How Leaders Can Get More Comfortable With Taking Risks

Learn how leaders and their organizations can get more comfortable with taking risks by identifying which ones are smart ones to make, and which ones are best to avoid.

While there’s little question that organizations need to be more responsive change, the real question today’s leaders need to address is are they at ease with taking risks, and more importantly, are the risks they’re taking the right ones? This question lies at the heart of my conversation with my guest Doug Sundheim in this latest episode of my leadership podcast, “Leadership Biz Cafe”.

Doug is the president of the The Sundheim Group, a consulting agency that focuses on strategy execution and team development and whose clients include Time Warner, SAP, International Baccalaureate Organization, and Morgan Stanley.

In addition to being a regular contributor to the Harvard Business Review, Doug is the author the book, “Taking Smart Risks, How Sharp Leaders Win When Stakes Are High”.

Over the course of this episode, Doug and I discuss his approach to smart risk-taking, including:

  • What organizations often get wrong with the “innovate or die” approach in terms of what they should be focusing on as the risk they should be taking.
  • How finding something worth finding for, seeing the future now, and acting and learning fast form the foundation for smart risk-taking.
  • The 3 D’s that lead us to find what we’re willing to fight for and be willing to take a risk on.
  • Why scheduling time in our day for creative thinking can help us be smarter about the risks we choose to take.
  • What are smart failures and why are they important in terms of taking smart risks that drive future growth.

I’d appreciate it if you could help your support help support future episodes of this leadership podcast by taking a moment to rate my show on Google Play, Stitcher Radio, or iTunes.

It’s worth noting that my leadership podcast was recognized by Inc. As one of “12 podcasts that will make you a better leader”. So please help me get the word out about my show.

Click on the player below to listen to the podcast:

[Running time: 44 minutes]

Noteworthy links:

  • Buy Doug Sundheim’s book “Taking Smart Risks” on Amazon (link automatically redirects to Amazon.ca for Canadian readers and other international Amazon sites depending on your location).
  • Learn more about Doug’s work at The Sundheim Group.
  • Watch my TEDx talk on YouTube.
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Tanveer Naseer is an award-winning and internationally-acclaimed leadership writer and keynote speaker. He is also the Principal and Founder of Tanveer Naseer Leadership, a leadership coaching firm that works with executives and managers to help them develop practical leadership and team-building competencies to guide organizational growth and development. Tanveer’s writings and insights on leadership and workplace interactions have been featured in a number of prominent media and organization publications, including Forbes, Fast Company, Inc Magazine, Canada’s national newspaper “The Globe and Mail”, The Economist Executive Education Navigator, and the Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.

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