Take the Damn Risk
?? Amy Stokes-Waters
Esc | Cyber Escape Rooms | Security Education & Awareness | Experiential Learning | Corporate Events | Non Exec Director | Full Time Feminist | Oh FFS...
It's FRIDAY! I'm a FEMINIST! So we're back with this week's ? FEMINISM FRIDAY ? and this time I wanna talk to you about TAKING THE DAMN RISK.
I was in a pre-interview for a podcast earlier this week and was asked how I got to my current role. Talking through the steps I'd taken, I realised I'd actually taken quite a lot of monumental risks to get here...
?? Quitting a job with no notice cause they tried screwing me over.
?? Jumping into sales despite no past experience cause I reckoned I'd probably be alright at it
?? Diving head first into entrepreneurship with only two months' wage as a runway
But doing all these things is what drives me to be successful. When the options are sink or swim, well you can bet your bottom dollar that I'm gonna do everything I can do stay afloat...
Someone told me this isn't how most women think. So I did some research...
ACTUALLLLLLY
Women and men are equally as likely to take risks... it's just the risks that are often cited in studies are stereotypically 'masculine' risks. Questions like "would you ride a motorbike without a helmet?" "would you go skydiving?"... men would be more likely to do those things. Go figure.
But take getting pregnant as an example. It's actually 20 times more likely to result in death than skydiving. And yet women do that every day. If we're so risk averse, how is the population booming?
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And if we're not risk averse, why is that the perception?
Crime & Punishment
So, we might not be risk averse in our personal lives. But professionally? Different story. You see, it's a learned behaviour. Studies have shown that we ALL learn from our past dalliances with risk - i.e. if the risk pays off, we're more likely to take risks again.
However, because risk-taking is more likely to be associated with men, when women DO take risks at work, it's seen as "masculine" behaviour.
And what do we do (that we shouldn't do) when women act like men? Shun them. Call them a bitch. Call them aggressive (when we mean assertive). Get back in your box, little lady. You know the drill.
Catch 22
We can't win. It's a catch 22 type of sitch. We take the risk, we get penalised for doing so. We don't take the risk, we're not leadership material.
No offence, but fuck that.
My advice? If we ALL start taking risks, then it'll no longer be a 'masculine' thing to do. So go and ask for that pay rise, put yourself forward for that promotion, become more assertive.
And always remember... ask for forgiveness, not permission.
Managing Partner at Archer | Strategic Risk Manager | Army Veteran - Cavalry and Cyber Defense Officer | Moving Security beyond the cost center | The Kindness Games Alumni #55 | Serial Nonprofit Volunteer
4 个月Spot on my friend! Be aware of the heuristics that our brain tries to throw in there to get us to under- or over-commit on risks. Understand the risk as best you can, determine what the possible outcomes might be and how likely they are, figure out which ones you can navigate or live with then get on with it!