Nate Silver, a renowned statistician and founder of FiveThirtyEight, shares insights on taking meaningful risks in our careers. He discusses the pitfalls of fear in decision-making and why older individuals should embrace risk as their experience can guide informed choices. Silver emphasizes the importance of a mindset shift from scarcity to abundance, comparing risk-averse thinkers to those who thrive on calculated risks. He also draws parallels between the high-pressure world of poker and the workplace, highlighting the value of probabilistic thinking.
Understanding risk-taking provides a framework to evaluate decisions by focusing on expected value rather than succumbing to fear of failure.
Adopting a 'river' mentality encourages calculated risks and innovation, contrasting with the cautious 'village' approach that limits professional growth.
Deep dives
Understanding Risk and Expected Value
Risk-taking behaviors are crucial in professional settings, as they often involve making calculated bets based on potential outcomes. The concept of expected value (EV) helps illustrate how one can evaluate decisions by weighing their possible returns against associated risks. For instance, accepting a job offer that doubles one’s salary but comes with a high-stress environment and a 10% chance of termination may still represent a positive expected value given the significant benefits 90% of the time. Recognizing that most individuals tend to be overly cautious can empower them to make bolder, more rational choices in their careers.
The Dichotomy of Risk-Takers: Village vs. River
In examining different mindsets towards risk, a distinction is made between the 'village' and the 'river' mentalities. Those in the village are characterized by their risk-averse nature and a tendency to adhere to consensus-driven narratives, often leading to missed opportunities and a narrow view of potential capabilities. Conversely, the river mentality encompasses individuals who embrace calculated risks, prioritize expected values, and focus on unconventional paths to achieve their goals. Understanding this dichotomy highlights the importance of shifting towards the river mindset to cultivate innovation and adapt in a rapidly changing world.
Lessons from Poker and Performance Under Pressure
Playing poker serves as a valuable framework for learning how to manage risk and make decisions under pressure, which can be directly applied to workplace scenarios. High-stakes moments in poker, such as critical hands or tournament finales, reflect similar challenges faced in professional environments where stress and uncertainty can impact performance. The practice of evaluating decisions based on processes rather than outcomes allows individuals to maintain perspective, learning from experiences without succumbing to the fear of failure. By fostering skills in managing physiological responses during these high-pressure instances, professionals can enhance their resilience and strategic thinking.
Every career involves choices; every choice involves risk. But being able to size up those risks, and think coolly about which are worth taking, can make the process of choosing between options much easier. The problem? Most of us aren’t actually very good at evaluating risk. In this episode, Isabel Berwick speaks to statistician, writer and sometime poker player Nate Silver to find out how we can take better risks in our careers. Silver, founder of analysis website FiveThirtyEight and author of the new book On the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything’ explains why fear plays an outsize risk in our decision making, how to recover when a bet doesn’t pan out and why your 60s might not be the time to avoid risk.
Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.