About six months into a turnaround, I told my staff, “We don’t need the supervisory role any longer.” They thought I’d lost it.

So we listed everything a supervisor did and picked the five most important tasks: schedule changes, equipment breakdowns, maintenance and overtime callouts, quality problems, and customer delivery issues. We’d train the hourly employees on those five, with the supervisors a phone call away.

“Trust me,” I said. “What’s the worst that could possibly happen? If we try it and it fails, we put them back.”

The hourly employees told us, “Don’t sweat it. We’ve got this.” The first week brought 15 to 20 off-shift calls. The second, four or five. Within a few weeks, a call was rare, and the shifts took pride in not needing to make one.

I ask that question a lot: What’s the worst that could happen? Really, the very worst? Usually the answer is nothing, or something you just change back. The building isn’t going to blow up. The world isn’t going to end. And if it doesn’t work, what have you lost?

Your turn: What change are you putting off because of a worst case that probably won’t happen? Tell us in the comments.