Molly Graham

Sorry.

But that way of thinking about risk has a side effect.

It becomes all or nothing.

You're either a risk taker or you're not.

If we think about risk taking that way, a lot gets left out.

The question you didn't ask in the meeting because you were worried it would make you look stupid.

The feedback you've been sitting on for two weeks.

The boundary you've been meaning to set.

We don't call those risks.

We just call them things we didn't do.

And here's what I've come to believe.

The people who are actually good at taking risks didn't get there by making one giant leap.

Or even by taking big risks over and over again.

They built a practice, small, uncomfortable swings over and over, not until it stopped feeling scary, but until the fear stopped getting in the way.

I know that's been true for me.

So today I want to explore how do you actually get better at taking risks?

And is it something that anyone can do?

I'm Molly Graham, and this is Work Life, a show where we untangle the messy human side of work.

Today, I'm talking to someone who has thought more carefully about the daily practice of risk than almost anyone I know.

Julie Zhu was one of the earliest design and product leaders at Facebook, where she helped build and manage teams through some of the most explosive growth in tech history.