Taking calculated risks can pay off

One state government agency CIO said bold leaders were sometimes forced during “crisis mode” to take chances that provided good results.

“We needed to be able to take chances without a lot of fear,” the CIO said. “To do that, we also had to empower our staff to take calculated risks.”

For that agency, the CIO said, the risks paid off and operations have been running smoothly with little to no negative impacts on the organization.

“I think the word that I would use is courage,” the CIO said. “This is the worst of situations for so many, but we’ve been able to keep things going. That takes courage.”