What is the real risk?

As an executive and personal coach, I create space for clients to remember who they have been, the journey they have travelled to get to where they are now, and where they want to be in their future.

I am committed to having a diverse coaching practice, which means I am witness to many women's personal and working lives.

The industries they work in range from tech, law, creative arts, medicine, NGOs, entrepreneurs, coaches, female leaders at all levels in all industries. Although the industries in which my client's work are as diverse as the ethnicities and ages of my clients, there are reoccurring patterns.

One pattern I see time and time again is our relationship to real or perceived risk. 

Our brains are geared toward negativity bias, which means we focus on the risk of losing what we currently have, even if we are unhappy, instead of focusing on what we could gain if we took the risk.

Hasa was a very passionate designer based in New York; she knew she wanted to pivot in her business, but her fear of risk was getting in the way.

The fear was that if she stepped out of what she was known for, she would lose her clients and have to start again from scratch. She remembered how hard it was for her to set up her practice and own the title of designer. She didn't know if her work would be received well or if she would find paying clients. Over the years, Hasa built a successful design practice that bought her fulfilment, validation, and financial reward.

Eight years later, and Hasa was bored. She felt she had exhausted this style of work and wanted to step into a more experimental space as an artist and designer, but she was afraid of the risk. 

In one session, I asked her, "What do you admire about your favourite artists and designers?"

Without hesitation, she replied, "They take risks!"

"And what do you admire about yourself?"

"My ability to persevere and create something from nothing."

"And what about your risk-taking?"

"I don't take risks; that's why I'm bored."

"Really? I remember you telling me a few months ago that the biggest risk you had ever taken was showing your work?"

"True. I never believed I would ever become a full-time designer."

"So, you put all of your energy, time, and effort into something you were not guaranteed to succeed in; sounds risky." 

"It was. It's all been a risk; there have never been any guarantees."

"And yet, you continued. Has it been worth the risk?" I asked.

"One hundred percent."

"What is the risk if you keep going as you are now, Hasa?"

"I'll stop loving what I love. It's already happening; I'm losing the inspiration to create because I'm not creating for myself anymore. I'm so disengaged."

"Which risk is bigger, the risk of growth or the risk of staying the same?"

"The risk of staying the same." 

Hasa was a creative, but I have had similar conversations with clients working in various industries at different levels in their careers. 

We so often forget where we started, the fear we had at the beginning of our careers. 

We forget what we have learnt along the way, the resilience we have built. We forget our strength, and in Hasa's case, she had forgotten who she was: she had always been a risk-taker. 

Once upon a time, we went to school, maybe advanced through various levels of higher education, found the job of our lives, and stayed there. There was stability in following this one path, or the path mapped out for us by our familial, cultural, or industry expectations, and there was no or little risk involved. 

We are in a very different time now. As more and more of us navigate a new way of working, we need to strengthen our ability to expose ourselves to risk. 

As the pandemic has disproportionally affected women's careers due to extra caring duties, home-schooling, and other factors, if we don't take risks, we will not only diminish our power in the workforce, but we will also diminish our enjoyment of our work. 

The need for fulfilling, engaging, and empowering work is more achievable than most women realise, but it might take some risk to get there. 

The risk of having a difficult conversation, the risk of owning and declaring what you need and want from your career and your life, the risk of pivoting your business, or the risk of leaving your role or industry altogether.

In today's climate, reshaping our careers to support our need for engaging work and fulfilling personal lives is a risk worth taking.

If you are finding yourself at a crossroads, ask yourself the question, "What is the risk if I don't change anything?"

This one question alone will ignite reflection and make the path forwards a little clearer. 

You may realise that your experience of this one life is worth the risk after all. 

I would love to hear about your experience of risk during your career or business journey. 

About Kemi: Kemi Nekvapil is one of Australia’s leading credentialed coaches for female executives and entrepreneurs, an author and a highly sought-after international speaker. She has studied leadership and purpose at The Gross National Happiness Centre in Bhutan and trained with Dr Brené Brown to become a Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator, working with teams and organisations to create daring leaders and courageous cultures. Kemi is a facilitator for The Hunger Project Australia and a regular interviewer of industry icons including Elizabeth Gilbert, Martha Beck and Marie Forleo, and she hosts the number one ranking podcast The Shift Series. With a level of compassion and wisdom only gained through extraordinary life experience, Kemi is a powerful advocate for connected, value-based living.