Taking Risks

Kate White is famously known as the former Editor-in-Chief of Cosmopolitan magazine. However, she is also an expert on work, leadership, success, and careers. In an interview, she shares her story of how washing dishes and offering to write articles for free led her to her big break. Kate’s main message is to take risks, because with every risk, comes a reward – whether it leads you to get out of your comfort zone or helps you land the position you’ve been dreaming for. In Kate’s case, taking risks did both for her. She was extremely shy and she pushed herself to dress up as a clown and write about her experience because her boss had asked her to. As a result, her boss saw her passion and gave her an opportunity to showcase her work. You can watch her interview, here. Below are some tips on how you can put Kate’s advice into practice.

Have a sense of what you want to do

If you are unsure of what career you would like to take on, be curious and explore new opportunities. Volunteer, get involved with some clubs, or do an internship to figure out what your workplace expectations and desired environment is.

Take initiative

You may have aspirations to one day be in an executive position, but it takes some time before you will get there. Start small and take initiative by doing things to help your boss and coworkers. These small efforts will add up, will get you noticed, and may bring you closer to that promotion. Always think of what you can do for the company, instead of what you will get out of it. Your efforts may not always get noticed, but be persistent and one day it will pay off.

Be open to the opportunities offered to you

Your boss may offer you to take on an extra project. Keep in mind that your boss will not ask you to do this, unless he or she knows that you are capable of handling it. If your boss gives you an opportunity to showcase your skills and talents, take it! Do not limit yourself to your comfort zone and capabilities, but work on doing things outside of your comfort zone and try to expand your skill set. Be flexible and be able to easily adapt to change. In her goodbye note to the Cosmopolitan readers, Kate says that “change is really important in your job, your career, and your life. It keeps you fresh, energized, and yes, like in jump rope, on your toes.”

Show confidence and passion

Kate White shared her experience of taking a risk by asking her boss if she could present her writing samples to the editorial team. Your extra effort in taking a risk shows your employer that you are confident enough with your idea and that you are passionate about your work. 

Be optimistic

When you take a risk, you may not know the outcome, but it is important to always stay optimistic. Good things can only come from taking risks.

These five tips can help you get your big break.  If you are interested in learning more from Kate White, here are some other videos you can watch:

• Her Secret of Having it All – learn about happenstance and networking
• Another interview – Kate talks about what she thinks about in an interview setting

 Lead image used under a creative commons licence from Flickr user maveric2003.