It’s Better to Say Sorry than to Ask for Permission
This is a very dynamic world with so many opportunities that cannot be left behind. So what differentiates successful people from the non-successful ones? I can say that is to take risks, take all the opportunities you come across and of course don’t be afraid.
If you have read the book Lean In, you may follow Sheryl Sandberg in many of her forums or social media sites. I love a specific one where she asks everybody: What would you do if you weren’t afraid, I always feel happy when I read all the possible answers and I ask the same question to myself and fortunately I can say that I have overcome my fears in many aspects. Therefore I’m proud to say that I have accomplished many of my dreams at this point, but If I wasn’t afraid I would have accomplished many more, like having my own company!
Getting back to the title of this blog, I want to share a phrase that is now part of my philosophy of life: “it is better to say sorry than to ask for permission”. I have to tell you that I’m not encouraging you all to do crazy things for no reason or without taking the consequences into consideration. In contrast, I think we all should see the opportunities, evaluate the consequences and take risks. We have to be brave enough to recognize our fault if things don’t prove to be as you expected, but you should always have in mind something: what would have happened if I didn't try, just for fear or for waiting someone else’s approval.
Just to be more concise, I will give an example, I think examples are always better than theory: Imagine that you are a Product Manager in a Technology Company and you have negotiated for months with a vendor to get some funds for incentives. You have it all set; you only need a final approval of your boss. But, you realize that he is on vacation (without notification) and that he will not be back until the 15th day of the month so it would be too late for the launch. My recommendation would be:
1. Launch the incentives without his/her approval, or escalate it. The money belongs to the vendor so if you don’t use it you’ll lose it. Incentives for the sales force will most of the time ends up in revenue increase.
If my suggestion seems to be pretty obvious for you we are on the same page. However, I can assure that it is not obvious for everyone, some people will be afraid to get fired for taking these kind of actions that are actually good for the company. If your boss gets mad you will at least be able show him a revenue increase and that you are caring about the company while he is not in the office.
To sum up, when you have a situation in front of you, you can choose if you call it problem or opportunity. After that you have to evaluate the consequences of what you are about to do and take the risk! It’s better to say sorry than to ask for permission, at the end if things get wrong at least you will never ask yourself, what would have happened if…
Related links:http://ifuwerentafraid.tumblr.com/
