The Risk/Reward of Initiative

Would you volunteer to speak in front of an audience to tell them who you are?

Would you post a discussion in a LinkedIn group even if you weren’t asked to do so?

Would you offer to run a meeting if the leader of the group was unavailable?

Would you volunteer to participate in raising money or forming teams for your favorite charity?

You will answer these questions by first assessing the risk and reward of the situation. Does focusing on the risk win out a majority of the time? Whether we call it leading, initiating or volunteering there is great opportunity when willing to take the risk.

Risk involves the potential for failure. Risk also offers the potential to learn something about you that you never knew. Saying yes to taking initiative allows you to give something to someone else. That is the most overlooked aspect of assessing risk and reward. Give and get, or givers gain are two popular beliefs that the initiator understands.