Fearlessness

You might think that I have dropped off the face of the earth, and with all the really ugly things happening in the economy, politics (Arizona citizen) and in nature (BP, oil spills, earthquakes, tornados), you might be right, but you aren’t.

Over the past several weeks I have done lots of optimistic things because I am FEARLESS.

I just posted to a discussion about what makes a great project manager and I included the seven predictable, but lame, items I use to teach PM 101.

My motto: Indolese  Rapio, so those ideas are pretty much stolen from Stephen Covey, who stole them from Peter Drucker, who stole them from someone else before him.

However, I added the one that I think really propelled my career in Project Management:

FEARLESSNESS

That doesn’t mean I am foolish, ignorant, or un-thoughtful. It means that once I have analyzed the risks (and I do worry a lot) and rewards of a venture, I move forward without trepidation or concern for the outcome.

I know I will survive and be better off than before I started. It has always worked for me.

So here are the FEARLESS  things I have initiated this spring:

• Signed up to develop curriculum and launch a new academic program with a fellow colleague at the university.
• Agreed to take on a volunteer development opportunity in Indian Country.
• Put in an experimental garden in March and built the deer fences for the permanent garden, as well as purchased the materials for the raised beds.
• Hired an architect to design an addition to my home in Arizona, even though we are probably at a small net negative worth. (slightly underwater)
• Arranged to refinance that home with a view to be able to stay in it for at least ten years.
• Opened a new LLC venture and landed my first paying client. (not sure how much profit there will be, but hey its a shot).
• Let my wife buy an expensive piece of art that she has wanted for a long time, without a clue as to how I would pay for it. (Not too expensive)
• Offering six graduate courses on-line this summer. A new personal record.
• Determined to blog post more often. (Blogging has really helped my writing, even if you don’t notice it)

So here is the take away: See an opportunity, analyze the risks and rewards. If you go for it, go without fear. No matter the outcome you will be better for taking the effort.

PS. When I was thirty-five years old, I was given an opportunity to work with a small group in a company turn around. The company had 15,000 employees worldwide. I was given the six western states with $400M in work. We busted our butts, and took our lumps for eight months and had the company turned around when we were slapped with RICO suit by the DOJ, we folded three days later. 

What I got: a Vice Presidency on my resume, ten years of business experience gained in less than a year, a reputation for a can do fearless manager, and a six month vacation at the beach before I joined my next start up venture.