Tag: strategic risk

Employee for a Day, employee, foundational staff, managing employees, management, start

10 Variations of the “Employee for a Day” Experience

Published on by Grace LaConteLeave a comment

I thought I knew everything about my company… until the day I stepped out of my management role and into those of front-level staff.

Working in new job tasks was the most eye-opening thing I ever did as a manager. The act of observing their roles first-hand made it crystal clear where the problems were originating. And… spoiler alert: 99% of problems in a company are because of poor management decisions!

I call this boots-on-the-ground observation method the “Employee for a Day experience.”

It’s terrifying, enlightening, humbling, and eye-opening.

And it works like magic.

Here are some ideas for how to implement this incredible (free!) tool for yourself.

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fear, fear response, responses to fear, leader, leadership, fear as a leader, Nice Girls, Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office, Lois Frankel, Lois P Frankel, Dr. Lois Frankel

The 4 Responses to Fear as a Leader

Published on by Grace LaConte6 Comments

What are you scared of?

As humans, we are biologically hard-wired to treat every perceived threat in an extreme way, with one of four reactions:

  1. Fight: go on the offensive, reacting aggressively to eliminate the problem
  2. Flight: avoid the problem by retreating to a safer position
  3. Freeze: shut out the problem by pretending like it’s not happening, or
  4. Face: confront the problem directly.

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Calculate Impact and Probability, Strategic Risk, Business Risk, Strategic Severity, Risk Matrix, Risk Severity, Strategic Impact, Strategic Probability, impact and probability

How to Calculate the Impact and Probability of Business Risk

Published on by Grace LaConteLeave a comment

I was recently asked to explain the “Impact Score” in a Strategic Risk evaluation process. This is easy to do with a tool called the Strategic Risk Severity Matrix.

In this post, I’ll walk you through each step of using this tool, along with a practical example to demonstrate how it works.

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company culture, internal culture, business culture, culture building, Facebook Live, FB Live, strategic risk, FAQ

Company Culture FAQs Part 3 of 5

Published on by Grace LaConteLeave a comment

In part 3 of the series about Frequently Asked Questions on creating a sustainable Company Culture, we discuss the benefits and downsides of social media.

I’ll also share my secret to finding balance as a business owner.

Watch the recorded video here, or reading bonus-filled content below.

Continue reading “Company Culture FAQs Part 3 of 5” →

color consult, professional color consult, color analysis, color theory, color fan, color palette, color consultant, professional image, risk management

What Happened After I Got a Professional Color Consult [Video]

Published on by Grace LaConteLeave a comment

As a business consultant specializing in strategic risk, I discuss all areas where a company can be vulnerable to failing long-term.

One area that I believe affects a lot of business owners—but that we don’t often talk about—is how we present ourselves professionally, which includes the colors we wear.

In this post, I share my story of meeting with a professional color consultant, what I have learned, and why I believe it is a very helpful tool in reducing business risk.

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unconscious aggression, aggression, aggressive, behavior, leadership, leader, anger, angry, management, risk management

Why Unconscious Aggression is So Hard to See as a Leader

Published on by Grace LaConte1 Comment

Can we be aggressive toward someone and not even know it?

I think we can.

Aggression is behavior that is hostile, forceful, or destructive. It comes from the Latin ad- (“to”) and the word gradi (“to step toward something or approach; to attack”).

It is an outward expression of inward anger that can cause incredible harm to others, even if we don’t realize it at first. Sometimes it’s difficult to know what aggression looks like, especially if you’re very comfortable with a highly competitive atmosphere.

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SWOT, SWOT Diagram, Weighted SWOT, SWOT Assessment, Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats, strategic planning, internal risks, external risks, comparison, comparative SWOT

How Do I Make a Weighted SWOT Diagram? [Video]

Published on by Grace LaConte7 Comments

Today, I’m going to explain how to look for hidden opportunities and risks in your organization using a weighted SWOT analysis. This strategic management tool allows you to calculate your options, which leads to decisions that are risk intelligent.

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The Inferno of Dante, Dante's Inferno, Divine Comedy, Divina Commedia, Robert Pinsky, bilingual, translation, Italian, strategic, strategic perspective, strategy

Dante’s Inferno From a Strategic Perspective

Published on by Grace LaConte1 Comment

When you hear the words “Dante” and “Inferno,” your initial thought is probably something like this:

  • Some guy named Dante wrote it a long time ago
  • It’s a book about the levels of hell
  • The Catholic faith has something to do with it
  • There’s something about “comedy,” but not in the traditional sense
  • I might have read the book in high school

Up until recently, that’s pretty much all I knew about this classic work. But what gems of wisdom are hidden in those lyrical texts? I decided to find out.

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yin and yang, risk, risk roles, executives, executive leaders, leaders, management

Yin and Yang and the 5 Risk Roles of Executive Leaders

Published on by Grace LaConte6 Comments

Diversity, transparency, empathy.

When organizations welcome these qualities while maintaining structure and stability, they’re ahead of the game.

It is often difficult to find the right balance between an aggressive approach and a passive one when managing a business. In this article, I will describe the 5 types of risk, the 5 risk roles of executive leaders, and how these apply to balancing the Yin and Yang of Management.

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strategic risks, governance, operational, competitive, financial, reputational

Overview of the 5 Types of Strategic Risk

Published on by Grace LaConte3 Comments

Strategic planning is a fascinating and complicated process. There is no “correct” way to create a strategic plan; every leadership team has a unique definition of where the company is going or how you’ll get there.

While this wide range of options allows for tremendous latitude and flexibility, a company’s planning process can be TOO easygoing. It’s a bit like having a body with all the bones connected (immobilized) and one that has no bones at all (a bowl of jelly). Both extremes — too rigid or too relaxed — make it easier for threats to creep in and destroy what you’ve worked so hard to create.

Most organizations use a Strategic Plan (though certainly not all, in my experience). And most plans define the company’s Vision, Mission, Values, Objectives, and Measures — which I abbreviate as VMVOM.

But while a plan can look great on paper, most strategic plans do not consider strategic risks.

In this post, I’ll review 5 types of risks specific to the strategic planning process, and which one I believe is the most critical to organizational growth.

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