The Danger of Playing it Safe

Earlier this month I was having a conversation with a fellow glass shop owner. He reminded me about the importance of taking risks and trying new things. We talked about techniques for approaching contractors with an eye toward gaining new projects. It occurred to me that the same principles apply in many areas of business and in life generally. The fact that professional people need to be willing to risk failure in order to move forward is a no-brainer. But trying new things is uncomfortable and may seem unnecessary when things are already going well.

Don’t be left behind

While we may tend to see change as risky, we know that remaining the same is almost certainly going to lead to a stagnation over time. Though our present approach may be working just fine, it is likely that the effectiveness of what we are currently doing will diminish eventually. As technology and industry progress, we risk being left behind. Think about the way you have always done things and ask yourself why you do it that way. Is it because it is the best way to do it, or some other reason?

Change things up

Innovation comes in many forms and changing things up a bit just might lead to new avenues for growth. Every modernization is the result of someone looking at things in a fresh way and taking a chance. In the best case this will lead to new and useful innovations. In the worst case one can always go back to doing things the old way. Personally, I try changing up the routine from time to time. This often leads to a more efficient way of accomplishing my goals. Then again, sometimes I discover that the current system is already about as good as it can get. Either way, I have nothing to lose.

Change is coming

It’s safe to assume that change is coming. The past two years have proved that without a doubt. While exploring new horizons may be liberating in many ways, the fear of failure is a paralyzing condition. It prevents us from moving forward and realizing our true potential. It is a worthwhile goal to become more accustomed to the idea of change. Even if it does not lead immediately to innovation, a break in routine can make things interesting and keep the mind active. Do you have ideas? I look forward to hearing them.