Get out of jail free ... or not!

Remember the game Monopoly? Well, a number of years ago I decided to try something with my staff and vendor personnel to encourage them to take more risks. But since taking more risks often means failing more, I also gave each of them a "get out of jail free" card -

- and told them that should they ever screw something up really badly, they could give their card back to me and I'd be cool.

Time passed and I saw people post their cards on their cubicle walls and bulletin boards. They told visitors what they were about. Some even developed the ritual of lightly touching the card each time they returned to their work area. And almost everyone starting taking more risks, which was great.

But the one thing that no one ever did, was actually use their card!

Oh, there were times when they should have. I'd even tell them so. "Knowing what I'm about to say and do," I'd begin, "I just want you to know that this would be a particularly good time for you to use your 'get out of jail free' card. Do you want to?" But uniformly, the response was, "No, I want to save it in case I do something I REALLY need it for."

I didn't understand it at the time, but just knowing that they had a Safety Net gave many people the confidence to not need one.

What Safety Nets do you have that you don't use, but are still glad you have?

What Safety Nets can you offer to others to help them move more meaningfully - and confidently - forward?