I won on the golf course last weekend. In truth, it wasn’t so much that I won as that my opponent lost. On one water hole, I hit around the water instead of over it. “Why didn’t you go for it?” my opponent asked. “Because I didn’t need to.” All that day, I made a series of conscious risk-reward trade-offs that paid off big in aggregate.
In the early days of onboarding into a new job, it’s almost always better to skip opportunities for big wins that put relationships at risk. First prize is to deliver early wins in a way that strengthens relationships. If there’s any doubt, hit around the water to win over time by not losing early.
George Bradt – PrimeGenesis Executive Onboarding and Transition Acceleration
