The CRO as the Navigator of the Business

Michael Rasmussen and I friends both in real life and on Facebook (which is not always the case). I met him through OCEG (which I recommend as they have some excellent resources) where we were two of the first three OCEG Fellows. (The other one was Brian Barnier. I recommend following both of them.)

Michael posted a photo on FB from a class he was leading.

Michael is a man after my own heart in that he not only talks about risk management (and GRC), but also loves to travel (of which he does a lot, mostly for speaking and consulting engagements) and is a Trekkie.

The photo behind Michael illustrates the theme for today:

The CRO should be the Navigator of the Starship (insert your business name here).

What does a navigator do?

• They know where you are, even plotting your position on a map.
• They know where you want to go, your desired destination (business objective).
• They help identify, assess, evaluate and tell you as Captain what lies between you and your objective (i.e., risks and opportunities).
• They help you with optional routes, including understanding the related risks and opportunities.
• They help you decide what to do, what route to take and what measures are required to address what lies…