370. The art of risk management

I have lately, through the vagaries of life, become regularly embroiled with corporate life, after a few years in the wild lands of early start up. Strikingly, corporations have become ridden, in my absence, with an extreme risk aversion culture. Dangers everywhere, every single action or interaction a risk of alienating shareholders, stakeholders or, if you push me, even cupholders, inert but I am sure easily upset. Risk management has thus occupied the centre of corporate thinking. How do we act amorally and maximise profit beyond equanimity without upsetting anybody? This is a tough trick to play. Most corporations view the World through the eyes of Jack Nicholson’s Melvin Udall in ‘As good as it gets’. As much effort is devoted to preventing risk, however unlikely, as to whatever it is that the corporation’s business is. I would love it if the question was: ‘How do we do good?’. But, unfortunately, it is: ‘How do we prevent being seen to be up to no good?’ A much tougher assignment

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