Beyond "Skin in the Game"

To make a difference is to make change happen.

And to make change happen is to take on risk.

Exploring and exploiting the edges of what's possible in the pursuit of better means also embracing uncertainty and the possibility (indeed likelihood) of failure.

Difference-makers wrestle with "This might not work" daily.

Here's the thing about risk. It has an upside and a downside.

This is why having skin in the game as a change agent is so important.

If we don't have anything at stake, it's easy to forget or ignore the consequences of failure and be seduced into chasing an elusive upside.

This is a dangerous, even terminal, play.

Skin in the game reminds us that we ignore the downside at our peril and encourages us to hedge our bets to mitigate against catastrophe while we try to leverage the upside.

But is skin in the game enough?

Defining, developing, and delivering the difference only I can make has been a pursuit in discovering my soul's calling.

And having soul in the game has made all the difference.

What is the difference you're making today? Do you have soul in that game or just skin? It may be time to rejoin the most important conversation you'll ever have.

Scott Perry, Encore Life Coach at The Art of Encore Living

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