4 minute read
Human Factor
Out on a Limb
Taking an action without fully understanding what its impact will be can garner some big and important results. BY JOSEF MARTENS
As I work with financial services organizations, something I consistently hear is the need to step up performance in three challenging areas: 1) growing client relationships and sales; 2) nurturing an agile culture that allows for adoption to change – especially changes in customers’ needs; and 3) showing an innovative edge to become distinct from the competition.
What many don’t realize is that all these challenges come down to the same leadership behaviors and skills: the ability to take risks.
Let’s say you want to grow better client relationships. One of the best ways to do this is to take a risk in the relationship. When you do, it indicates that you’re willing to trust the other person.
The risk could be as simple as giving a real answer to the question: “How was your weekend?” Or it could be when we see an important client who is usually completely composed show up to a meeting frazzled, and we quietly say to her: “You don’t quite seem your normal self.”
These actions open the door to a real conversation, and in most cases the other person reciprocates by also trusting you more.
In order to build an agile culture, we need to be willing to let go of our preferred way of doing things. It involves trying new approaches and taking action before knowing what comes next. That is the very definition of taking a risk.
Then there is the desire to distinguish ourselves from our competitors. Often, clients choose us because of our prior relationship. But there are also other factors at play. An important one is the customer experience that we offer, and the distinctiveness of that experience.
How do we create that experience? By being intentionally different, in a positive way, from the entire competition.
Most of us vastly overestimate our skill at taking risks. But there are ways to uncover those blind spots. Pay attention to yourself and give your actions a rating on a “courage scale” from 1 (very low) to 10.
Think of your last networking event, your last team meeting or your last presen-
tation. How much courage do you exhibit? Did you share anything about yourself that makes you a little uneasy because you don’t know how it landed? Did you address the elephant in the room? Did you start the presentation with an unusual opener that got everyone’s attention?
Mind you, I’m not suggesting you should aim for 10 – but I am saying that most of the time we’re operating at a courage level of 1 or 2, and it’s helpful to step it up by a couple levels.
Many of us share a mistaken belief. Even though we don’t take risks all that often, we believe we can become a prudent risk-taker when the need arises. What really happens when we’re called to take a risk is that we become more self-aware, a little nervous and our inner voice tells us emphatically, “Don’t do it.”
If we want to get better, the first thing to do is to tame that voice and our internal reaction.
How do we do this? The Greek philosopher Aristotle has the answer: “[Bravery] then, is not an act but a habit… We become brave by taking brave acts.” We need to practice risk-taking.
Only then are we ready when a conversation with the customer requires it; when something in our organization needs us to pivot on a dime; or when we position ourselves differently in the market. Only with practice will we be able to go out on a limb when needed for our business. The good news is that we can practice this in many areas. Remember, it’s not about any particular situation; it’s about squelching our inner voice and concerns. Here are some simple and impactful ways to get in the right mindset: ■ State your opinion unfiltered. ■ Speak up when, and as soon as, you see something wrong. ■ Ask for something you don’t expect to get. ■ Write down your biggest goal in life and take one action towards it. (You’ll earn bonus points if you share your goal with someone.) ■ Negotiate something. ■ Tell someone what you appreciate about them.
You’ll think of more ideas as you practice, and you’ll notice how you’ll get more comfortable with it. More importantly, you’ll notice how you get better with the important challenges in your job.
Josef Martens helps organizations dramatically improve their performance. You can reach him at JM@JosefMartens.com or (240) 938 1274.
