Getting back Up[/b]
Many times the results will fail to meet the standards/expectations of your stakeholders and more importantly YOU. In that case some people are satisfied if the graph is even slightly on the rise. A downward spiral on the other hand however calls for you to be open minded about scrapping your decision and preparing to go in a completely new direction.
If the situation demands major change; don’t be deterred by the rigidity of people who were involved and now want to save their pride/ego or whatever is left of it. In some cases it may even be so that ; you find yourself glued to the original plan. This kind of situations demands that you assign a person who has very less stake in your venture to get a straight perspective.
If we look closely at risk; it is like opening doors slammed shut for generations, without knowing what might jump out. In the aftermath, some of these measures may help:
· Finding out the cause of failure, and mapping alternate routes which may have been consequential in avoiding the failure.
· Did you wear a helmet so big; that you couldn’t see ahead? In other words did you correctly gauge the magnitude and frequency of risk without giving away your potential gain?
· What can be done to prevent further mistakes of this kind both by me and my colleagues?
· Did I spend too much time in the boardroom and less out there?
· Am I clear which category I am from: Adrenaline Junkie || Jacket over Sweater (refer to part 2) ?
· What have I really really learnt?
In most cases if you live to joke about it then consider yourself fortunate. Some risk takers haven’t had that luxury. Remember Alexander; he could have been pompous in Macedonia but he chose to be Alexander the Great , when he set out , conquering one nation after the other ; eventually succumbing to Malaria –contracted in the sub-continent.
The foremost thing that you should be careful of ; is not undermining your risk-taking skills after one or two mishaps as :
An army of stags led by a lion would be better than an army of lions led by a stag………#Latin Folklore
On the other hand ; in risk prone environment , where mistakes are the gusts of wind that take your sailboat farther ; you should be wary of not pushing conservatism onto the budding corporate. Standing by them in failure and hooking them back to earth when they soar high without looking down ; is what a leader is supposed to do , isn’t it?