Why now is exactly the right time to take creative risks

Why now is exactly the right time to take creative risks

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Setup: Joey is wondering if it's time to take risks but Sally is all about being creative right now and shares how to overcome fear and doubt.

Joey catches Sally a little off guard when their two screens connect on their weekly Zoom call. 

“You on vacation, Joey?” Sally asks jokingly.

“Bali!” Joey responds with a laugh as he points to the fake background behind him. “It’s lovely this time of year.”

“You’re crazy in the best ways,” Sally says.

“Well, gotta catch a flight!” Joey says, and his background suddenly changes to Mt. Rushmore.

Sally busts out laughing. “Wasn’t expecting that one!”

Joey’s tone gets slightly more serious. “Gotta find opportunities to be creative on my own during these times. It’s not the right environment for innovation at work.”

“How do you figure that?” asks Sally.

“Fear, mostly. We’re in crisis mode and there’s so much uncertainty right now. That fear is taking over and making it hard to think about taking risks.

“I hear you,” Sally says. “But this might be just the opportunity you’ve been waiting for. Author and world-renowned organizational culture guru Whitney Johnson recently said something that stuck with me:

Leaders are made not to be acted upon, but to act.

It’s all about taking the right kinds of risks, and in those are almost always the ones that feel scariest. Isn’t that especially true now? You can’t give in to the fear! You have to think no no no, I must create instead.”

Joey is onboard in theory but still has his doubts. “Oh, believe me, I want my company to be just as innovative now as we were a month ago. But even as a leader, it’s hard not to let emotions overwhelm me.”

Sally reassures him. “Everyone is emotional right now. That means everyone is being pushed onto an entirely new learning curve all at the same time. What a golden opportunity to let your emotions give you the energy to move up that curve and set the tone at your organization and within your industry.”

“So lean into the fear?” asks Joey. Sally says -

Acknowledge your fear, tend to it, and the n learn to move on.

“You can’t let it paralyze you, but you can use parts of it to spur you into action. As Whitney also says, the only way to manage through the disruption in the world right now is to be willing to disrupt yourself.”

“Okay Sally, I’ll try. I acknowledge my fear and I’m ready to place it in a box and see what comes after.”

“I’m excited to see where you go next!” says Sally.

Joey’s background changes to the Grand Canyon. “Like here?”

Leaderpoint: Leaders are not made to be acted upon, but to act.

Question: In what ways are you viewing the current situation as an opportunity for creativity and growth?

My conversation with Whitney Johnson on this topic:

P.S. Join me and Daniel Pink, NYT best-selling author of DRIVE and WHEN, doing a #LinkedInLive on April 20th, 2:15 PM EST on Future of Work and Productivity.

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Rajesh K

2D Animation - Explainer Videos

4y

On-your-face-kinda-Failure is better than not taking risks.

Ethan Beute, MBA

Chief Evangelist at Follow Up Boss | WSJ bestselling author of 📚 2.5 books | Host of 🎧 Real Estate Team OS and Chief Evangelist | EX, CX, video messaging, human connection

4y

Re: the leaderpoint - action does so many good things for us, even when we edit or undo the initial result. Re: the question - everything looks and feels different right now. We must redefine things in this new context. Action is a process of discovery, not just of producing, moving, or changing things. I really like this complementary pair here, Sangram.

Faheem Moosa

Founder, Consulting Growth Hour | I Help Consultants Add $100k-$500k in New Revenue in 12 Months or Less Without Burning Out | Former Management Consultant

4y

Sally is certainly wise - markets in flux are a great time to take risks. The competitive landscape is changing and it’s a great time to build new customer relationships.

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