Heretic, challenge the status quo! Argue. Do not agree. Make yourself heard. You matter to me. You matter to your peers. You matter to your community. You matter to your family. It is okay to be wrong. Don’t let fear stop you from speaking or acting.

Be known for taking chances and getting things accomplished, or be known for toeing the line, and staying safe and secure. You choose! By the way, how is it that you ever learned to walk? Think about it. Your natural instinct is to take chances. You will touch a hot stove if given the chance—that pretty red element, that warmth … you want to touch it! What happened to you? Got smacked down one too many times? Remember that story, by Hans Christian Anderson, The Emperor’s New Clothes? Men were not helpful to the emperor. He was walking around buck naked and thinking he was the height of fashion! He needed a heretic to set him straight.

This is about risk assessment. Somewhere along the line, risk became a bad word. Is risk to be avoided at all costs? Is this the way you think? The true warrior knows that stupid risk is to be avoided at all costs. All risk should not be! Clearly you have judged that some risks are okay, otherwise you would not have left home this morning. You know we don’t survive this life. We live this life and there are risks all day and all night long. The true warrior knows that he or she must be aware of the risks, and that when they are unknown, investigation is required. That way a measure of risk is established, so that a semi-informed decision can be made. Hypothesize. Test and learn. Surprise! That again. How about a pre-mortem (remember that idea)? Are these ideas in your arsenal yet? Are you using these tools daily yet? What about the Five Whys?

Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?

Yes, true warriors are heretics; it is true that warriors like structure, ritual, and song, but that does not mean that they are a tribe of yes men. No. The true warrior has values and beliefs that are the yardstick with which he measures the status quo. True warriors are curious. They will investigate and learn. They do not accept everything at face value—although they may choose to give that impression (a strategic behaviour). No. True warriors take note(s) and come to believe on their own schedule. If the status quo needs to be challenged, we can count on you—our true warriors!

You are warriors. You will challenge the status quo. You will take the initiative, and create a new reality. So it is written.