The Risk Conversation That Changed How I Lead
- Shelby Kirby
- Apr 29
- 4 min read
I was early in my career when a supervisor pulled me aside and said something that completely shifted how I showed up as a leader. It wasn't a performance review. It wasn't a warning. It was one of those quiet, pivotal moments that you don't fully appreciate until years later — when you realize you use what you learned that day almost every single day.
Here's how the conversation went:
Supervisor: "Shelby, you're doing really great at X, Y, and Z, but one thing that's really important is that you have a clear point of view on a specific topic. In order to do that, you need to understand the topic of risk."
Me: "I do think I have a clear point of view on things. I definitely have opinions and ideas, but what do you mean about risk?"
Supervisor: "Every decision has a trade-off or a potential risk associated with it. It's up to you as a leader to understand the severity of the risk, know what information is needed to finalize a decision or recommendation, and contemplate all of that within the context of risk."
Simple, right? And yet — it changed everything.
What Risk Awareness Actually Looks Like in Practice
Once I understood the role that risk plays in decision-making, something clicked. It sounds almost too straightforward, but that's exactly the point. The concept isn't complicated. What's complicated is remembering to apply it consistently, especially when you're moving fast, managing a team, and trying to prove yourself.
Here's what risk-awareness actually looks like day to day:
Do I need to involve other people before making this decision?
If I made this decision right now on my own, what's the implication?
Is the risk high enough that I need to consult — or low enough that I just inform after the fact?
That last one is worth sitting with for a second. There's a real difference between consulting and informing, and knowing which one a situation calls for is a skill that separates good leaders from great ones.
In layered organizations, it's incredibly common for supervisors — and their supervisors, and their supervisors — to want a say before anything gets finalized. It's one of the reasons things move so slowly in corporate environments. But not every decision warrants that chain. Some decisions are low-risk enough that the right move is to just make the call, execute, and loop people in after. The leaders who figure that out are the ones who actually move things forward.
Why This Matters for Your Career
Here's the thing nobody tells you early enough: people are promoted based on their ability to make decisions and assess risk. Not their tenure. Not how hard they work. Not how likable they are at the holiday party.
If you can walk into a room, understand the stakes, ask the right questions, and make a clear recommendation, you become someone people trust. And trust is the currency of leadership.
If you're currently stuck at a level you feel you've outgrown, I'd encourage you to honestly audit how you handle decisions. Do you tend to over-consult because you're nervous about being wrong? Do you make calls without thinking through the downstream implications? Both extremes will stall your growth.
The sweet spot is awareness, knowing the weight of a decision before you make it.
Three Questions to Ask Before Every Decision
I've simplified this into three questions I come back to constantly, whether I'm advising a client or navigating something in my own business:
What's the worst realistic outcome if this goes wrong? If the answer is minor and recoverable — move forward. If the answer has real consequences for people, budget, or reputation — slow down and consult.
Who needs to know about this, and when? Not everyone needs to be in the room before a decision is made. But some people absolutely do. Knowing the difference is half the battle.
Am I consulting or informing — and does this situation call for one over the other? Consult when the stakes are high or the decision affects others significantly. Inform when the risk is low and speed matters more than consensus.
The Bottom Line
Risk isn't something to avoid. It's something to understand. The leaders who get promoted, who build things that last, who earn the trust of their teams — they're not the ones who never make mistakes. They're the ones who know how to think before they move.
That conversation with my supervisor didn't just change how I made decisions. It changed how I lead. And I've watched it change things for the people I work with too, once they start seeing risk not as a threat but as a framework.
If this resonated with you and you want a practical tool to start applying this in your own work, I've developed a Risk Assessment Framework that walks through exactly how to evaluate decisions before you make them. It's free, it's practical, and it takes five minutes to use. Grab it below.
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