erm success

Without a doubt, one of my family’s favorite holidays is Christmas. Part of the fun, especially for our son, is seeing what “Santa” brought, but most importantly, we treasure the spirit of peace and goodwill the season brings. And after what seemed to be a never-ending warm spell, the weather is expected to be good…

Be honest – have you ever done something that you soon realized was a real rookie mistake? Me raising my hand… Considering the nature of ERM’s role to ask questions and challenge assumptions (often during conversations with executives), it can be argued that, in at least some cases, the expectations bar for risk professionals is…

One thing I was taught to appreciate from a young age was the value of education and knowledge. It didn’t necessarily matter what the subject was, just that I always maintain a learning or growth mindset regardless of my current status in life. This mindset has served me well over the years, and it’s a…

It’s amazing how technology has developed and changed our working world over time. Imagine trying to run my risk and strategy consulting firm without tools like Zoom, Box, Slack, and other ERM-specific technology tools. There is no way we would be able to serve our clients the way that we do. Just consider how the…

If you’ve been handed the task of creating an ERM program for your organization, let me first offer my congratulations quickly followed by my empathy for the task ahead of you. I don’t say that to scare you but to provide a small dose of reality. Building, launching, and refining an ERM program that is…

With summer officially underway and the 4th of July holiday closing in, hopefully you’re getting some well-deserved time to step away. Besides some vacation time, this lull before strategic planning resumes sometime in the early fall is also a great time to pause and reflect on the contributions of your company’s ERM program – past,…

If there’s one thing I’ve learned writing articles for my risk and strategy blog is that considerable thought has to be put into the post’s title and opening lines. With a seemingly endless amount of content on the Internet, visitors will quickly whisk away if the title and intro to an article is not engaging…

On the surface, outsourcing a support function seems to offer the path of least resistance. Taking this path for a variety of operational areas is certainly tempting and may actually be the best option in many circumstances…but as naturalist and author Henry David Thoreau somewhat cynically puts it – “the path of least resistance leads…

In case you don’t know or can’t tell, I love speaking with and learning from others to understand their challenges as it can reveal what others are likely facing. And a recent conversation with a newly appointed head of audit revealed a challenge that I felt important to pass along. You’ve heard me say over…

This may sound a little mundane, but with events and changes happening at what seems lightning speed in today’s world, companies of all types and industries need a way to make decisions quickly and effectively. Which is the core what an ERM program is supposed to do…support the company in making risk-informed decisions in pursuit…