Every change management challenge needs to be aware of, and harness, change agents. Those people that can most influence or implement the changes required. In the risk space they are often referred to as risk champions.

I wrote an article on risk champions more than ten years ago addressing questions about what you should expect from them and how you should equip them. In it I spoke about how you might lead this group. Let’s go one step further and ask how you might excite them into more and more effective change.

The answer, as many things do, comes in a set of three. You need to collaborate with them, challenge them and, with their help, you need to create the interface that links risk management with business decision making.

The power of a challenge, the enjoyment of collaborating and the reward of creating something tangible and useful will excite them. Trust me. I’ve seen it time and time again. People like to help and be part of a team that makes a difference.

As importantly, this act of co-creation ensures a common understanding of how the interface between risk and the business works, its importance and what can be done to ensure it works effectively, so that risk-based decision making becomes business-as-usual (BAU). Then you and they and the business are all on a winner.

For a further read on Risk Champions click here, or click this section of my website.

Stay safe and make change.