Playing it Safe

This past weekend it happened yet again in the National Football League.  A team, in this case the Green Bay Packers, entered the playoffs with the best record in the league and was eliminated in the first round.  This time by the New York Giants.   A “one and done” tournament, thus the Packers’ season is over.   A 15-1 record all for naught.

The Dilemma

There have been a number of NFL teams over the past number of years who have entered the final week of the season with so few losses that their last game was meaningless in one sense.  It didn’t matter if they won or lost, either way they would finish the regular season in 1st place with a first round bye and home field advantage throughout the playoffs.  This is where the coach is faced with a conundrum.

A Philosophical Difference

The team leader has  to decide whether to rest the star players in an effort to avoid injury so they are healthy for the playoffs, or to play them in the last game in an effort to keep them “sharp.”  There is disagreeent among the experts as to which is the more prudent path to take.  This year the Packer head coach decided to go the route of rest.

The Evidence is Clear

In my observation this strategy almost never works. The teams who rest their players inevitably seem to perform in an uninspired manner.  In sports and in business, playing it safe seems to be a recipe for disaster.

For You

This is not to suggest that a realtor or anyone else should conduct their business with reckless abandon.  The point is that to “play it safe” by avoiding risks usually leads to:

1. Stagnation
2. Inertia
3. Predictability
4. Fear
5. Insecurity
6. Lack of inspiration
7. A stunting of growth
8. Diminshing Returns

None of the above are a good thing for business.  All successful entrepeneurs must take calculated risks for the benefit of their company, themselves and their teammates. 

What say you?  Have you ever had experiences where playing it safe turned out to be the wrong choice?  Or the correct one?  Please let us know in the comment section below.

Expand your mind and receive your dose of “The Daily Tonic” everyday.*   It’s always brief and thought provoking.

Simply go to the top of this page or the home page of  thedailytonic.com, enter your email in the navigation bar to the right and click “subscribe.”  Of course your email address will be  kept private.

 *The Daily Tonic is published every weekday, M-F.