The phrase “sticking your neck out” comes from an image of danger. A neck stretched out is exposed. It’s the posture of someone on the chopping block.

But you can see it another way. A turtle is safe inside its shell, and it can also go nowhere. A line often credited to James Bryant Conant, a former Harvard president, puts it simply: the turtle makes progress only when it sticks its neck out.

Both are true. Taking a risk for someone exposes you. It’s also the only way forward.

When you stick your neck out for someone, it costs something. Your name, your judgment, your standing are now tied to theirs. If there’s nothing to lose, it’s just a favor.

It’s also a statement of belief. You’re saying “I believe in this person” before the evidence is in.

I learned this three years ago.

I needed help with a large property that had been let go—weedwhacking, gardens to maintain, hard work every week to get it back in shape. I needed someone who would show up and do it.

A man delivered my groceries once a week. That was all I knew of him, and one day I asked if he knew anyone who could help me.

He said, “I can do it.”

He didn’t hesitate. His confidence caught me.

We walked the property, and he made a plan right away. He brought in two other people to help him. He worked his neck off.

He is still here, and he still comes through. He has a family to feed and care for, and he works hard for them. I see it in the good and faithful work he does.

I had no résumé or references. I had his answer and his commitment.

What I didn’t think about at first is that he was sticking his neck out too. He trusted that I would be there for him.

Trust ran both ways. That’s why it has lasted.

It doesn’t always turn out like this. Sometimes the person lets you down. You lose time, money, or a little faith in your own judgment.

Is it still worth it? Absolutely. Most of us can name someone who took a chance on us before we had earned it. That’s often how we got our start.

Sometimes trust has to come first, and the evidence follows.

The turtle doesn’t know what’s ahead when it stretches out its neck. It moves anyway.

Who stuck their neck out for you?

Who could you take a chance on?

Thanks – Michael (he, him)

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This matters too – Rebuild Trust or Walk Away.

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