Establishing a set of metrics we can use for risk management and decision-making is a big topic I've been working on for a long time - over 20 years at this point. It's a challenging problem and one that has seen off better people than me but I think that a simple model will help speed up, simplify and remove the subjectivity from risk assessments. In turn, that will help improve the speed and quality of our decision-making. Here's an outline of the project
Who’s Your Organization’s Barbara?
'Barbara' is my shorthand for the person who's essential to an organization. The real Barbara was the founder's EA at a firm where I worked and, having been there since the very beginning, knew everything there was to know about the business. But over time, I realized that most organizations have a Barbara (or Bob) and they're essential to keeping things going.
ESG is Under Attack: So What?
ESG is under attack and, in some cases, rightly so. Here's an overview of some of the issues it's facing and why it's time to break up the ESG party.
A Quick Way to Establish Context and Develop Understanding
Data or information by itself is meaningless. For it to be useful, we need to add context. This is the difference between information and intelligence: once we've analyzed the information and put it into context, the resultant intelligence gives us an understanding of a situation. Developing this context can be difficult but this technique of applying different lenses will help you establish context and put your information to work quickly.
A Prayer for Risk and Crisis Managers
Instead of wishing bad news away, or trying to assert your will over something that's outside your control, focus on what you can control and respond appropriately. That will keep your preparations and response to whatever comes at you grounded in the real world, not built on a fantasy of control that doesn't exist.
Reflections after five years of KISS risk management
I started the KISS risk management project five years ago with the idea that risk management was being made too complicated and there were too many gatekeepers in the way. So after five years, I thought it was worth taking stock and seeing what I've learned along the way. I've summarized five big things I've learned below - all of which are, hopefully, takeaways that will benefit you too.
10 Considerations for New Risk Managers
Beginning any career or specialist field can be daunting and getting started in risk management is no different. There are many challenges out there and some will continue to crop up as long as you are practicing risk management. Here, in no particular order, are 10 risk management skills or abilities you should look to develop as you embark on your career as a risk manager.
Becoming a risk manager
Becoming a risk manager can seem to be more art than science. There's not a clear pathway from degree to junior risk manager to senior risk manager to CRO (Chief Risk Officer). However, there is a way. Here are some techniques that you can use to move into and progress in the field.
What is a risk manager?
Asking 'what is a risk manager?' will get you poor, confusing results. So here's a full explanation of the role to help you get started.
Using blockchain to validate records in DCDR
We're adding a blockchain registry to DCDR to create a two-level process for verification during audit or investigations. First, records can be verified against the DCDR registry to determine provenance. Second, the DCDR registry can also be verified against the archived versions stored in a third-party distributed registry.