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RAD ROUNDUP

Thoughts from RADs and RAMs around the World

MARCH 2016 eDITION

Leaders That Win Take Chances

By Jared Brueckner, RAD, North America

Most days include endless email, consultations with students, conversations with our EC teams, back to back calls, handling issues that arise, data analysis, and RIO updates. They also frequently include travel, events, and other duties such as partnerships and new business development. We push hard to lead our EC’s, hit our targets, and establish ourselves as leaders. We are undoubtedly busy! And while tirelessly laboring we need to remember that effort is not synonymous with results. In order to reach our potential as individuals, and as a team, we must be more creative, move faster, and take smart risks. Our current trajectory as a team is promising, but falls short of our potential.

Realizing our potential means having the vision and desire to accomplish more. The story of South African entrepreneur, Elon Musk, is inspirational and exemplary on this point. Famous for his career as the co-founder of PayPal and Tesla he is worth USD 13 Billion today…but five years ago he was broke. After spending his entire USD 250 Million fortune building Tesla it still wasn’t thriving, instead it was losing lots of money. Work ethic wasn’t the problem, Musk was determined and persistent. It took combining determination and discipline with smart, calculated risks. For Musk the risks paid off and Tesla is now changing the way we think about cars and solar power. It is an inspiration and example.

Closer to home, in December our colleague, Julia Tokareva, shared how she took a risk and decided to try something that had never been done by hosting a talk show to drive interest and leads. Julia doesn’t strike me as someone who is afraid of much, but planning something the magnitude and expense of her event without knowing if it will produce results could not have been comfortable. She took a calculated risk and succeeded in a big way. Examples like these open the mind to new possibilities. What if you could become the dominant brand in your market, double enrollment in a country, or establish a new partnership that acts a model and provides exciting new channels of growth. Difficult? Of course. Impossible? Don’t limit yourself.   

If you want to win you must put up with the pain of the process. The early mornings and the long flights, the tough counselors and uncertain students are all part of it. For you it may be emails or calls, it may be picking up the phone to cold-call a new prospective partner; for others it is learning to manage or lead EC’s. Whatever it is there is growing pain involved. The way you deal with it – face it or flee from it – will determine your trajectory. Someone once told me that everyone wants to win; we all want the big job and big paycheck. But few people are willing to tolerate the pain so they surrender. Which one are you, the leader or the one holding the white flag?

Do something today. Take a risk: plan that event, send that email, call that partner. Believe in yourself and take the leap of faith. Lengthen your stride and quicken your step. Success is waiting!