Joey and Sally : Why now is exactly the right time to take creative risks

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Setup: Joey is wondering if now is really the right time to take risks. Sally has jumped into being creative right now and shares how to overcome fear and doubt.

Joey catches Sally a little off guard when their two screens connect on their weekly Zoom call. 

“You on vacation, Joey?” Sally laughs.

“I’m in Bali today! Pina Coladas for everyone!” Joey points to the fake background behind him. He’s in a Hawaiian print shirt to go with the theme. “It’s lovely this time of year!”

“You’re crazy! I love it!” Sally says.

“Gotta make this quick! Have to catch my next flight!” Joey says, and his background suddenly changes to Mt. Rushmore.

Sally busts out laughing. “What is happening with you today? I love this new energy!”

Joey’s tone gets slightly more serious. “Gotta find opportunities to be creative on my own during these times. It’s not the right environment for innovation at work.”

“Why do you think that?” asks Sally.

“Fear, mostly. Even though it’s been a year and a few months that we all have been dealing with the pandemic, there’s still a lot of uncertainty. For me, that fear hasn’t really gone away. It’s been really hard for me to think about taking risks when there are so many what-ifs at play in my head. 

“I hear you,” Sally says. “But this time might be just the opportunity you’ve been waiting for. Author and world-renowned organizational culture guru and disruptor Whitney Johnson recently said something that stuck with me:

Learn to disrupt yourself.

It’s all about taking the right kinds of risks and disruption. Isn’t that especially true now? You can’t give in to the fear! You have to put your fears in a corner, give them a snack or something and go create instead.”

Joey is onboard in theory but still has his doubts. “Oh, believe me, I want my company to be just as innovative now as we were a month ago. But even as a leader, it’s hard not to let emotions get in the way. I worry for myself and for all of you.”

Sally reassures him. “Everyone is emotional right now. That means everyone is being pushed onto an entirely new learning curve all at the same time. What a massive opportunity to let your emotions give you the energy to move up that curve and set the tone at your organization and within your industry. That is some powerful fuel right there!”

“So lean into the fear?” asks Joey. Sally says,

Acknowledge your fear, tend to it, and then learn to move on.

“You can’t let it paralyze you, but you can use parts of it to spur you into action. As Whitney also says, the only way to manage through the disruption in the world right now is to be willing to disrupt yourself. You can do this!”

“Okay Sally, I’ll try. I acknowledge my fear and I’m ready to place it in a box and see what comes after.”

“I’m excited to see where you go next!” says Sally.

Joey’s background changes to the Grand Canyon. “Like here?”

“It’s a start.” Sally laughs and rolls her eyes. 

Leaderpoint: Turn your fears and doubts into fuel for creativity.

Question: In what ways are you viewing the current situation as an opportunity for creativity and growth?

Check out my conversation with Whitney Johnson on this topic (and subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven't already):

Love,

Sangram here

Author of two books on Marketing: ABM is B2B and Account-Based Marketing For Dummies

Co-founder of Terminus and the Host of the top 50 business podcast - FlipMyFunnel

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P.S. I LOVE You! And always remember: Being intentional is more important than being brilliant.