🔧 Change Leaders Don’t Downplay Risk — they dissect It

Precision is how innovation earns trust.

I get to meet leaders and teams from all kinds of companies — healthcare, finance, tech, and beyond. It’s always fascinating to see the contrast: some companies are running ahead, adopting new technologies quickly, while others seem stuck. And when I talk with engineers or data scientists from those slower-moving organizations, there’s often a note of frustration — “We want to try these new things, but leadership won’t let us.”

So I want to share something that can help shift that dynamic — break out of the stalemate with leadership when you’re trying to move your company forward with new technologies.

The challenge for innovators

In many organizations — especially in regulated industries like healthcare — innovators often run into a familiar challenge.

You see a new technology with huge potential. You want to explore it, prototype it, maybe even pilot it. But your leadership says:

“We’re not ready for that yet.”
“It’s not mature enough.”
“It doesn’t meet our security or compliance standards.”

It’s a frustrating dynamic — but also an opportunity.

When employees advocate for change, the tactical mistake they often make is turning the conversation into a push:

“Everyone else is doing it!”
“We’ll be left behind if we don’t move now!”
“You’re overreacting about the security risks.”

That approach rarely works, especially with conservative or risk-averse leaders. It feels like you’re minimizing the risk, not managing it.

The more effective approach is to lean the other way: show that you’ve thought deeply about the risks — even more deeply than your leadership has.

• Map out what could go wrong.
• Explain the specific mitigations you’d put in place.
• Show that you’re not dismissive — you’re precise.

Demonstrate a precision mindset to build trust

When you do that, you build trust. Leaders start to see you as someone who can think ahead, manage complexity, and navigate the risk landscape — not someone who’s just chasing trends.

A precision mindset inspires confidence. It tells decision-makers:

“I know what could go wrong — and here’s how I plan to make it right.”

That’s how real innovation happens inside regulated companies.

The angels are in the details too...

You’ve probably heard the phrase “the devil’s in the details.” It’s what people say when a good idea sounds great in theory — but they’re worried the execution will fall apart. But here’s the truth: when you use a precision mindset, you often discover that the angels are in the details.

By zooming in, digging deep, and doing your due diligence, you uncover solutions you might never have seen otherwise. Working through the details doesn’t just yield more reasons not to do it — it more often reveals fresh angles on what you once thought were obstacles, and helps you and your stakeholders see how you can do it, while meeting the policies, regulations and other requirements or constraints of your specific situation.

This is especially true when you bring together and harmonize different kinds of expertise. That’s where the real magic happens — when precision thinkers from multiple disciplines come together to solve a complex problem. It’s yet another reminder of why a precision mindset matters.

Your #1 Takeaway to remember this week:

Precision isn’t the opposite of creativity — it’s how creativity earns permission to move forward.