Margie Warrell - Stop Playing Safe

1 COVER

2 TITLE PAGE STOP PLAYING SAFE HOW TO BE BRAVER IN YOUR WORK, LEADERSHIP AND LIFE FULLY REVISED SECOND EDITION DR. MARGIE WARRELL

3 COPYRIGHT First published in 2021 by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd 42 McDougall St, Milton Qld 4064 Office also in Melbourne © John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd 2021 The moral rights of the author have been asserted ISBN: 978-0-730-39458-7 All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (for example, a fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism or review), no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, communicated or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission. All inquiries should be made to the publisher at the address above. Cover design by Wiley Disclaimer The material in this publication is of the nature of general comment only, and does not represent professional advice. It is not intended to provide specific guidance for particular circumstances and it should not be relied on as the basis for any decision to take action or not take action on any matter which it covers. Readers should obtain professional advice where appropriate, before making any such decision. To the maximum extent permitted by law, the author and publisher disclaim all responsibility and liability to any person, arising directly or indirectly from any person taking or not taking action based on the information in this publication.

4 ABOUT MARGIE ABOUT MARGIE Dr Margie Warrell brings her diverse international experience in business, coaching and psychology — coupled with a deep passion for unlocking the potential that fear often holds hostage — to inspire braver action in today's increasingly cautious world. Margie has walked her talk since her childhood growing up in a big family on a small farm in rural Australia. She has lived and worked around the world for more than 25 years, trusted by global brands such as Amazon, Dell, Google, Johnson & Johnson, L'Oreal, Morgan Stanley, NASA and Salesforce to deliver transformative programs that accelerate growth, improve outcomes and strengthen leadership. A passionate advocate for women and inclusive leadership and a Women's Economic Forum honoree, Margie sits on the advisory board of Forbes School of Business & Technology and regularly shares her insights in the media including the Today show and CNN. Her advice has been featured in The New York Times, The Week, Success magazine, Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal . Margie also shares insights from her conversations with global leaders and luminaries such as Richard Branson, Steve Forbes, Tony Robbins, Bill Marriott, Dr Phil McGraw, Marianne Williamson and Dr John Demartini in her ‘Courage Work’ Forbes column and Live Brave podcast. The titles of Margie's Live Brave podcast and other best-selling books — Find Your Courage, Make Your Mark, Train the Brave and You've Got This! — reflect the passion she brings to her own leadership and life. Margie also loves adventure travel, especially long hikes in beautiful places — from climbing Kilimanjaro with her husband and their four brave-hearted children to exploring national parks near her home outside Washington, DC. Margie would love to connect with you on social media or at www.margiewarrell.com .

5 PREFACE PREFACE The first edition of this book was written nearly a decade ago, during my first year living back in Australia after over a decade in the USA. At the time, many people were still regaining their footing in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis which had shaken their sense of security. As fear ran high, I drew on the insights of leaders I'd worked with, as well as my own research, to help people ‘rethink risk’ and move boldly forward amid the uncertainty. This revised second edition has been written after another global move — this time from Singapore back to the USA — and another, even greater, global crisis. I think it's fair to say the COVID-19 pandemic jolted our sense of security and raised the ‘fear factor’ to whole new levels. As I witnessed people making irrational decisions driven solely by fear (one person I knew cashed in their entire retirement savings, fearing Armageddon was nigh), I felt compelled to update this book and streamline it. Of course, there will always be legitimate reasons for going with the safest option. Yet when uncertainty looms large, we must be all the more vigilant to discern between the fears that are serving us and those that are driving us to make overly cautious decisions in our work, in how we live and how we lead. Because while playing it too safe can provide a short-term sense of security, it ultimately keeps us from taking the very actions that would help us become more secure — individually and collectively — over the longer term. While the world may feel like a riskier place today, the truth is that there have always been risks. The difference is that in today's digital 24/7 world, we're now continually bombarded with information that makes life appear riskier. Only when we dare to ‘lean towards risk’ and venture onto new ground can we seize the opportunities hidden within our challenges, turning our setbacks into stepping stones, and leading ourselves and others to higher ground and a more, not less, secure world. So if the title of this book spoke to you, it wasn't by chance. I hope the pages that follow will embolden you to embrace uncertainty and take the risks required to open up new possibilities for you and those around you. In today’s culture of fear, daring to rise above our instinctual desire to play it safe, to take brave action amid the risks, has become ever more imperative.

6 INTRODUCTION

7 PART I: CORE COURAGE 1 KNOW YOUR WHY FOR THE SAKE OF WHAT? HOW DO YOU WANT TO MEASURE YOUR LIFE? WORK FOR A PURPOSE, NOT FOR APPLAUSE YOUR PURPOSE WILL UNFOLD AND EVOLVE AS YOU DO 2 LEAN TOWARDS RISK BEWARE OF NORMALISING FEAR; NOT ALL RISKS ARE TO BE AVOIDED TRUST YOURSELF, NOT YOUR FEARS LEAN TOWARD RISK LEARN TO MANAGE YOUR FEAR OR IT WILL MANAGE YOU KNOW WHAT TO FEAR EMBODY THE BRAVE-HEARTED PERSON YOU ASPIRE TO BECOME 3 BE TRUSTWORTHY NEVER SURRENDER SELF-RESPECT TO SELF-INTEREST A LACK OF TRUST EXACTS A STEEP HIDDEN TAX THE FOUR DOMAINS OF TRUST YOU WILL ONLY GO AS HIGH AS YOUR ROOTS GO DEEP

8 PART II: WORKING COURAGE 4 SPEAK BRAVELY THE MOST IMPORTANT CONVERSATIONS ARE OFTEN THE LEAST COMFORTABLE 5 LEARN, UNLEARN AND RELEARN DON'T WALK INTO THE FUTURE BLINDFOLDED CHANGE, EVEN CHANGE FOR THE BETTER, IS RARELY COMFORTABLE REFRAME LEARNING FROM A ONE-OFF EVENT TO A LIFELONG JOURNEY LIFE WILL NEVER STOP TEACHING SO YOU MUST NEVER STOP LEARNING CHANGE IMPOSED IS CHANGE OPPOSED 6 EMBRACE SETBACKS BUILD YOUR MUSCLES FOR LIFE BEWARE NEGATIVE FORECASTING BIAS: YOUR TENDENCY TO TURN FORECASTS INTO FEAR-CASTS PREPARE TO SOAR: LIFE DOESN'T HAPPEN TO YOU, BUT FOR YOU 7 LEAD BRAVELY REAL LEADERSHIP EXTENDS FROM THE INSIDE OUT CONNECT AUTHENTICALLY INSPIRE POSSIBILITIES EMBOLDEN PEOPLE TO TAKE BRAVER ACTION AMPLIFY THE RIPPLE EFFECT

9 PART III: TAKE COURAGE 8 BACK YOURSELF DARE TO MAKE THE ULTIMATE BET … ON YOURSELF ENLIST THE SUPPORT OF PEOPLE WHO LIFT YOU UP AND ENLARGE YOUR THINKING PRUNE YOUR TREE AND NEVER SHRINK YOURSELF DOWN TO MAKE OTHERS FEEL BETTER CLEAR YOUR CLUTTER: A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING AND EVERYTHING IN ITS PLACE CREATE RITUALS THAT EXPAND YOUR CAPACITY TO THRIVE UNDER PRESSURE BUILD COURAGE IN INCREMENTS MAKE DAILY STROKES OF EFFORT SET A VISION THAT COMPELS YOU TO BREAK RANKS WITH COMFORT MAKE YOUR STAND FOR GREATNESS EMBRACE YOUR FUTURE AS THE ONCE IN A LIFETIME ADVENTURE IT IS

10 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

11 INDEX

12 END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT