Taking Smart Risks: How Sharp Leaders Win When Stakes are High


Book Description

In today’s market, playing it safe is not an option Lead your company to sustainable success by taking the RIGHT RISKS The business world is in flux, and you have to think and act quickly in order to stay competitive. But the last thing you want to do is make reckless business decisions. You have to find the middle ground. You have to take SMART RISKS. In this groundbreaking book, leadership expert Doug Sundheim explains how to find that precise point between comfort and danger for generating the sustained ability to work at the highest level of performance. Taking Smart Risks reveals the secrets to discovering, planning for, and acting upon the kind of risks that will move your company forward and ahead of the competition. Learn how to: Find Something Worth Fighting For—What do you care enough about to risk time, energy, and money to try to make happen? Determining this is half the battle. See the Future Now—Clarify your big idea in terms of real objectives, plans, and intended results. Act Fast, Learn Fast—Make your move quickly, but be sure you don’t squander valuable resources in the process. Communicate Powerfully—Assume communication will break down at points, plan accordingly—and don’t shy away from the tough conversations. Create a Smart Risk Culture— Build teams that share the same mindsets and values about expected smart risk behavior. Applying Sundheim’s advice will help you let go of old assumptions, explore new possibilities, move your organization out of its comfort zone, and experience long-term success. When you take smart risks, you will create. You will innovate. You will grow. And you will WIN. “From Sherwin Williams to Moo.com, Doug Sundheim is onto something here: your work is worth fighting for. A worthy read for everyone in your organization.” —Seth Godin, Author, The Icarus Deception “The risk-taking concepts in this book lie at the heart of effective leadership. Using case studies and stories from executives who have ‘been there, done that,’ Doug Sundheim teaches us that sometimes the most dangerous thing to do—in business and life—is to play it safe.” —Marshall Goldsmith, million-selling author of the New York Times bestsellers MOJO and What Got You Here Won’t Get You There “Sundheim delivers a message that every business needs to hear right now: excessive risk will kill you, but so will complacency. . . . If you’re charged with driving growth in your organization, buy this book—but more importantly, use it.” —Jed Hartman, Group Publisher, Fortune & CNNMoney.com “A spectacular book! The stories were powerful, the advice was crystal clear, and every few pages called me to action. I have bookmarked more pages in Taking Smart Risks than I have in any book since reading Peter Drucker’s classics.” —Michael Hejtmanek, President & CEO, Hasselblad Bron Inc. “Doug Sundheim does an excellent job of demonstrating not only how to take smart risks, but also how to lead the process of risk-taking—a critical skill set for leaders today.” —Cindy Zollinger, President & CEO, Cornerstone Research “A compelling case for why smart risk taking is so important in today’s fast-paced, uncertain world.” —Willie Pietersen, Professor, Columbia Business School; former CEO, Tropicana and Seagram USA




Grow Smart, Risk Less


Book Description

Looking for a low-risk, low-capital path to astounding growth?Experienced franchisor Shelly Sun shares practical advice and her own compelling experiences to help you discover the power and avoid the pitfalls of franchising your business.In today's economic environment, access to capital is limited, and that isn't likely to change. Successful business owners have few options for dramatically expanding their brand. Grow Smart, Risk Less describes how you can use other people's money and can leverage your success for fast, profitable growth.Unlike many authors of books on franchising, Shelly Sun has been through the process, growing her business from $1 million to $100 million in five years in system-wide sales. In Grow Smart, Risk Less she describes the process she went through-equal parts brutally grueling and enormously rewarding-to make it happen. She will educate you on every stage of the franchising process, preparing you to make savvy business decisions that are right for your company now. You will learn how to Determine if you have a concept worthy of franchising and how to adjust your concept if you don't Assemble a professional team without wasting money Adjust your business model along the way for optimum growth Grow as a leader to assume the new challenges of leading a larger, more diverse organizationIf you're ready for the next stage of business development, read Grow Smart, Risk Less and set yourself on the path to amazing growth.




Smart Risk


Book Description

We all know that the future is uncertain, but rather than make any attempt to actively manage our futures in a consistent way, we tend to make broadbrush assumptions based on common-sense and intuition alone. Successfully managing risk is a primary ingredient for success in a fast-paced environment where we are bombarded by the need to make critical decisions, often with little or no solid facts available and little insight into the likely outcomes. Smart Things to Know About Risk Management, in a step-by-step approach, shows the reader what is risk management and why it matters, the categories of risk, how to achieve the right balance of risk, knowing your risk appetite, how to actively manage your risks and develop a risk culture and techniques, tools and models for managing risk. Case studies are also included. * Perfect for the SMART treatment - this book starts from basics, assumes no prior knowledge and gives a step-by-step approach. * Step-by-step approach. Covers the background to risk and risk management as well as practical application and techniques, tools and models for managing risk. * Written by a highly experienced practitioner with a formidable working knowledge in this area.




Risk and the Smart Investor


Book Description

Master the most important investing skill of all—DECISION MAKING “De-risking your investments requires knowing that there is much you don’t know.” –David X Martin Risk exists because of one simple fact: Decisions are always based on incomplete information. Therefore, to meet your investment goals over the long term, you must learn to manage the risks associated with a decision-making process that is by nature flawed. Risk and the Smart Investor provides a framework for making such decisions. Avoiding unrealistic promises of completely risk-free investing, world-renowned risk management expert David X Martin familiarizes you with the principles of risk management. Based on Martin’s experience in managing risk at several of the world’s largest financial institutions, this principlebased approach presents a unique perspective that helps you manage the risk in every investment you make. Risk and the Smart Investor provides not only a framework for managing risk in today’s markets, it also prepares you to handle the next financial crisis—which is coming, sooner or later—by separating risk management into four separate processes: Assessment—know where you are, but accept the fact that you cannot know everything The Rules of the Game—determine your appetite for risk, diversify accordingly, demand transparency, and institute checks and balances Decision Making—consider all alternatives, fit your plans into specific time frames, and always have an exit strategy Reevaluation—continually monitor the outcomes of your decisions and learn from your mistakes Praise for Risk and the Smart Investor “Interesting and instructive. A good book for those who want to learn about risk and build this knowledge into their financial decisions.” —John Reed, former CEO, Citigroup “David Martin has produced a popular yet serious post-financial crisis reflection on the fundamentals of risk management as a living process. Rich in experience and wisdom, Risk and the Smart Investor is both a useful handbook brimming with insights, and a moral tale for our times. Simply a must-read for every serious investor, risk manager, and just about everyone else.” —Michael Power, professor, London School of Economics and Political Science “David Martin knows risk and the active investor and his book proves it.” —Jerry Lieberman “This book is like having your own mentor to guide you through risk management decisions.” —William Rhodes, Chairman, Citigroup and Citibank




Smart Risk


Book Description

In Smart Risk, leading wealth catalyst and portfolio manager Maili Wong shows how to achieve your financial purpose with a "Smart Risk Investing Roadmap." This roadmap builds a foundation based on purpose, poeple, plan perspective and positive action.




Risk Communication for the Future


Book Description

The conventional approach to risk communication, based on a centralized and controlled model, has led to blatant failures in the management of recent safety related events. In parallel, several cases have proved that actors not thought of as risk governance or safety management contributors may play a positive role regarding safety. Building on these two observations and bridging the gap between risk communication and safety practices leads to a new, more societal perspective on risk communication, that allows for smart risk governance and safety management. This book is Open Access under a CC-BY licence.




Smart Risk Management


Book Description

Management accountants must be able to define the payoffs from their organisation's risk taking, as well as identify, understand, and reduce the negative effects of everyday business risks. This book defines organisational risk taking and outlines a formal process to handle risk effectively. The book details six steps for sound risk management: Defining risk Examining your attitude toward risk Analysing your organisation's ability to handle risk Minimising a risk's exposure or downside Recovering quickly from a risk's negative impacts Expanding your knowledge so you can accept more risk with confidence Written for management accountants, Smart Risk Management analyses your position in the middle of the organisation-ensuring both that it does not take risks whose costs it cannot afford and that it takes enough risks to stay competitive in the evolving marketplace. Having adequate insurance coverage is only one small piece of risk management, as this book explains. With ample examples and case studies, as well as 50 hands-on risk tools, Smart Risk Management will enhance your understanding of strategic, operational, and innovation risk and increase your value to your organisation.




3 Minute Summary of Taking Smart Risks by Doug Sundheim


Book Description

thimblesofplenty is a group of friends who also happen to be business people and avid readers. We wanted to keep up with the latest business books but found that time was a factor. So we divided out the work and each of us took a book and summarised it for the others. We though it might be a great idea to share these summaries with you. For a small price and a 3 minute time investment, our summary gives you some of the wisdom from the book, some food for thought and hopefully the impetus to make some time to read the whole book!




Summary: Taking Smart Risks


Book Description

The must-read summary of Doug Sundheim's book: "Taking Smart Risks: How Smart Leaders Win When Stakes Are High". This complete summary of the ideas from Doug Sundheim's book "Taking Smart Risks" shows that when you stay in your comfort zone indefinitely, you really don’t feel alive. Thus to keep growing, you have to work towards achieving challenging goals which force you to stretch and grow. This summary highlights five things you need to do in order to get in the “smart-risk zone” and stay there. Added-value of this summary: • Save time • Understand key concepts • Expand your knowledge To learn more, read "Taking Smart Risks" and find out why you should break out of your comfort zone and start taking risks that will help you reach your goals.




Positive Risk


Book Description

Positive risk is a perspective, an attitude, and a life philosophy that creates a shift away from the negative view of risk that so many of us were taught. This book will help change your perceptions regarding risk so that you can begin to better understand how valuable and constructive risks really are. Many of us go to great lengths to avoid risk, yet in reality, it is through taking intelligent risk that we grow, learn, and achieve our dreams, goals, and ambitions. By taking well-thought-out chance, we make a difference in our own lives and those of others. By adopting a positive risk perspective, you will begin to see new possibilities in yourself and the world around you.