— MAYA HARI, VICE PRESIDENT, GLOBAL STRATEGY AND OPERATIONS, TWITTER
Margie is a true expert on the science of success. Her new book is both inspiring and practical. It's a powerful manual for creating the life of your dreams.
— SIIMON REYNOLDS, BEST-SELLING AUTHOR OF WHY PEOPLE FAIL
Margie Warrell provides powerful and practical advice for overcoming our innate fear of risk and vulnerability. It bears reading and re-reading for all who strive to become their best selves.
— DR GORDON LIVINGSTON, AUTHOR OF TOO SOON OLD, TOO LATE SMART
Adapting to change and taking chances are critical to your success. This book will help you with both. Get it, read it, enjoy the results.
— JON GORDON, BEST-SELLING AUTHOR OF THE ENERGY BUS AND THE SEED
Stop Playing Safe provides a roadmap to navigate uncertainty and find the courage to create meaningful changes in your workplace, career and life.
— REBECCA HEINO, PROFESSOR OF MANAGEMENT, MCDONOUGH SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY
One look at the title of my last book, and then this one, should tell you why I like it! Stop Playing Safe will help you harness the courage to take the risks that make sense — and give you the success you want.
— RANDY GAGE, AUTHOR OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER RISKY IS THE NEW SAFE
Stop Playing Safe is more than a book; it's a reference guide for living a full and courageous life. It's one of those rare books that is at once original, inspirational and above all, useful. Margie Warrell is a leading voice in the courage building movement and Stop Playing Safe proves that too much safety can be a dangerous thing.
— BILL TREASURER, PRESIDENT OF GIANT LEAP CONSULTING AND AUTHOR OF COURAGE GOES TO WORK
Practical, powerful and inspiring. In uncertain times, it's a guidebook you absolutely must read as it spells out exactly how to handle your challenges and find the confidence to speak up and get ahead in the new economy. Everyone in your company should read it!
— SUZI POMERANTZ, BEST-SELLING AUTHOR, MASTER COACH AND CEO OF INNOVATIVE LEADERSHIP INTERNATIONAL LLC
It’s the risks we don’t take that we regret the most. Stop Playing Safe will give you the courage to do more, experience more, and regret less. Read it. Apply it. Reap the rewards of a braver life.
— CHESTER ELTON, BEST-SELLING AUTHOR OF THE CARROT PRINCIPLE, LEADING WITH GRATITUDE AND ANXIETY AT WORK
STOP PLAYING SAFE
HOW TO BE BRAVER IN YOUR WORK, LEADERSHIP AND LIFE
FULLY REVISED SECOND EDITION
DR. MARGIE WARRELL
First published in 2021 by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd
42 McDougall St, Milton Qld 4064
Office also in Melbourne
© John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd 2021
The moral rights of the author have been asserted
ISBN: 978-0-730-39458-7
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (for example, a fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism or review), no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, communicated or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission. All inquiries should be made to the publisher at the address above.
Cover design by Wiley
Disclaimer The material in this publication is of the nature of general comment only, and does not represent professional advice. It is not intended to provide specific guidance for particular circumstances and it should not be relied on as the basis for any decision to take action or not take action on any matter which it covers. Readers should obtain professional advice where appropriate, before making any such decision. To the maximum extent permitted by law, the author and publisher disclaim all responsibility and liability to any person, arising directly or indirectly from any person taking or not taking action based on the information in this publication.
ABOUT MARGIE
Dr Margie Warrell brings her diverse international experience in business, coaching and psychology — coupled with a deep passion for unlocking the potential that fear often holds hostage — to inspire braver action in today's increasingly cautious world.
Margie has walked her talk since her childhood growing up in a big family on a small farm in rural Australia. She has lived and worked around the world for more than 25 years, trusted by global brands such as Amazon, Dell, Google, Johnson & Johnson, L'Oreal, Morgan Stanley, NASA and Salesforce to deliver transformative programs that accelerate growth, improve outcomes and strengthen leadership.
A passionate advocate for women and inclusive leadership and a Women's Economic Forum honoree, Margie sits on the advisory board of Forbes School of Business & Technology and regularly shares her insights in the media including the Today show and CNN. Her advice has been featured in The New York Times, The Week, Success magazine, Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. Margie also shares insights from her conversations with global leaders and luminaries such as Richard Branson, Steve Forbes, Tony Robbins, Bill Marriott, Dr Phil McGraw, Marianne Williamson and Dr John Demartini in her ‘Courage Work’ Forbes column and Live Brave podcast.
The titles of Margie's Live Brave podcast and other best-selling books — Find Your Courage, Make Your Mark, Train the Brave and You've Got This! — reflect the passion she brings to her own leadership and life. Margie also loves adventure travel, especially long hikes in beautiful places — from climbing Kilimanjaro with her husband and their four brave-hearted children to exploring national parks near her home outside Washington, DC.
Margie would love to connect with you on social media or at www.margiewarrell.com.
PREFACE
The first edition of this book was written nearly a decade ago, during my first year living back in Australia after over a decade in the USA. At the time, many people were still regaining their footing in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis which had shaken their sense of security. As fear ran high, I drew on the insights of leaders I'd worked with, as well as my own research, to help people ‘rethink risk’ and move boldly forward amid the uncertainty.
This revised second edition has been written after another global move — this time from Singapore back to the USA — and another, even greater, global crisis. I think it's fair to say the COVID-19 pandemic jolted our sense of security and raised the ‘fear factor’ to whole new levels.
As I witnessed people making