Turning Risks into Opportunities in Projects and Life
Nov 10, 2025Risk is a reality in every project. But as Bridget Davis reminds us through her experiences with both project management and Dungeons & Dragons, risks don’t have to spell disaster—they can open doors.
In one campaign, Bridget rolled a critical failure. Her character, a catlike rogue, suddenly grew a tentacle arm. What could have been a setback turned into an opportunity. Instead of treating it as a flaw, Bridget reframed it: the tentacle gave her new abilities, like extended reach and camouflage. A failure became a superpower.
The same thing happens in real-world projects. Sometimes a strategy fails, a timeline slips, or a technology shift derails the original plan. The instinct is to see it as failure. But with the right mindset, leaders can pivot, learn, and turn the obstacle into an advantage.
At Webster University, Michael shared a similar story. A downturn in enrollments seemed disastrous, but it pushed the institution to create live video courses years before the pandemic. When COVID-19 hit, that “failure” became the foundation for survival.
The lesson? Risks and failures can be frustrating, but they’re also opportunities in disguise. Leaders who pause, reframe, and adapt often find new pathways to success that wouldn’t have been visible otherwise.
Reflection Prompt: What recent “failure” in your life could be reframed as an opportunity to grow or innovate?
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