Take a risk in your career

Looking back on your career and life to date, where do you wish you had been a little daring, trusted in yourself more or have been less doubtful in the chances you took?

Does anything come to mind? When I speak to people who have spent years in their current jobs, many tell me that if they could start their career all over again, they would have taken more risks, try new things and speak up more. In short, they wished they’d been more courageous in the risks they’d taken. Perhaps you relate.

Often we know what it is we want to do, but we still don’t do it. Why? Because we naturally risk being reluctant and afraid of putting our vulnerability on the line. The status quo, while not particularly satisfying, can seem like an easier, softer, less scary, option. We find it much easier to settle with the status quo, keep our ideas to ourselves and our heads down rather than make a change, take a chance, speak up or engage in “courageous conversations.”

When measuring up whether to take any action that could leave us vulnerable we have an instinctive tendency to underestimate three core elements in assessing risk.

1. We over-estimate the probability of something going wrong
We tend to focus more on what might go wrong – what we might lose or sacrifice – than what might go right. The reality is that the risk of something not working out is often not near as high as we estimate and the odds of it working out well, are often far better.

2. We underestimate our ability to handle the cost of risk
This goes hand in hand with the above but is more focused on our capability overall. Too often we let our misgivings about whether we have what it takes to succeed get the better of us. The result is that we often avoid taking on new challenges and pursuing new opportunities. Because we don’t trust adequately in our ability to rise to the challenges they involve.

3. We discount or deny the cost of inaction and stick with the status quo
We tell ourselves “It’s not that bad” and mislead ourselves with the hope that our circumstances will somehow just get better over time and things will just ‘sort themselves out. We come up with excuses why the “status quo” is safe and sensible. In reality, things that aren’t working out well for us now only tend to get worse over time, not better, and issues remain unaddressed in our careers and tend to grow larger, not smaller.

These three different elements working together help to explain why so many supposedly smart people find themselves living in such a restricted circle of their potential. Feeling dissatisfied in their careers and living lives they would never have chosen, much less have aspired to.

So how do we overcome our instinct to play it safe in our career and identify which risks are worth taking? Start by asking yourself these three questions:

1. What would I do if I were being more courageous?
2. How will inaction cost me one year from now if I do nothing?
3. Where is my fear of failure causing me to over-estimate the size of risk, under-estimate myself, and hold me back from taking a career risk that would serve me?

Whatever answers come into your mind, take note! They are pointing you to a brighter future that you can only create when you commit to taking bolder, more decisive, and courageous actions.

“You are capable of more than you think.” Lao Tsu

How about you take a risk in your career and start your new job search today! We have great Finance jobs, IT jobs, Engineering jobs, Freight jobs and Supply Chain jobs. Contact one of our specialist consultants today to discuss your career opportunities.

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