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Reckless Ebullience, Meet Prudence

[vc_row type=”in_container” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Allison, InspireCorp Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer, wrote a piece for Positive Psychology News Daily  on leadership and risk taking, published on November 20, 2016.  Read the piece below, and be sure to check out Positive Psychology Daily for more on the latest news about happiness, the “science of happiness”, and positive psychology.

 

An Unexpected Lesson in Leadership and Risk Taking

Almost twenty years ago, I made a naïve mistake that could have cost me my life. Faced with this unexpected personal crisis, I learned a critical lesson about balancing excitement and bold action with prudence.

On that scorching hot day in New Hampshire, nearly two decades ago, I joined a group of my friends to head down to the Connecticut River and cool off with a swim. In my excitement about my first river swim, known to be something that every Dartmouth student should try before graduation, I took off running full speed ahead of the group, soon leaving them behind. I arrived at the dock, still running full speed, and jumped off the edge of it with reckless ebullience.

Having been a nationally ranked swimmer as a teenager, the thought of drowning never crossed my mind. Yet when I hit unexpectedly cold water on that hot day, I experienced something called a cold shock response, which can be deadly within a couple minutes even in moderately cold temperatures of water. My chronically low blood pressure made me especially vulnerable. At impact, I knew something was wrong. My chest constricted and prevented me from breathing; my normally adroit swimmer arms and legs could barely move to keep me afloat. I was in a state of total panic at my own helplessness, shocked that my previous moment of effusive delight may end up being my last.

I struggled to stay above water and gasped for air, unable to shout for help or swim to the safety of the dock just a few feet away. Then I saw a golden retriever running toward me. I don’t know how she knew I was in trouble, but she jumped into the water and swam straight for me. She circled close to me so I could grab her fur; then she pulled me back to the dock, just a few feet away that had seemed unreachable just seconds ago. This perceptive and altruistic golden retriever (whom I later learned was named Ceili) retrieved me. When friends arrived, I was sitting on the dock and hugging Ceili, grateful for her gift of a second chance.

Last week, I relayed this story to my five-year-old son. My protective mother side wanted to impart some wisdom to him about avoiding undue risks. I am reminded of the 25-year-old adage that “all I really need to know I learned in Kindergarten,” because he taught me an unexpected lesson.

“What could I have done differently?” I asked. He didn’t say, “Don’t jump.” Instead, he swiftly responded: “First, don’t go it alone. Second, wear a life jacket.”

Something clicked. In today’s fast-paced and competitive landscape, all of us, and especially leaders, need to be bold and decisive in taking risks.

The best leaders follow their intuition and excitement toward innovative directions and solutions. The best and boldest leaders jump. Yet, a fine line exists between swift decision-making and moving so fast toward an exciting opportunity that you jump into uncharted waters and put yourself and others at risk of an unnecessary crisis.

How can leaders jump without putting themselves at undue risk? Follow Adrian’s advice:

  • First, don’t go it alone. While I jumped into the water alone, I wasn’t alone for long; Ceili, my safety net, followed shortly behind me. As a leader, there can be a huge cost to moving too fast and going it alone: an unexpected cold shock response! When you feel an impulse to go an exciting new direction, take time to look around and see who can help you. Take time to reflect on the situation and get feedback from your team, colleagues, and staff. Without the perspective of others, you may be blinded to unknown risks that could sink you.
  • Second, wear a life jacket. When you take a risk in order for your team, organization, company to grow, have a plan B to protect you and your team. Don’t expose yourself to too much risk too fast without having systems and supports in place to keep you afloat. You can move fast while also being prudent if you take time to collect data, make a checklist, and plan accordingly.

The next time you face a thrilling opportunity to take a risk that may make a positive difference for your team or organization, remember to introduce your reckless ebullience to prudence, the art of thinking ahead and asking for help. When ebullience and prudence work together, risks no longer become reckless.

References

  • Bettis, R. A., & Hitt, M. A. (1995). The new competitive landscape. Strategic management journal, 16(S1), 7-19.
  • David, S. (2016). Emotional Agility: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change and Thrive in Work and Life. Penguin UK.
  • Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. Oxford University Press.
  • https://hbr.org/2014/12/a-better-way-to-think-about-risk
  • https://hbr.org/2016/03/a-checklist-for-making-faster-better-decisions


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