Taxes are a necessary burden. However, many risk professionals carry an unnecessary burden that is withholding them. The burden of silence.

For any staff member to call something out, or even to voice disagreement with senior leaders, they need to feel psychologically safe to do so. Including risk professionals.

However, being in the position of having to call out a lack of accountability may be an indicator of a different problem. It may simply be that leaders don’t see the value in engaging with enterprise risk management. It’s your job to show them the value. To “Show them the money!”

How might you do that? That is what my Pathfinder Model of persuasion is for. It is a four-step process:

• Stand in their shoes – to understand their problems and how what you do will help to solve them.
• Paint them a picture – to provide them with clarity around your solution.
• Tell them a story – to bring your solution to life and to help them connect emotionally with you and your solution.
• Make them believe – by ensuring you are entirely credible. Have the statistics, case studies and counter arguments all prepared so they are simply convinced.

This four-step process is designed to help navigate the barriers all people put up, to bad or unwanted advice. Next week I will give you an example.

Until then, stay safe and ponder the value ERM brings an organisation!