Nothing changes if nothing changes: How I approach big risks
I haven’t always been the biggest risk-taker.
Sure, I started a business, which can be pretty risky. But I was also 19 at the time and didn’t have much to lose.
Looking back, I think I mostly played it safe in my early life. I went to a university close to where I grew up and what I knew. I hung out with the same friends and didn’t really put myself out there. I never studied abroad like some of my friends did. And when it came to the business, I definitely took chances, but I made a lot of those decisions out of ignorance. I was young and inexperienced, and I didn’t really understand the potential catastrophes that could come with those decisions if they didn’t pan out.
Over time—and the more I failed in my journey as a leader and entrepreneur—I began to get more comfortable with stepping into uncertainty and taking riskier moves. I realized that there was a chance that those moves would have great outcomes—and if they didn’t, I’d learn something powerful. Now, I try to help others develop the courage to take bigger risks.
Recently, my own team struggled with the decision of whether to take a risk.
We were considering who to bring on as an external partner to help us with the evolution of our brand. It’s been a long time since we did branding work, and it’s time for a refresh.
This kind of decision comes with a huge investment. The team had found a company to partner with, and we needed to make the final call on whether to go for it. We kept going back and forth on our biggest questions: Should we keep interviewing other companies just to make sure we found the right partner? Should we try to do this internally and save the money instead? Should we pause on branding work for now since we’ve made it this far without it?
Just as we started to lean toward interviewing other partners and giving it more time, I remembered something Monique, our Chief of Growth, said to me in a previous conversation about this topic: “Not making a decision is still a decision.”
I realized at that moment that I had the chance to encourage the team to take a risk. We could have kept weighing our options, but by not choosing, that was a decision, too.
So I said something like, “We’ve done a lot of research to find this partner. And the thing is, we will never be certain about it. We won’t know if we made the right call until we get to the other side. It’s very possible that we could spend this money and not get what we hope to get, but it’s also possible that we could look back one day and say that this was the best investment we ever made. I don’t know what will happen. But I DO know for certain that no matter what happens, we are going to learn. There will be many lessons in this experience, no matter which outcome we get.”
We decided to go for it—and so far, so good.
There’s another reason that I decided to write about risk today: Today, May 9th, marks two years since we transitioned Student Maid—the biggest risk I’ve ever taken in my life so far.
I still sometimes find it hard to believe that I left behind a business that was such a huge part of my identity. At the time, I really didn’t know how it was going to turn out. All I knew was that I wanted to follow my heart and I didn't want to operate a cleaning business anymore. I wanted to focus on leadership development instead. The decision to transition my company ended up being the best risk I ever took. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my life and my work. My business is the best it’s ever been, and the trust and culture of our team is unparalleled.
But dang. There was so much that could have gone wrong. Making that choice could have ended my speaking and training career. I could have disappointed a lot of people by deciding to follow my heart. For years, those fears kept me stuck.
So what flipped the switch for me? What was the thing that propelled me to take the step? I remember thinking that if I didn’t make a change, nothing in my life would change. I wouldn’t ever get to the place that I truly wanted to be. Both paths would be hard: Sticking with the one that was making me really unhappy and unfulfilled and going after a path that was completely uncertain. At least with the second one, there was a chance that it could get me to the place I really wanted to be. I was also willing to accept that even if nothing turned out like I hoped and I lost everything, I would learn so much. I’m so grateful I took the leap.
Today, when I’m faced with big decisions and uncertainty, there are four things I do:
I own my fears: I allow my mind to go to the worst-case scenario. (We do this as a team, too: We dive straight into our deepest fears when making big decisions together.) I think about what those worst-case scenarios could look like, and I envision them as vividly as I can. Then, I ask myself: What would I do if that happened? There’s something about having a plan for what you would do if the worst thing happened that allows you to more easily move forward.
I think about what could go right: I don’t just think about my fears; I also think about what could go well. What could the best case scenario look like? It’s so easy to get caught up in what could go wrong that we can talk ourselves out of doing things that could end up just fine. As helpful as it can be to have a plan for what could go wrong, it’s just as important to allow yourself to explore what can happen if things go right.
I give up control: I live in the question and the uncertainty. It’s freeing. I realize that no matter how prepared I am, I still can’t control the outcome. You have to take a risk knowing that it could end in the worst case, the best case, something in between, or something you didn't even think of.
I learn: To me, learning is the best—and most certain—part of risk-taking. When I take risks, I totally embrace the learning process. I actually define success by how much I’m going to learn. When you think about it this way, it can totally change the way you perceive risks.
On May 9th, 2007, I took a risk and started a company.
On May 9th, 2021, I took an even bigger risk and transitioned that company to follow a new dream of developing human leaders who make the world a better place.
And today, on May 9th, 2023, I celebrate 16 years as an entrepreneur and am the most aligned I’ve ever been in my business and my life.
The biggest lesson I’ve learned so far is that we must have the courage to take risks if we want to live fully in our lives. We must have the courage to take risks on our teams if we want to grow and evolve. We can’t have those things and play it safe.
Cheers to May 9th, and cheers to taking big risks that come with big growth! Thank you for being here and for encouraging me and supporting me along my journey. I’m rooting for you, too!
Big hugs,
