5 Reasons To Take Career-Winning Shots, Despite The Risk

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It is my experience that wonderful careers don't just happen—they are made. Leadership doesn't just happen—leaders make great things happen for themselves, their teams and their organizations. Are you willing to make the choices, create the sense of urgency and apply a vision that compels you to take the kinds of shots that will truly advance your career?

In this other article, I detailed four things that you need to do to own your career and achieve your professional goals. I have received a lot of feedback on the article with most people sharing how the message makes them feel more empowered to shape their own careers. Many shared how the message inspired the confidence needed to move forward with hard choices. However, some mentioned how they really want to put their big pants on and do the things mentioned but feel paralyzed by a fear of failure.

I get it. For sure, it is easier to talk about change and owning one’s career than it is to deliver on it. It is much easier—and may often feel safer—to stay where you are instead of take risks with your career, your professional standing and your finances. I have been there. I have taken the risks and made hard choices to position myself where I wanted to be. I declined a promotion that would provide a huge pay increase because the work would have taken me off track to achieve what I believed to be larger, more important career goals. I took a huge pay cut to accept a job just so I could get an opportunity in an area that I believed would reap better career benefits over the long haul. I resigned from six-figure employment in order to start and run my own company.

My advice is that you shake off the fear, calculate which career-winning shots you need to take and then start taking them.  This means you have to have the courage to fail. Though I have felt major discomfort, uncertainty and fear, I never regretted any of my career-winning shots, and this is why.

1. The benefit usually outweighs the risk.

If you take the shot and make it, you feel a huge sense of accomplishment. If you miss, you have the joy of knowing that you at least tried. People have all sorts of ideas, plans and dreams but will too often allow their fear of failure—or their fear of success—to stop them from ever even trying. It may have something to do with worrying about what other people will think or it may have to do with a lack of confidence.

Either way, taking the shot is a far better choice than not. You actually have the hope of changing your circumstances and moving yourself from point A to point B. Don’t take the shot and you are destined to stay right where you are for the rest of your life. Take the shot.

2.  Even if you miss, you won’t live with regret.

From conversations with thousands of people, I have found that it isn’t the failures or mistakes that get people down for the long haul. No. It is the shot and chance they never even took that creates the most lasting damage—all the things they never even tried to do.

When it is all said and done, you don’t want to be the one sitting there thinking about all the shots you never even took in life—all the opportunities you weren’t open to. Regret is a hard thing to live with. It is harder than failure.

Sean Covey says it well:


Because of this and so many other reasons, I say, be disciplined; be open to change; take the shot.

3.  You learn what you are made of.

Taking the shot builds confidence, and the more shots you take and miss, the more powerful you become because you just stop being afraid to fail. You become free of fear (fear keeps people in bondage) and learn that you actually can and do just go on. You become more courageous, more determined, more committed and you learn how to get it right or whether or not you should do something different.

Success breeds success. Trying breeds success. And failure – yes failure – breeds success (when you try something and then learn from it). You start to make decisions based on facts and effort instead of something you never experienced.

And boy, when you take that shot and actually make it, there is just no better feeling than that! I have taken so many shots in my life. I have actually missed most of them (just like Michael Jordan says), but when I make the shot—wow! Nothing feels so good as matching hard effort, sweat and tears with the desired outcome. It is an amazing feeling and experience indeed, and it builds confidence! However, you only get to know this joy if you actually take the shot.

4.  You become an inspiration to others.

We all want to be around other people who are doing great things and going places. We want to learn, to grow and to be challenged and excited by the possibility of a better tomorrow. Think about how you feel when you are engaged in dialogue with someone who is excited about a future prospect, sharing his/her goals and dreams with you or starting a new project, a new job.

Now think about talking with that person after he has turned that prospect into reality. These are the wonderful moments in life. I love to share in the joy of other people’s moments and discuss their successes and accomplishments. It is inspiring to see focused and driven people, and I find that it serves as a driver to get me moving, disciplined and focused on my own goals. The courage you show when you take the shot will indeed inspire others.

Remember, it takes determination, discipline and courage for people to finally stop dreaming about a better career and actually just create one. It is amazing to see people do what it takes to choose their own paths in life. It is also quite impressive when you know someone is willing to do what it takes to climb new heights despite having professional and personal struggles, obstacles and fears. I encourage you to be that person and take the shot.

5.  You become a great leader.

Do you want to become the thought leader, the expert or the team leader?

Leadership takes courage; leaders demonstrate courage. You can’t be an effective leader if you won’t take the shot. Leadership is about making difficult and, many times, unpopular decisions. It is about forging a path where there is none. It is about elevating and inspiring others to new heights because you aren’t afraid to take that journey yourself.

If you are too afraid or uncomfortable with risk, you aren’t taking the shot. My motto is “don’t spend one more minute dreaming about a better life, a better tomorrow or a better career when you can just start creating one today." Figure out what you really want to do, where you want to be, what you want to experience and then take the career-winning shots that will get you there.

Contemplate this…

Creating and experiencing a fulfilling career will indeed take risks, but don’t let that stop you. For those of you who experience a fear of failure, I highly recommend that you do these four things—despite the risksbecause doing so will set you up for success.

  • What are some additional benefits to taking the career-winning shots?
  • How have you created your career? Did you have to take some shots? Do you own it?
  • In the end, do you have more regret from taking the shots or from not taking them at all?
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