How risk averse are you?

• Are you more conscious of what could go wrong than your colleagues?
• Your greater sensitivity to error is not just about what might happen in the business but also about how you would feel about it.
• Unlike colleagues who overlook risks, you might worry more about the consequences of error than they do.
• What do you think is the underlying reason for your greater tendency to worry about the consequences of error?
• Could you list the implications for you personally of errors?
• Might some of them include fear of being fired or punished, losing face with others, feeling humiliated, being seen as incompetent?
• What steps could you take to play down these worries?
• Can you convince yourself that mistakes are an essential part of learning and necessary for innovation?
• Can you think of some highly regarded managers who make some mistakes but are still highly regarded?
• Could you ask them how they deal with risk and error?
• Could you negotiate with key stakeholders what level of investment is appropriate relative to the risk of failure?
• Are they prepared to endorse a costly, exhaustive effort to gain perfection or would they be satisfied with an 80% effort for an 80% chance of success?