to start.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.


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tight tolerances

Tight Tolerances and the Unexpected

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What happens when a ball gets dropped or a customer changes the order?
Are you prepared to face the challenges of the unexpected? Tight tolerances make sense, until they don’t.

Some organizations and people are expecting the unexpected. Emergency rooms in hospitals, your local fire company, and even having an umbrella in your car on a sunny day.

Unexpected Happens

Workplaces today thrive on being lean. They thrive on just enough, just-in-time and metrics that constantly measure their efficiency. Any more than just enough or just in time is considered waste.

What happens when the unexpected happens?

Being incredibly lean is fantastic when everything works. Having a system that is efficient, can be monitored, and has very low waste is good, until something changes.

The overburdened wedding caterer has an oven and a refrigeration unit go down. The tire sales shop can’t fit another car in this week because they are booked full with annual inspections. The pizza shop suggests a one-hour wait for order pickup.

Tight Tolerances

When the tolerances are too tight, there is no room for extra, no room for a malfunction, and no tolerance for the unexpected.

Busy with a wait list may seem like a good problem. It may be, until a competitor gets a chance.

So tight that there is zero waste, zero defects, and zero rejected work is good until something in the system breaks.

A team so small, that every minute of every clocked hour is utilized perfectly works great until the customer changes the order or an employee gets ill.

It takes a long time and a lot of effort to earn good business.

What carries more risk? Room to spare or no room at all?

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.


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workplace innovation

Workplace Innovation is Peanut Butter and Chocolate

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Have you ever wondered who first connected peanut butter with chocolate? Perhaps it was the other way around chocolate with peanut butter? How does this connect to workplace innovation?

You must wonder sometimes, how does real innovation occur? Is it by luck, by chance, or perhaps an accidental connection?

Exploring Different

Who decided to put ketchup on potatoes, cheese with eggs, or little tiny marshmallows in cereal? Was it all intentional, or was it an accident?

When someone takes the chance, takes a risk, and is willing to explore it changes the norm. It creates the unexpected. Somewhere deep inside the unexpected exists the breakthrough.

When we want to make something different happen the belief is that we need a plan. People and companies develop a plan. They form a strategy, design tactics, or establish a new procedure.

Does that happen by chance?

Workplace Innovation

Most of our plans develop through brainstorming. A strategy discussion, an idea dump, a throw things on the wall and see what sticks.

When you are looking for a breakthrough you can’t expect to color within the lines. You can’t expect a rigid system to have enough flexibility to allow for innovation.

A plan or a system strives to eliminate surprises. It is a rigid guideline for creating an anticipated result.

There isn’t much room in rigid systems for innovation.

We don’t get peanut butter with chocolate unless someone breaks the status quo. There isn’t an opportunity to spice up our potatoes, add a little cheese to an omelette, or find the marshmallow in a breakfast cereal.

If you’re looking for workplace innovation, seeking to find a breakthrough, or to change the results, you’re first going to have give up the rigidness of the current plan.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.


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