You may already be tired of hearing that same line of executives, directors, and leaders from various segments. The risks lead us to a certain ‘security threat’, warning signs, a certain deprivation of comfort. Managing risks has as one of the premises the prediction and prevention of obstacles that may arise. And, how can we prevent or try to imagine that something can go wrong, since the path has not yet been traced?

The difficulty faced by managers and leaders in management often lies in the idea that the risks are mostly the same. Often times and often not. From avoiding technical problems, from relationship to agility to get out of the situation (read ‘game of waist’) at the time that ‘the beast catches’. Resistance in conducting research, considering lessons learned from projects or similar cases are pitfalls that can cause irreparable harm. Barriers to relationships, organizational culture, or inefficient communication are also critical scenarios that should be avoided.

Complications such as late delivery, sudden change of scope and exit from key project members, already make a significant impact on any small project it is. We must consider that some walls are raised from day to night, and decision making has to be assertive and as punctual as possible. As an example, requesting extended time to finalize the project may weaken the good relationship, hurt the good reputation, cause problems in production and even generate financial losses for both sides. Everyone can stay out of the game in the final.

Adjustments

Imagine that you are living in a country other than yours. Well, it is good practice that you, as well as speaking the mother tongue of that place, try to adapt to the culture, the customs and respect the differences. This is not to say that if the people of that place have the habit of being unproductive, you also have to be, but first, try to find out what deficiencies and anomalies exist that generate these unusual behaviors. Establishing policies helps to organize, maintain a certain order and better understand what the interests of both the company and the customer can interfere with the process and the product. Creating standards, caring for the application of empiricism, working with assumptions and adapting to contexts can help to have a much deeper visibility into the situation and support better decision-making.

Monitoring

Tracking and assessing risks through the high, medium and low levels of impacts can have a beneficial effect on your monitoring. Strategically assessing the effectiveness of this control is often working on a SWOT analysis so you can strengthen your strengths, eliminate weaknesses, seize opportunities and deal with threats. This analysis can help you know what works and what does not. Some risks are already practically controlled (due to the bureaucracy or organizational culture of the company).

Behavioral Analysis

Just as in our life in general, behaviors may indicate a kind of prediction. Through the ‘carriage walking’ we can interpret favorable and unfavorable scenarios to reach the goal. Not always should hindrances be perceived as negative, but often as a sign that planning was not properly discussed (unfortunately because of the timeliness of this activity) or that we should re-plan something – which may be good – re-planning, renegotiating can reassure things to both sides.

Problems in the course of the project are inevitable. Even knowing the way to reach the goal, walking is almost always a ‘box of surprises’. Seeking to make the necessary adjustments to make the journey more productive, to monitor more assertively to mitigate the impacts that can contribute to the failure and to always watch with attentive eyes can make everything less painful. It is that maxim: ‘a forewarned person is worth two.’ And I further add that, in the case of leadership, it may be worth three, four …

When faced with complex situations try to understand what is happening and seek strategies for the solution. Seeking professional help through consultancies, case studies, books can strengthen knowledge and get rid of certain hassles.