How Leaders Can Get More Comfortable With Taking Risks

Leadership Biz Cafe - Doug Sundheim

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 support future episodes of this leadership podcast by taking a moment to rate my show on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your preferred streaming platform.

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