MASTER Risk Model - Learning Resources - Abilities

Which area or field do you primarily work in?

Strategic Planning

Write a one-sentence version of your strategy—does it name the goal, advantage, and direction?

List your top 3 priorities—do they directly support long-term strategic goals or only short-term tasks?

Review last year’s strategy—highlight what still applies and what should be retired or reframed.

Compare your strategy with a competitor’s—what’s your unique angle or differentiator?

Identify one initiative that doesn’t align with strategy—pause, pivot, or reframe it.

Sketch a basic strategy pyramid: vision > goal > initiative—fill in the blanks for your organization.

Operational Execution

Identify one stalled task—clarify the next step and owner, and unblock it by end of day.

Review your to-do list—highlight the top 3 that drive results, and do those first.

Create a repeatable checklist for one recurring process to reduce rework and missed steps.

Use the 80/20 rule—focus 80% of your energy on the 20% of actions with biggest impact.

Set a 15-minute daily slot to review progress on key deliverables—consistency beats intensity.

Align your calendar with your priorities—block time for real work, not just meetings.

Performance Monitoring

Choose one key metric for your role—track and review it weekly starting today.

Set up a simple dashboard (even a spreadsheet) to visualize progress on your top 3 KPIs.

Add one line to your team meetings: “What did we move forward this week?”

Review your OKRs or goals—highlight one that lacks a clear way to measure success.

Send a short performance recap to your leadership team summarizing this week’s outcomes.

Create a visual tracker for one important initiative—update it in every team check-in.

Market Analysis

Google your top 3 competitors—note how they describe their offering and what their audience responds to most.

Review recent reviews or testimonials from your market—what problems or needs are most frequently mentioned?

Identify one key trend or market shift in the last 6 months—what opportunities or threats does it create for you?

Use LinkedIn or Google Trends to search a key industry term—what’s rising or falling in relevance?

Refresh your market personas using data from your most recent leads or clients.

List the top 5 decision criteria your audience uses when comparing providers—validate them with a few clients.

Branding and Positioning

Rewrite your one-line pitch—make it clearer, bolder, and focused on your customer’s outcome, not features.

List 3 things that make your offer unique—do your homepage or pitch materials clearly highlight them?

Update your LinkedIn headline or About page to reflect your current value proposition.

Compare your tone and style across web, email, and social—are you consistent and distinctive?

Ask a peer to describe your brand in 5 words—does it match what you intend to convey?

Add one emotional or story-driven element to your About section or intro pitch.

Digital Marketing Strategy

Identify your top-performing digital channel—double down with one new piece of content or campaign this week.

Set one clear digital marketing goal (e.g., leads, conversions, visibility) and define how you’ll measure success.

Review your analytics dashboard—what’s one surprising insight you hadn’t noticed before?

Test a new CTA (call to action) on your website or landing page—track any change in clicks or engagement.

Check your email open and click-through rates—tweak the next subject line to test a sharper hook.

Optimize your social bio or link-in-bio to align with your current campaign goal.

Negotiation Skills

Write down your ideal, target, and walk-away deal terms for one upcoming negotiation—clarify your boundaries now.

Identify one phrase you often use that weakens your position—replace it with something firmer or clearer.

Review your last negotiation email—did you anchor clearly and confidently? If not, revise it and resend.

Watch a 5-minute video on tactical silence—apply it in your next pricing or scope conversation.

Prepare one powerful question to uncover what matters most to the other party.

Practice stating your key offer terms without apology or over-explanation—say it out loud, once per day.

Customer Relationship Management

Identify your top 5 customers—reach out with a personal check-in unrelated to a current sale.

Add a note field in your CRM or contact list with a personal detail for each major client.

Set calendar reminders for follow-ups at meaningful intervals (e.g., 30, 90 days post-purchase).

Choose one dormant account—send a short message to reignite the connection.

Ask one client how they’re using your solution now—gather insights for value-based follow-up.

Share one valuable, non-sales resource with a client (article, report, or tip relevant to them).

Sales Strategy and Planning

Define your top 3 sales objectives for this quarter—link each to a clear activity or metric.

Review your sales funnel stages—identify one bottleneck and brainstorm a small, testable fix.

Identify one underperforming segment—adjust your targeting or messaging and run a micro-campaign.

Block 30 minutes weekly to review sales results vs. plan—add it to your calendar now.

Create or update your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile)—use real data, not assumptions.

Sketch a simple lead-to-close journey—what’s the drop-off point, and how are you addressing it?

Talent Acquisition and Recruitment

Review one current job post—rewrite the opening to focus on purpose, impact, and growth, not just tasks.

Reach out to one promising past candidate—check in and re-engage the relationship.

Post a short “why join us” video or post from an employee’s perspective on LinkedIn.

Add one inclusive language check to your job description review process.

Identify your top 3 referral sources—reach out and activate them for a current role.

Create or update a short interview scorecard aligned to the top 3 traits for the role.

Performance Management

Choose one team goal—define what “great performance” looks like and share it with the team.

Review your performance review form—remove one vague or redundant question today.

Send one message of specific, timely recognition to a team member for recent work.

Identify one KPI that’s misaligned with real value creation—flag it for revision.

Schedule your next check-in with an employee to focus only on feedback and development, not updates.

Update your performance calendar to include quarterly reflections—not just annual reviews.

Learning and Development

Ask one team member: “What’s one skill you wish you had more time to build right now?”

Add one bite-sized learning link (podcast, article, short video) to your next team meeting agenda.

Identify a recurring skill gap in your team—recommend a low-effort resource to address it.

Create a shared space (Slack channel, doc, board) where employees can suggest and share learning content.

Turn your next team win or failure into a quick learning moment—what did you learn, and how will you apply it?

Promote one free or internal training opportunity this week—send it with a personal endorsement.

Financial Analysis and Budgeting

Review one department’s latest budget and flag one area of unclear or mismatched spend.

Set up a simple monthly finance dashboard with 3–5 KPIs your team can easily track.

Block 30 minutes this week to reconcile actual vs. forecast for a single project or team.

Identify one cost center that consistently overruns—explore whether forecasts or assumptions need adjustment.

Add a “budget check-in” line item to your next team meeting agenda—keep it part of regular habits.

Watch a short tutorial on zero-based budgeting or variance analysis—note one concept you can apply immediately.

Risk Management

Identify one key financial risk in your team’s current projects—write it down and share it with peers.

Review your insurance or contingency policies—note any outdated, missing, or misaligned elements.

Flag the top 3 financial risks in your business unit—rank them by likelihood and impact.

Add a “risk check” question to your next planning session—force proactive thinking.

List recent small failures—did any signal a larger risk you overlooked?

Skim a recent earnings report or industry update—what external risks does it highlight?

Capital Allocation

List your top 3 ongoing projects—rank them by ROI, not just urgency or visibility.

Identify one area where you’re over-investing resources without clear returns—flag it for review.

Check if budget allocations align with strategic priorities—note one mismatch to discuss with leadership.

Review one recent financial decision—did it balance short- and long-term value well?

Sketch a quick pie chart of how your team’s time is spent—are your top priorities getting enough attention?

Estimate the potential upside of reallocating 10% of your current budget to your highest-growth area.

Supply Chain Management

Map out your supply chain in 5 steps—identify one weak link or dependency to flag today.

Check if your top 3 suppliers meet lead times and quality benchmarks—highlight any red flags.

Create a one-page summary of stock levels versus demand—identify one misalignment today.

Ask procurement if there are alternate suppliers for two critical inputs—note findings.

Review last quarter’s delays or shortages—what was the root cause in each case?

List your top 3 inventory items by volume or cost—do they match usage or sales forecasts?

Lean and Agile Methodologies

Set up a Kanban board to visualize current work—track flow and flag any stuck items clearly.

Run a 15-minute team check-in focused only on blockers—note patterns that slow execution.

Identify one recurring task that adds no value—suggest removing or simplifying it now.

Pilot a one-week sprint: plan, execute, review—note improvements in focus and output.

Map one core process in five steps—eliminate any redundant or unclear actions.

Choose a recent task and shorten the planning phase—track speed without losing quality.

Quality Assurance

Create a checklist for one recurring task—use it to prevent common errors this week.

Choose one metric (e.g., error rate or complaints) and track it daily for a full week.

Run a 15-minute quality spot-check on your last deliverable—flag even minor inconsistencies.

Review one client-facing email or deck for clarity and accuracy before sending it.

Identify a step in your workflow with frequent rework—define a simple fix or rule.

Ask a peer to review a work item before delivery—note what they catch that you missed.

IT Systems Management

Document one manual IT process that causes delays—outline steps to automate or streamline it.

Set a calendar reminder for system updates and backups—ensure nothing critical is missed.

Review system performance logs for the past week—flag anomalies or unexplained slowdowns.

Create a central list of IT vendors, renewal dates, and SLAs to avoid missed obligations.

Identify one recurring user complaint—investigate root cause and define a small fix.

Run a 10-minute system health check and log outcomes to spot recurring patterns.

Cybersecurity

Update all system passwords with a manager and enable two-factor authentication across admin accounts.

Schedule automatic software updates on all devices to reduce exposure to known threats.

Run a free phishing simulation or quiz for your team to raise security awareness.

Review recent login activity and flag any unusual access locations or suspicious times.

Enable encryption for email and data storage where it isn’t already in place today.

Create a checklist of must-do actions during a cybersecurity incident for your team.

Software Development and Integration

Set up automated tests for a small but critical function in your codebase to improve stability.

Refactor one piece of legacy code for clarity, readability, or modularity this week.

Document an API endpoint or module that currently lacks clear instructions for developers.

Implement version control if missing, or review recent commits for clarity and comments.

Create a shared integration checklist to use when merging code with external systems.

Add a linter or formatting tool to enforce coding standards in your current project.

Customer Experience Management

Send a short follow-up to a recent customer thanking them and asking for quick feedback.

Review top 3 customer complaints from the past quarter and identify clear patterns.

Add a simple satisfaction question to an existing post-interaction survey for fast signal.

Update one email touchpoint to use clearer, warmer, more human language.

Shadow one customer support call to observe tone, expectations, and resolution process.

Create a quick journey map for one customer segment or core service experience.

Service Recovery and Resolution

Review the last 3 customer complaints and check how quickly and clearly they were resolved.

Update a support template to sound more human, empathetic, and ownership-driven.

Create a simple escalation checklist for faster internal handover when needed.

Acknowledge a recent mistake publicly or in a customer email to build trust quickly.

Add an apology step into an automated support flow—even when no person is at fault.

Tag recurring complaints and categorize by root cause—not only the surface topic.

CRM Systems

Update one customer record with missing key info—recent contact, preferences, or decision timeline.

Set a daily reminder to log every meaningful customer touchpoint in the CRM system.

Create a saved view of your top 10 active opportunities or accounts needing follow-up.

Add a custom field that captures workflow-specific insights—risk signals or loyalty cues.

Review CRM tags and merge or delete outdated or unused ones for clarity.

Clean up your last 10 CRM entries—ensure they’re clear, useful, and fully up to date.

Regulatory Compliance

Identify one key regulation relevant to your role and read the latest update or interpretation.

Review a compliance checklist your team uses—suggest one improvement or clarification.

Tag one recent customer or vendor contract for compliance-sensitive clauses.

Set a recurring calendar reminder for compliance review on a monthly or quarterly basis.

Bookmark the regulator’s official site or newsletter for your sector and subscribe.

Confirm your current project complies with one critical data, safety, or disclosure requirement.

Contract Management

Review a recent contract for expiration dates, auto-renewal clauses, or penalties—flag key terms.

Create a shared folder or tag system to organize and easily retrieve important contracts.

Ask legal for the latest approved contract templates and save them where you can find them.

Identify the most common clause you negotiate—note where reasonable flexibility exists.

Confirm who owns contract sign-off in your team and ensure the process is documented.

Set a reminder to review upcoming contract renewals thirty days in advance.

Corporate Governance

Review your organization’s governance chart—note roles, board structure, and decision responsibilities.

Identify if your team has a code of conduct or ethical policy—scan it for relevance.

Check if recent board minutes or key decisions are easily accessible to relevant stakeholders.

Look up the latest ESG or compliance statement on your company’s public website.

Confirm which policies apply to your role—whistleblower, conflicts, or information use.

Flag any gaps in internal controls or oversight in your current work area.

Innovation and Product Development

Scan your product roadmap—highlight one area where innovation could improve user experience or efficiency.

Read a short case study on successful product pivots or failed innovations in your industry.

Identify and bookmark three sources of emerging trends—newsletters, blogs, analyst reports.

Create a simple backlog of unmet user needs based on support tickets or feedback.

Sketch one “crazy” idea for your current product—no limits, just possibilities.

Check if your company has an innovation framework—design sprints, lean canvas, or similar.

Research Methodologies

Identify one recent business decision and ask what research, if any, actually supported it.

Review a survey or dataset your company already uses—what questions or patterns stand out?

Skim a research article or white paper in your field—note how the methodology is described.

List three key types of research used in your organization—exploratory, descriptive, causal.

Find a free tool (e.g., Google Forms or Typeform) to run quick surveys in your team.

Save one example of a strong research insight that changed direction in a past project.

Intellectual Property Management

Identify one thing your team created that could be protected—design, software, brand, or content.

Check if your company has an IP policy or clause in contracts—skim to understand key terms.

Look up the difference between trademark, copyright, patent, and trade secret in five minutes.

List three types of knowledge your team has that would merit protection if disclosed.

Ask a colleague which legal or branding protections they’ve used or wished they’d had.

Supplier Relationship Management

List your top 3 suppliers and note how frequently you communicate beyond transactional matters.

Review a current supplier contract—what obligations or collaboration terms stand out immediately?

Send a short thank-you or feedback message to a supplier for a job well done.

Identify one high-risk or high-value supplier relationship and jot the key contacts.

Add a short “supplier check-in” to your monthly calendar—fifteen minutes is enough.

Look for missed collaboration opportunities—have you asked suppliers for ideas or improvements?

Logistics and Distribution

Map your current logistics chain from supplier to delivery—identify one weak or unclear step.

Check lead times for your top 3 products or services—are they consistent with expectations?

List all external partners in your distribution process—who are the truly critical ones?

Review your shipping or delivery SLAs—are they visible and tracked regularly now?

Identify one recent delivery delay and what could have been done upstream to avoid it.

Create a simple visual of your distribution flow and share it with one colleague for input.

Cost Management

Review your department’s top 3 recurring costs—are they still aligned with current priorities now?

Identify one tool or service you’re paying for but not using fully—decide to cancel or optimize.

Set a 15-minute timer and scan last month’s purchases for small overlooked expenses.

Check your expense approval limits—do they match the size and risk of typical spend?

Ask finance for a breakdown of your team’s budget categories—where are the big buckets?

Flag one process with manual steps that could be automated to reduce time and cost.

Data Analysis and Visualization

Replace a cluttered chart in your report with one clear visual that highlights the key takeaway.

Use conditional formatting in Sheets to highlight trends or outliers in your current dataset.

Add a title and one-line insight to each chart in your next presentation for clarity.

Convert one data table into a visual dashboard using Datawrapper or Looker Studio.

Choose a KPI and track it with a simple daily or weekly line chart for visibility.

Create a bar or pie chart for a stakeholder using data they truly care about.

Predictive Analytics

Identify one key business metric you want to forecast—find relevant historical data for it.

Explore a simple forecasting function (e.g., Excel FORECAST) for a relevant current dataset.

Visualize a trend line or moving average on your latest sales or performance data.

Find one industry case where predictive analytics measurably improved outcomes.

Create a list of potential predictors that might influence your key forecasting metric.

Run a quick correlation analysis between two variables in your dataset today.

Business Intelligence

Identify your top 3 BI dashboards or reports—assess if they answer key business questions clearly.

Schedule a weekly review of one BI report to spot trends or anomalies early.

Add a short summary or “insight highlight” to a BI report you regularly use.

Explore a BI feature you haven’t used before—drill-downs, filters, or useful alerts.

Share a BI report with a non-technical colleague—ask if it’s understandable and useful.

Set up automated alerts for key KPIs crossing thresholds that need immediate attention.

Enterprise Risk Management

Identify your team’s top 3 risks—list them and rate their potential impact quickly.

Review your organization’s risk register or framework—note one area needing update or clarification.

Schedule a short risk review meeting for your team—focus on emerging or changing risks.

Scan recent incidents or near misses and identify the top cause for each one.

Identify one risk control you own and check status—document gaps or next steps.

Bookmark key risk-management guidance or standards relevant to your industry.

Crisis Management

Review your team’s current crisis response plan—note any missing roles, contacts, or details.

Identify three likely crises for your business and outline initial response steps quickly.

Schedule a brief “crisis readiness” check-in with your team this month.

Confirm communication channels and backup systems for emergency notifications.

Test one critical alert system or notification channel with a quick dry run.

List key stakeholders who must be informed immediately in a crisis situation.

Regulatory Compliance 2

Identify the top 3 regulations impacting your role and find the latest guidance or updates.

Review your team’s compliance checklist—suggest one improvement or clarification.

Set a recurring calendar reminder to review compliance updates monthly or quarterly.

Subscribe to a regulatory newsletter relevant to your industry or region today.

Confirm all mandatory compliance training is completed by your team members.

Check one current project or process for compliance with key regulatory requirements.

Product Lifecycle Management

List all your products or features and identify which lifecycle stage each is currently in.

Review recent product performance metrics and compare against typical lifecycle expectations.

Map the key stakeholders involved at each stage of your product lifecycle.

Check your current product roadmap for plans addressing growth and decline phases.

Identify one product at risk of maturity or decline—brainstorm renewal strategies.

Review product documentation to ensure lifecycle milestones and responsibilities are clear.

Market and User Research

Review recent customer feedback—identify three recurring themes or pain points to address.

Create a short survey to validate one assumption about your target market or users.

Analyze competitor product reviews for insight into preferences and unmet needs.

Set up Google Alerts or RSS feeds for industry news and customer trends.

Conduct a quick heuristic review of your product’s usability and overall appeal.

Gather five user personas or profiles to better understand diverse customer segments.

Go-to-Market Strategy

Identify your target customer segments and list key pain points for each one.

Review your last product launch plan—note one thing that went well and one to improve next.

Map your key sales and marketing channels for upcoming product outreach.

Create a simple value proposition statement tailored to your primary market segment.

Analyze competitor go-to-market tactics for one similar product or service today.

Check that your pricing strategy aligns with perceived value and close competitors.

MASTER Risk Hub