I HAD TO THINK AWHILE BEFORE DECIDING TO USE THIS

"I must have a prodigious quantity of mind; it takes me as much as a week, sometimes, to make it up."

Mark Twain (1835-1910) U.S. humorist/writer/lecturer

Taking time to think things through is a good thing.

I think.

I'll have to think about that and get back to you.

ACCEPT, REDUCE, AVOID, TRANSFER?

"Hesitation increases in relation to risk in equal proportion to age."

Ernest Hemingway (1898-1961) American Writer

And not just for people; this is just as true for companies.

The longer they've been around the more risk averse they become, often without realizing it.

That isn't necessarily a bad thing, just reality.

PROCEED WITH CAUTION QUICKLY

"Even moderation ought not to be practiced to excess."

Unknown

It is difficult to know when too much or too little actually is, and certainly impossible to always know.

Make mistakes to learn not to make mistakes.

"One cool judgment is worth a thousand hasty counsels. The thing to do is to supply light and not heat."

Woodrow T. Wilson

28th US President 

Makes sense.

But how do you balance the time necessary to develop "cool judgment" versus "hasty counsel"?

Do you always know which you have?

Maybe Will Rogers had the answer.

I Have Something To Say About That!

"Diplomacy is thinking twice before saying nothing."

Unknown

Advice I would have been better off having followed numerous times in my career.

What about you?

On The Merits Of Being Cautiously Agressive

"Caution is not cowardly.  Carelessness is not courage."

Unknown

I have one individual in mind who has consistently demonstrated balance between managing aggressively and being overly cautious.

And when I think of his failures they are almost always the result of being too much of one or the other.

Too Fast, Too Slow

"Quicker by taking more time."

Proverb

In auto racing this is called slow down to go fast, meaning, driving faster than your ability, the car, road, or some combination of these will allow, will cause you to lose the race.

It's no different in business.

Action: The First Mouse Or The Early Riser Bird?

"The early bird may get the worm but the second mouse gets the cheese."

Unknown

An amalgamation of two quotes; the first advocating early response, the second caution.  Which is most correct?

Being a "first mover" is often an advantage but in some (many?) cases,  being too quick only exposes the unseen dangers that will take out the first to act.  However the reverse is true as well.  Fail to move quick enough and the "train" may well have left the "station".

I've been both and often still don't know which is best.

Do you?

Business Caution

"No one was ever ruined by taking a profit."

Stock exchange maxim

"Know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em."

Kenny Rogers
20th century American entertainer

Boy is this ever true.

And still we (too often) conduct business as though we were in Las Vegas, betting money we could afford to lose.

Partial wins beat full losses every time.

Vigilance: Staying Successful

"He is most free from danger, who, even when safe, is on his guard."

Publilius Syrus
1st century BC Roman writer/poet

Ironically, it is success that often sets one up for failure.

Companies doing well often lose the edge that made them successful.

Be watchful!

Coming Out of Our Shells?

"The only limits to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today."

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Similar to his "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself", but with a slight twist for business.

We went into our "shells" last fall as things began to unravel, and are just now starting to come out, cautiously looking to see if all is well.

Too cautiously maybe?