The CEO Difference: How to Climb, Crawl, and Leap Your Way to the Next Level of Your Career

CHAPTER 9Take Calculated Risks

THERE IS a saying among old cowboys out West: “One man with courage is the majority.”

When I write about courage, intestinal fortitude, guts, and boldness to differentiate yourself, it’s not to encourage you to do stupid, risky things. I’m not looking for the daredevil mentality that causes you to rappel off the Brooklyn Bridge or swim with the sharks. Nor need you be as daring as one CEO who said: “I’ve always taken chances. At 54 years old, I married an 18-year-old. Her dad didn’t like me or the idea at all. I told him, ‘Look, you’re not losing a daughter. You’re gaining a brother.’ … I was a hyper child, always getting into trouble like the time I looked inside a gas tank with a match. I learned you don’t do ...