Page 165 - Everything I Know About Business I Learned

Courage

was something that you plan in advance, and you know that it
is not going to be easy.”
Still, the freedom to experiment, often with baby steps, was
alive and well. Bob Weissmueller, retired division vice president
and former CEO of Fazolis, recalled an encounter with Fred
regarding a new building experiment—an initiative that Bob’s
bosses had recently canceled because they did not support the proj-
ect. Bob felt that decision was shortsighted. He expressed his frus-
tration at a convention weeks later, in a casual conversation with
Fred. At the last day of the convention, Fred walked up to Bob
and said, “I want you to go ahead and build some more. Keep me
abreast. Let’s see how this goes—and don’t go crazy.” Fred gave
his permission to keep going, albeit under the radar, against the
verdict of Bob’s immediate bosses. So we had the ability to get
beyond some barricades and help others see the big picture as we
knew it. We were allowed to take risks and encouraged to do so.
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Food for Thought
How Can You Encourage Risk Taking in Your Own
Organization?

Welcome new ideas from your associates but challenge
them to think through every step of their plan. This way,
only the carefully strategized plans will win approval.
Don’t condemn those risk takers who do fail. Instead,
consider it a learning experience—and the price of groom-
ing loyal employees who may just bring your organiza-
tion the next big idea. Don’t waste time and energy on
blame games.