Taking risks isn’t about being reckless. It’s about having the courage to speak up, learn, and grow.
At Placers, we lead through our core values, and one of those values is Risk Takers.
Now, at first glance, that might make you picture a bunch of daredevils jumping off cliffs or putting their rent money on black at a casino. That’s not exactly what we’re going for here!
When I talk about taking risks, I’m talking about an entrepreneurial kind of risk-taking. The kind that challenges you to step outside your comfort zone, trust your judgment, and take action when you see an opportunity to make something better.
But here’s the challenge. You can’t expect people to take risks if you’ve created a culture that makes them afraid to get something wrong. And you certainly can’t expect people to take ownership if they believe every decision requires permission from someone above them.
The Culture People Actually Experience
Think about the last time you started a new job.
Most of us figure out pretty quickly how things really work in an organization. Sure, there are the core values on the wall, the employee handbook, and the conversations during onboarding. But the real education comes from watching and listening.
You observe how people interact, how they handle problems, and, maybe most importantly, how leadership responds when things don’t go according to plan.
What happens when someone makes a mistake? Can they admit they got something wrong, or do they get pulled into a conference room and reminded how things are done around here?
When someone identifies a problem, are they encouraged to help solve it, or are they expected to run it up the flagpole and wait for instructions?
These everyday moments tell you what a company’s culture really looks like.
I think a lot of organizations have what I’d call unintentional cultural consequences. A leader might say they want innovation but react negatively when an idea doesn’t work. They might talk about empowerment but still insist on approving every decision.
Over time, people learn what’s acceptable, what gets recognized, and what might get them into trouble.
Your culture isn’t just what you’ve written on the wall. It’s what your team learns is safe to do.
Knowing Yourself and Trusting the Culture
For me, building Placers has always been about encouraging people to stretch. I want our team members to figure out who they are, what they believe in, and what they’re capable of becoming.
I’ve written about this before in Your Culture of One, because I believe understanding your own values is an important part of building a meaningful life.
But knowing who you are is only half the equation. You also have to feel comfortable enough to be that person at work.
I’ve seen too many people spend their careers practicing what amounts to method acting. They’re one person at work and another person when they go home. They spend their days reading the room, holding back opinions, avoiding conflict, and trying to figure out which version of themselves will be most acceptable.
And if you ask me, that’s a real shame.
Think about all the energy that takes. Energy that could be spent solving problems, building relationships, and making the business better. Instead, it’s spent managing appearances and trying not to make a mistake.
That’s wasted motion.
Permission to Make It Better
Here’s where I think risk-taking becomes real.
Most of the time, the people closest to a problem are the ones who understand it best. They’re doing the work, seeing the obstacles, and recognizing the opportunities to improve something.
So why should they always have to run it up the flagpole?
At Placers, taking a risk might mean standing in front of your peers and explaining what we do. It might mean diving into a project when you don’t have all the answers, speaking your mind in a meeting, or pointing out something that isn’t working and being willing to help make it better.
None of those things requires a daredevil. They require a little courage and a culture that supports it.
Of course, that doesn’t mean everyone operates independently or makes decisions without considering the consequences. We’re still a team. We need each other, and good judgment includes knowing when to bring others into the conversation.
But there’s a big difference between collaborating to solve a problem and waiting for someone else to give you permission to care about it.
And sometimes you’ll get it wrong. That’s part of taking risks, too.
When that happens, I want us to learn from it, make the necessary adjustments, and keep moving forward. A culture that punishes every mistake will eventually become a culture where nobody wants to make a decision.
At Placers, I want thoughtful risk-taking to be expected, encouraged, recognized, and, when those risks create meaningful wins, rewarded.
Because taking ownership shouldn’t be reserved for leadership. We’re all responsible for making the business better, and the best ideas don’t always come from the top.
The Culture We Create Together
After 25 years of building Placers, I continue to believe that the strongest organizations are the ones where people feel trusted enough to contribute everything they bring to the table.
But trust has to work both ways.
Leadership has to create an environment where people feel empowered, and team members have to be willing to step into that opportunity. Permission doesn’t mean much if nobody is willing to use it.
Taking risks requires knowing yourself, trusting the people around you, and accepting that not every decision will be perfect.
And it takes all of us.
So here’s something worth thinking about:
Does your organization’s culture truly empower the people closest to a problem to solve it? Or have you unintentionally taught them to wait for someone else to make the call?
Because there’s a big difference between telling people they’re empowered and building a culture where they actually believe it.
Until next time, friends,
Chris
If you enjoyed this article, I recommend reading these past Outside Insights posts:
Move Pebbles, Not Mountains: The Secret To Reaching Massive Goals
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