Risk management is not just a technical skill or a compliance requirement. It is a mindset and a culture that affects how your entire team performs and responds to emergencies. How can you make risk management a priority for your team and foster a proactive and resilient approach? Here are some tips to help you lead by example and create a risk-aware environment.
The first step to improve your risk management is to understand your current strengths and weaknesses. You can use tools such as risk maturity models, risk audits, or risk surveys to evaluate how well your team identifies, analyzes, evaluates, treats, monitors, and communicates risks. You can also solicit feedback from your team members, stakeholders, and clients to get different perspectives and insights. Based on your assessment, you can identify the gaps and opportunities for improvement.
To prioritize risk management across the entire team, establish a robust framework that integrates risk considerations into daily operations. Foster a culture of risk awareness by providing comprehensive training, emphasizing the importance of identifying and reporting risks promptly. Encourage open communication channels for team members to express concerns and insights related to potential risks. Implement regular risk assessments, involve team members in the process, and highlight the direct correlation between effective risk management and overall organizational success. Lastly, lead by example, demonstrating a commitment to proactive risk mitigation throughout the team's activities.
We can make a survey to the team and get their input / suggestions regarding additional steps to improve risk management within the organisation
Once you have a clear picture of your current risk management situation, you can set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals for your team. For example, you can aim to increase the frequency and quality of risk reporting, reduce the number of incidents and near-misses, or enhance the risk awareness and skills of your team members. You can also align your goals with your organizational objectives and values, and communicate them clearly to your team.
To achieve your risk management goals, you need to provide your team with the necessary resources and support. This includes allocating sufficient time, budget, staff, equipment, and training for risk management activities. You also need to create a supportive and trusting environment where your team members can share their concerns, ideas, and feedback without fear of blame or punishment. You can also encourage and reward positive risk behaviors and outcomes, such as reporting risks, learning from mistakes, or suggesting improvements.
Risk management is not a one-person or a top-down task. It is a collaborative and continuous process that requires the involvement and contribution of your entire team. You can make your team members feel valued and engaged by inviting them to participate in risk identification, analysis, evaluation, treatment, monitoring, and communication. You can also use tools such as risk registers, risk matrices, risk maps, or risk dashboards to facilitate risk management processes and make them visible and transparent.
Risk management is not a static or a one-off activity. It is a dynamic and adaptive process that needs to be reviewed and improved regularly. You can use tools such as risk reviews, risk audits, or risk surveys to monitor and measure your risk management performance and progress. You can also use tools such as after-action reviews, lessons learned, or best practices to learn from your successes and failures and identify areas for improvement. You can also seek feedback from your team members, stakeholders, and clients to get their opinions and suggestions.
one way to enhance risk management is to consider "human failures" as a top priority in our analysis to all scenarios at work and put the required controls for: 1- human errors : by avoiding prolonged repeatative tasks that affect level of concentration; avoid interruption to individuals working on critical tasks; provide reminders to avoid skipping important steps within the task; and use technology and smart systems with clear warnings; and user friendly keys and monitors to avoid lapses. 2- violation: basically by making it very difficult to break safety rules ( if rules are logical; well communicated and well enforced) .