Risk. It’s a word that gets thrown around often in business, and in life. Are you taking enough risks in your career? Not enough? Is taking a pay cut for that new job a risk? Will it payoff with a great reward in the future? All questions we all consider day-to-day in our lives. It’s because of these constant conversations about risk that I was struck heavily by the Behance blog, 99U. The article, “The 40-30-30 Rule: Why Risk is Worth It,” illustrates a rule of risk taking prevalent in athletic competition.
Check it out:
One lesson I learned from alpine ski racing was the “40-30-30 Rule.” During training, early on, I tried to go fast, and I also focused on not falling. On a ride up the ski lift, my coach told me I was missing the point. He explained that success in ski racing, or most sports for that matter, was only 40% physical training. The other 60% was mental. And of that, the first 30% was technical skill and experience. The second 30% was the willingness to take risks.
If 30% of your success is based on the willingness to take risks, are you taking enough in your career? Consider adding these risk taking rules to your day-to-day choices:
- Make 30% of your networking outreach to people who are VP level or above. Networking with the big dogs can be a big risk!
- If you’re in an active job search, try to make 30% of your applications one level or more higher on the ladder than you currently are in your career. If you’re a Manager, apply for at least 30% of jobs at Director level or higher, for example.
- If you attend 10 networking events in a year, be sure 3 of them are with a completely new group of people you’ve never networked with before.
Where else can you employ this 30% in your life and career? Risk doesn’t have to be all in or all out. It can be just 30%.
About the Author: Marcy Twete
Marcy Twete is the Founder and CEO of Career Girl Network and the author of the book “You Know Everybody! A Career Girl’s Guide to Building a Network That Works.” At Career Girl Network, Marcy provides women with information, resources, and networking to empower them in their careers and to advance the work of women in business as a whole. Prior to launching Career Girl Network, Marcy worked in numerous nonprofit organizations and as a consultant in the field of nonprofit fundraising, marketing, and community relations. Marcy is a graduate of the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota, and a native of rural North Dakota. She is the Vice Chair of the Chicago Board of Directors for Step Up Women’s Network in Chicago and a member of the Advisory Board for Girls on the Run Twin Cities, and is dedicated to advancing the work of organizations that move the needle for women and girls worldwide.
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