Risk

We, animals in general, are programmed with fight-or-flight response. Since this emanates from the amygdala which is a part of the limbic system, we know that it is a response that had evolved with time. So, when faced with a situation we tend to judge and take a call, which is where we make a judgement call on the factor of 'risk' we can handle. 

These are, in my experience, based on many circumstantial factors. These elements may be derived at work, play or anywhere in between. I am paraphrasing here, "As we move along in our life, problems do not get any easier, we just get better at handling them", hopefully! This is why, we as entrepreneurs tend to look at hires if they have the capacity to not only 'handle' risks but also potentially 'mitigate' them before the risks manifest. 

As an entrepreneur, we know, or at least we think we know what it takes to take the plunge. We want to see something similar or better in the team we aspire to build. This gives us an opportunity to take more risks thus reaping greater rewards.

Of course we will fail many times, the failure is what makes the journey all the more interesting and that feeling of overcoming the failure is what feeds our passion for what we do. Then there comes a time when we decide not to take the 'flight' path but stand and 'fight'. This is the point of inflection in our journey from mere mortals to entrepreneurs. 

Which is also one of the many reasons, i look at potential hires to see if they engage in sports that are : team sport or individual, whether they are sports that have some risk to it or not. This gives me an insight into the person and guides me in my team building process.

I personally like: XC Cycling, DH Cycling, Tennis, rock-climbing and trekking.