Growing up, I was obsessed with the Indiana Jones movies. My particular favourite was the “Temple of Doom” movie where our hero had to fend off an army of henchmen amid crocodile infested waters and trap laden caves. You might recall that Indiana survived so heroically by having a seemingly innate sense of the danger lurking around the next corner and thus being a step ahead of his opponents. Rather than playing his usual role of taking bold and brash risks, our hero this time adopted a more cautious approach to his survival in the Temple of Doom. One wonders how this prudent approach to heroism would be viewed amongst modern audiences in a time where BIG BOLD POSITIVE Marvel superheroes are trumpeted and valued.
Our social media is consistently peppered with phrases like “think positive”; “seize the day”; and Instagram quotes urging “Nothing but positive vibes here”. These phrases may feel quite commonplace in this age of the hashtag but would they have served us well in the Temple of Doom? Taking big and bold risks in the Temple of Doom would surely have ended with an unwanted liaison with those crocodiles.
So is there space for the prudent hero in this modern age? The lone ranger who shouts “Stop, there’s danger here!” The hero who spots the risks and threats and triumphs by avoiding danger. We see this prudent hero play a role in many modern day contexts: –
• In the military, they place a high store in scenario planning, running through all the things that could go wrong and planning accordingly.
• In sport, José Mourinho based a trophy-laden career from this safety-first standpoint. Analysing his opponents to such a detailed level that he could cover off and plan for all the threats that they would offer. Indeed on research conducted in swimming, this prudent mindset was found to correlate to improved mental toughness and performance.
• In business, we have worked with many executive teams who have found value in being able to counterweight big bold optimism with a cautious and prudent approach. The magic can be found in the sweet spot that lies between these two mindsets. This approach has helped us work with businesses to make well rounded strategic decisions, embracing the value of the prudent hero during meetings and enhanced cognitive diversity in teams.
Top Tips:
1. Embrace your own Prudent Hero and engage in “What if” thinking
2. For each scenario, think about taking any of the following actions: –
a. Take decisive action to mitigate the risk
b. Create a plan to mitigate the risk should it occur
c. Build your support network to manage this risk
d. Talk through the risk with someone
