By Shari Lifland
 Talk
about learning from the master! Bill Treasurer is uniquely qualified to
talk about risk. For seven years, he literally took giant leaps with his
life as a member of the U.S. High Diving Team, where he performed more
than 1,500 high dives into waters 100 feet below—the equivalent of
a 10-story building! And as "Captain Inferno," he often dove
while engulfed in flames (as pictured on the cover of his book).
Now working in the somewhat less risky field of corporate
consulting as founder of Giant Leap Consulting, Treasurer has written
a deeply personal, passionate book that will help people muster up the
courage to take more risks, and, more important, to learn how to figure
out which risks are the "Right Risks."
Treasurer defines "Right Risks" as "those
that, regardless of outcomes, are always deemed successful because they
are taken with a clean conscience and clear calling." Right Risks
are always based on what is right for the individual and are, says Treasurer,
"as unique to the risk-taker as a fingerprint."
Treasurer’s Four Hallmarks of "Right Risk":
- Passion—it arouses your spirit
- Purpose—it will help you progress to a higher order or goal
- Principle—it is anchored to your deeply rooted values
- Prerogative—it stems from your own free will
Shari Lifland interviewed Bill Treasurer to learn more
about the notion of "Right Risk."
AMA: Webster’s defines risk as "the chance
of injury, damage or loss." How do you define risk?
Bill Treasurer: It depends on whether we're talking
about a Right Risk or a Wrong Risk. I define a Right Risk as the "application
of courage" or "courage in action." Conversely, I define
a Wrong Risk as the "application of foolishness" or "foolishness
in action."
Incidentally, the word "risk" comes from an
old Latin word, "riscare." And it doesn't mean harm or danger.
It means, "to dare." So there’s always been an element of daring
when it comes to risk.
AMA: What’s the greatest risk you’ve ever taken? How did you find
the courage to take that risk and did it pay off? Was it a "Right
Risk?"
BT: That’s a really tough question. I may be
in the midst of my biggest Right Risk right now. For me the turning point
was 9/11. As a New Yorker by birth, it had a big impact on me. One of
the friends that I lost that day had been a lifeguard with me in our hometown
of Larchmont, New York. He worked at Cantor-Fitzgerald.
I made a vow to myself that day that the best way I
could honor those Americans we lost that day was to stop betraying myself.
The first half of my life was about a long, slow sellout. The second half
is about following what I believe to be my calling and living in a way
that demonstrates personal fidelity. I realized that the best way I can
serve others is to be my most authentic me.
I think that giant leaps with your life start with giant
decisions in your heart. So it just may be that the Rightest Risk I’ve
ever taken is the risk of being myself…with no apologies. It took
me 41 years to muster up the courage to take this risk.
AMA: In "Right Risk," you state that
in today’s uncertain world, "those who play it safe may be in the
greatest danger." How so?
BT: Every risk can be split in two—the
risk of action and the risk of inaction. Too often we assume that inaction
is the safer path. And in the short run, it may be. But inaction is like
a slow-acting gas that, at some point, can render us unconscious. A lot
of people stay in jobs that are no longer challenging just because "it
puts food on the table." To me, that’s a slow, suffocating death.
Everyone has heard Thoreau’s famous quote, "Most
men lead lives of quiet desperation." But the second part of the
quote, in my opinion, is more poignant. He continues, "…and
go to the grave with the song still in them." To me, playing it safe
is shoveling dirt on your own inner song.
If 9/11 taught us anything, it’s that we're not safe.
But knowing that frees you to live in a more assertive way. Life
is too short to live in a compromised way. There is nothing worse than
self-betrayal. And when we delude ourselves into believing that we can
go through life "playing it safe," we are being, well, delusional.
AMA: You dedicate "Right Risk" to
your first diving coach, Ford Winter, "For helping me take flight."
What did you learn from Mr. Winter? How did he encourage you to "take
flight?"
BT: You are the first person to ask this question,
and I am so glad that you did.
Ford influenced me in several ways. First, he did exactly
what a coach is supposed to do. He saw, and believed in, my potential
long before I did. When I first met Ford, he had already produced a long
line of successful divers, so I knew that if he was interested in me,
I must truly have had potential.
He taught discipline to an undisciplined kid. Then,
with patience and persistence, he held me accountable for my own excellence.
Ford gave me permission to be myself instead of who everyone else wanted
me to be. I still benefit from those lessons today.
Finally, Ford taught me by how he carried himself. He
was, and is, a person who lives a life of authenticity. He was a submarine
crewman in the Navy, a talented diver at the University of Miami and a
well-loved P.E. teacher in New York. I spoke with him just the other day.
He’s in his sixties now. He owns a tugboat, restores classic cars and
sings cabaret songs in New York City nightclubs!
AMA: In your career as a high diver, you executed
over 1500 dives. And yet, you maintain that you were (and to some extent,
remain) afraid of heights! How is this possible?
BT: Yes, it is true, I am a high diver who is
afraid of heights. Most people judge their risks according to their fears.
When we are confronted with a risk, it presents us with an opportunity
to walk through our fears, lessening the fear’s power over us. But it
doesn't mean that you will eradicate the fear altogether.
While I am still afraid of heights, that fear no longer
debilitates me. So now I am capable of going to the top of high places
and enjoying the beautiful view.
AMA: You’ve written, "Boredom has always
been the prime instigator of risk-taking." The flip side of that
notion is that "the devil finds work for idle hands." Doesn't
boredom often lead to big trouble?
BT: Absolutely! Most Wrong Risks--drug abuse,
stealing cars, gratuitous daredevilry--are the result of boredom. The
philosopher Schopenhauer said that boredom is worse than suffering to
the human condition. Humans just hate to be bored! And we'll go to great
lengths to avoid it.
But even some Right Risks are taken because we know
that sometimes you just gotta shake up your life. A friend of mine, who
also is afraid of heights, did her first parachute jump on her 50th birthday!
She wanted to kick-start the second half of her life in a symbolic way.
Now she’s a successful professional speaker, which she never would have
dreamed of being were it not for her symbolic giant leap.
AMA: Do we really need to take risks? What’s
wrong with staying within the comfort zone?
BT: Yes, we do need to take risks. The term
"comfort zone" is really just a gussied up euphemism for fear.
But here’s the thing. You already are taking risks! It just doesn't seem
like it because it is that area of your life where you’ve got the most
confidence. It is the thing that comes easy to you, your "second
nature." So my suggestion is, rather than hiding behind the excuse
of your "comfort zone," learn to borrow from your Risk Confident
Domain (RCD). Here are some suggestions:
- Get a coach
- Break the risk down into smaller, more manageable steps
- Visualize a positive outcome
- Practice, practice, practice
- Recite positive affirmations
- Talk to experts who’ve taken the risk you are challenged with
AMA: Are
there some people who are genetically predisposed to find risk attractive?
(And others who naturally avoid taking risks?)
BT: Yes, but genetics only explains about 10%
of risk-taking behavior. Apparently some risk-takers have a slightly longer
form of a specific dopamine receptor gene. Dopamine is a powerful opiate-like
substance that the body produces when hyper-stimulated. So some people
literally "get off" on risk. But again, it is a very small portion
of folks.
Other research suggests that the resting autonomic systems
of risk-takers are lower. They have lower resting heart rates and lower
blood pressure (this is actually true in my case). Researchers believe
these people may end up seeking out risky situations so they can turn
up the volume of their lives. Conversely, people who notoriously avoid
risk often have a higher resting autonomic system. They avoid risk, because
they're afraid they'll overload. I had a boss, for example, who was constantly
catastrophizing about "what could go wrong." To me, that’s joyless.
Keep in mind, however, that I do not subscribe to the
notion of a universal risk-taker. The truth is, we all take and avoid
risk. Some play it fast and loose with their finances, but wouldn't dare
travel overseas alone. Others may voice a bold opinion, but are afraid
to get on an escalator. I have a good friend who is a federal agent—a
rough and tumble guy who carries a gun on his ankle. But he has difficulty
telling his wife he loves her. All of us are high divers and low divers.
AMA: What do you hope your readers will take
away from Right Risk?
BT: There are a lot of voices out there promoting
"risk management," where the primary obsession is how to control,
minimize and mitigate risk. So far as I know, Right Risk is the
only book that deals specifically with how to take a risk. I want to suggest
a new field: Risk Leadership. Risk Leadership comes with a new presupposition—that
people and organizations grow to the extent that they risk deftly.
Finally, I want people to stop selling out and stop
betraying themselves. To live a meaningful, fulfilled and relevant life,
you have to take the risk of committing yourself to being who you are
meant to be, regardless of what others think.
So in the end, the final messages are: Trust yourself
and be yourself!
Don't let the risk you regret the most be the one you
didn't take!
About Bill Treasurer: Treasurer is the founder
of Giant Leap Consulting (www.giantleapconsulting.com)
where he helps individuals and organizations take smart, spirited risks
in pursuit of their goals. He is also a writer, speaker, trainer, coach
and consultant. He lives outside of Atlanta. He can be reached at btreasurer@giantleapconsulting.com
To learn more about risk, consider these AMA seminars:
|
