Welcome to Merge's Monthly Mega Minute - a bite-sized, yet substantial and practical, nugget of information that you can use immediately to enhance your professional and personal success.

The farmer who wouldn’t take risks

I was recently reminded of an old Indian folklore story my mom told me many years ago.  It was about a farmer who was asked whether he planted wheat for the season. 

He replied in the negative.  “I was afraid we wouldn’t get enough rain,” he said. 

He was then asked whether he planted corn.  “No, I was afraid that insects would eat my crop,” he responded. 

“Well, what did you plant then?” And the farmer replied, “Nothing, I played it safe.”

In order to be successful, you need to take risks.  Not blind dramatic gambles, but calculated thoughtful responsible risks. 

Responsible risk-taking is relative.  Deep sea diving is risky, no matter whether it is done by a trained scuba diver or a complete novice.  But for the trained diver, it is responsible risk-taking; for the novice, probably the diametric opposite.  Calculated and thoughtful risk-taking is based on knowledge, training, study, competence and acquired confidence – all factors that give you the courage to act, even while facing fear.  Like the farmer, the person who attempts nothing makes no mistakes.  But not doing something is a bigger mistake than trying and failing. 

So seek to develop your knowledge, intensify your training, deepen your study of the subject, build your competence and raise your confidence.  And then act, but make sure that the risks you are taking are calculated, thoughtful, and responsible.

Do you find yourself sometimes feeling like the farmer and so have difficulty taking risks?  Or are you at the other end of the risk-taking spectrum?  I’d love to hear about your experiences, both positive and negative, when you’ve tried to push the envelope or buck the status quo.  Please share your perspectives directly on the blog at www.turningmanagersintoleaders.com/blog.

In The Globe and Mail: Manifesting ‘workplace courage,’ an important but underrated skill

• A recent situation at a major hospital recounted to me by my therapist friend is what prompted this column in The Globe and Mail.  Read Manifesting ‘workplace courage,’ an important but underrated skill

Turning Managers into Leaders

• Video: Leading virtual and hybrid teams. Hybrid teams are a very real possibility in 2021.And it takes more effort to lead them. Kicking off our brand-new video series on this very important subject
• Video: Be deliberate about creating a workplace culture for your virtual or hybrid team. Creating a workplace culture for your virtual or hybrid team takes work, but it's even more critical than it is for an in-office team

That Merge can help your team learn virtually?

Even though a vaccine is on the horizon, remote working will still be here for a while.  And pandemic or not, it’s important to give your team the skills they need to be better leaders and communicators. Which is exactly how Merge can help – with relevant, practical, engaging and physically distant training for 5-300 people, all online.  No boring Zoomed-out sessions here, just pertinent content delivered in a way that’s fun and entertaining.  And hey, if you still want in-person training, Merge is doing that as well, in classrooms where people are spaced well-apart. Contact Merge to discuss how we can add value to building your people’s capability.