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Several years ago, I sat across the desk from a Senior Executive at a Hospital in Northern Illinois. It was a gorgeous Midwestern day and I was thrilled to be so close to Chicago and its pizza. We (the Managing Director of our firm and I) had traveled from California to place a bid on a senior-level search. Our presentation was impeccable, proposal in hand, and camera waiting to take pictures of the beautiful new facility that was recently built off-site from the main hospital. It felt good, it felt right..., to be there in that moment, marketing the firm and selling our services. We visited several other health care facilities while in the area and felt the trip had been a prosperous one, filled with promise and hopefully, revenue.

That day, the drive through Northern Illinois brought certain joy, as well as optimism that the capital spent on the travel and pitching woo would close a deal, seal a retainer, and open a portion of the country we had been trying to crack into. The endorphins had certainly kicked in and the breeze blowing through and around Chicago crackled with expectation. It was a good day.

Upon returning to sunny Southern California, there was a flurry of follow-up calls and emails to several new connections and, of course, the big one. Unfortunately, that trip didn't yield one search. We lost the big one to a firm in Chicago, a local team. We made some good friends, but nope, no money. Had we wasted resources in trying to cultivate a new territory? Perhaps. But what had we gained from taking a chance, losing money and time? New-found confidence. Expanded network. The planting of a seed.

Risk. It is more than a board game. It is a tool to build character and branch out into the unknown. In a 1983 Royal Society report, risk was scientifically noted as the probability that an adverse event will occur during a specified time period, or results of a particular challenge. Where would Steve Jobs be if he had noted the probabilities? Or Jackie Robinson? We all face threats and dangers to the comforts of our jobs, families, and lives. Weighing the imminent risks can be full-time job. Especially in 2009.

I no longer work for the firm mentioned earlier but I have heard that that they did break into the Midwest and have accomplished some of the goals that were in place while I was there. This is good. So many what if's. What if I hadn't left? I would now be a part of that expansion opportunity. What if we had sold that big search? I might still be with that firm, but I would have definitely missed the numerous opportunities that have since come my way. Don't run from your Butterfly Effect - but discover and grow.

The term The Butterfly Effect is based in chaos theory and is resultant of the idea that merely a slight change in the flap of a butterfly's wings may illicit minuscule changes that could, ultimately, alter the path of a tornado. A small change could have large effects.