Aggression, Bold Actions & Recklessness what’s the difference?

Recently I had liberty to put together a complex transaction. I was paid very well for my professional participation. So I cannot say that it has been an unwise decision to be involved. The transaction required, among other things, cooperation between foreign governments, asset providers & private parties. The involvement of so many parties means lots of moving pieces. The function of a Public Private Partnership (P3) is to facilitate things that a government is either unwilling or unable to do.

The deal I undertook was more on the government’s unable side.

Being aggressive means you pursue what others doubt. Bold actions means you strike out on paths others fear. Recklessness means you ignore obvious signs of prudence in pursuit of success.

There is a very fine line between being boldly aggressive and reckless.

The parties I involved together consisted of: a publicly traded financial services arm, a below rated investment grade government and a private engineering start up. The financial services arm generally declines applications. Based on “Personal Reasons” I was able to get the application approved.

If you are unfamiliar with “Personal Reasons” for Professional Entrepreneurs I will reaffirm the definition. In my previous articles I discussed Personal Reasons at length. Personal Reasons are situations that evolve from unique circumstances. These circumstances create obligation for people of means to agree to deals for totally unrelated reasons. This reason can be something as simple as helping a daughter / son into private school. Personal Reasons can be as complex as standing by a person’s side through cancer. All personal situations create sense of obligation.

Never overlook opportunities surfacing due to Personal Reasons.

The foreign government in this deal lacks credit worthiness for consideration at conventional levels. The foreign government over leveraged itself. The foreign government is willing to sit with anyone who presents viable investment opportunities. In this condition everyone from the minister of finance to president will listen. These opportunities can be very advantageous to competent professionals. The private party gets their shot because of their trade.

The aggressive behavior is choice in face of doubt. A startup engineer with no track record made a choice despite others’ doubt. The Bold Action was the trip to present in front of the government.

The recklessness was failure to stop and research the requirements to win the contract.

Doing will always achieve more than just planning. Failing to familiarize your actions with a winning plan will result in loss. No successful person has achieved anything without direction. A ship captain cannot find his destination without a well maintained vessel. A navigator cannot locate the direction without a compass.

Remember the more complex a transaction is…the more you need guidance from skilled advisors. You must focus on accomplishing the first task before you move to another task. The private party failed to sequentially accomplish tasks due to lack of planning. The private party did not know task requirements due to no planning. Lack of planning resulted in failed deliverables.

Many will doubt your endeavor. You must not listen to doubters. It is your job to phrase questions that require more than “yes” or “no”. There is an explanation to every question. Even in a negative form a person has reasons for saying “no”. It is your job to discover these reasons to overcome them despite their existence.

I agree a certain fabric of delusion must exist for any grand achievement. Statistically the odds of failure will way against any great feat. The difference between a component of delusion and the state of delusion is lack of knowledge. Knowing how to do something correctly and believing you can do it despite the odds is admirable. Figuring out how to do something statistically impossible in the moment and believing you will attain success is delusional. Cost benefit analysis dictates efficient use of time. Unwise use of a finite resource will result in loses. Make sure you believe in yourself but do not believe in things you do not understand fully.

Know the difference between aggression, bold actions and recklessness. There is a fine line between them.

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About Christopher: Christopher Knight Lopez is a Professional Entrepreneur. Christopher has opened over 7 businesses in his 14-year career. Christopher’s purpose is to take advantage of various market-driven opportunities. Christopher is a certified Master Project Manager (MPM) and Accredited Financial Analyst (AFA). Christopher previously held his Series 65 securities license. Christopher also has his General Lines — Life, Accident, Health & HMO. Christopher has managed a combined 286mm USD in reported Assets Under Management & Assets Under Advisement. Christopher has work experience in 29 countries, raised over 50mm USD for various businesses, and grossed over 7.5mm in his personal career. Christopher worked in the highly technical industries of: biotechnology, finance, securities, manufacturing, real estate, and residential mortgages. Christopher is a United States Air Force Veteran. Christopher has a passion for family, competitive sports, fishing, martial arts and advocacy for entrepreneurs. Christopher provides self-help classes for up-and-coming entrepreneurs. Christopher’s passion to mentor comes from belief that entrepreneurs need guidance. The world is full of conflicting information about entrepreneur identity. See more at www.christopherklopez.com