Katie Hall on the Importance of Risk and Resilience

October 2011

I think that women need to be willing to accept jobs and responsibilities with visibility, complexity and need for leadership/negotiation. A willingness to “enter the fray” and to expose oneself to public success or failure is critical. If things don’t work out, so be it. We all need to learn from mistakes and/or roadblocks and be willing to move forward and embrace the next opportunity/challenge.

Resiliency is a necessity when investing; you need to keep your objectivity, brutally assess your own decisions and then have the confidence to stick with them or admit mistakes and move on. Resiliency and the close corollary, a willingness to change, have been (and are) crucial to my career.

Risks can result in big, satisfying pay-offs. Or to quote a good friend: “You can’t surf from the beach!” If you fail, the world doesn’t end. You might be a bit embarrassed but get over it. Life is long and full of exciting opportunities and challenges.

Katie Hall,
CEO and CIO of Hall Capital Partners LLC