MASTER Risk Model - Learning Resources - Abilities

Which area or field do you primarily work in?

Strategic Planning

Write a one-sentence version of your team’s strategy—does it state the goal, purpose, and direction?

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

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

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

Identify one project that doesn’t align with goals—pause, pivot, or reframe it today.

Sketch a basic strategy pyramid: vision > goal > task—fill it in for your team or department.

Operational Execution

Identify one overdue task—clarify the next step and owner, and move it forward by end of day.

Review your to-do list—highlight the top 3 items that create impact, and complete them first.

Create a repeatable checklist for one recurring process—use it to cut rework or missed steps.

Apply the 80/20 rule—focus 80% of your energy on the 20% of tasks with biggest career impact.

Set a 15-minute daily slot to review progress on deliverables—small consistency compounds growth.

Align your calendar with top priorities—block time for focused work, not only meetings.

Performance Monitoring

Choose one performance metric in your role—start tracking and reviewing it weekly from today.

Create a simple Excel sheet to visualize progress on your top 3 personal performance indicators.

Add one update question in meetings: “What did we push forward this week?”

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

Send a short recap to your manager summarizing this week’s key results and learnings.

Create a visual tracker for one initiative—bring it to your next team check-in.

Market Analysis

Google your company’s main competitors—note how they position their strengths and customer benefits.

Review customer reviews from your company—what needs or frustrations are most often repeated?

Identify one market trend in your industry—note the career opportunities or threats it creates.

Use Google Trends to check an industry keyword—what’s rising or falling in attention?

Refresh your customer personas using insights from your latest interactions or projects.

List the top 5 things your audience values—validate with feedback from a customer-facing peer.

Branding and Positioning

Rewrite your role’s one-line value pitch—make it clearer, bolder, and focused on impact, not tasks.

List 3 things that make your team unique—check if your LinkedIn or resume highlights them clearly.

Update your LinkedIn headline—make it reflect the unique value you bring to your current role.

Compare your tone in emails vs. presentations—are you consistent and professional?

Ask a peer to describe your professional brand—does it match what you want them to perceive?

Add one story-driven example to your resume or LinkedIn summary this week.

Digital Marketing Strategy

Identify your top-performing digital tool at work—use it today for one new task or improvement.

Set one clear digital upskilling goal (e.g., Excel, LinkedIn, analytics) and define how you’ll track it.

Review your workplace data tool—what’s one surprising insight you’ve not used yet?

Test a new LinkedIn post style—see if it increases engagement or feedback from your network.

Review open and click-through rates on company emails—suggest one sharper subject line.

Optimize your LinkedIn or email signature to reflect your current career goals.

Negotiation Skills

Write down your ideal, target, and walk-away terms for your next workplace request or discussion.

Identify one phrase you use in meetings that weakens your stance—replace it with something stronger.

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

Watch a short video on tactical silence—apply it in your next tough discussion at work.

Prepare one strong question to uncover priorities in your next one-on-one or team meeting.

Practice stating your career goals without apology—say them out loud once each day.

Customer Relationship Management

Identify your top 5 internal stakeholders—send one short check-in unrelated to current projects.

Add a personal detail about each peer or manager to your notes—use it to strengthen connections.

Set calendar reminders for follow-ups with key colleagues (e.g., 30 or 90 days post-project).

Choose one dormant colleague relationship—send a short message to reconnect and catch up.

Ask one client-facing colleague how they add value—note insights you could apply in your role.

Share one useful, non-work article or tip with a colleague—strengthen connection and trust.

Sales Strategy and Planning

Define your top 3 career goals for this quarter—link each to a clear task or measurable outcome.

Review your career development plan—spot one bottleneck and brainstorm a small, testable action.

Identify one underused skill of yours—adjust how you present it and showcase it in your work.

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

Create or update your career growth profile—base it on real feedback, not only assumptions.

Sketch a simple career journey map—spot your current bottleneck and how you address it.

Talent Acquisition and Recruitment

Review one current job post in your company—rewrite the opening to highlight growth and purpose.

Reconnect with one promising past applicant—send a note to show continued company interest.

Share a short “why work here” story from your perspective on LinkedIn or in a team channel.

Add an inclusive language check when reviewing your department’s job postings or policies.

Identify your top 3 sources of recognition—reach out to activate them for your development.

Create or update a short interview scorecard with the top 3 traits for a candidate.

Performance Management

Choose one team priority—define what “great performance” looks like and share it with your manager.

Review your appraisal form—remove or reframe one vague or redundant question this week.

Send a timely recognition note to a peer for their specific recent effort or result.

Identify one KPI you’re measured on that feels misaligned—suggest a small adjustment to HR.

Schedule a feedback-focused check-in with your manager—make it about growth, not updates.

Update your personal calendar to include quarterly reflection slots, not only deadlines.

Learning and Development

Ask one colleague: “What’s one skill you’d like more time to develop right now?”

Add one short learning link (podcast, article, video) to your next team chat or group email.

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

Create a shared space where peers can suggest useful resources or training materials.

Turn your last success or failure into a quick note—what did you learn and how will you apply it?

Promote one internal training resource this week—share it with a personal endorsement.

Financial Analysis and Budgeting

Review your team’s budget sheet—flag one unclear or mismatched expense line for clarification.

Set up a monthly budget tracker with 3–5 simple categories you can personally follow.

Block 30 minutes this week to review actual vs. planned budget for one project or task.

Identify one budget area that consistently overruns—check if forecasts or assumptions need revising.

Add a “budget check” item to your personal to-do list—make it a regular monthly habit.

Watch a short tutorial on budgeting basics—apply one idea immediately in your expenses.

Risk Management

Identify one risk in your current project—write it down and share it with a peer this afternoon.

Review your workplace safety or backup plans—note anything outdated or missing for your role.

Flag the top 3 risks in your current work—rank them by likelihood and potential impact.

Add a “risk check” line to your next planning note—force yourself to think ahead proactively.

List recent mistakes—did any signal a bigger risk you might have overlooked?

Skim a recent industry report—what external risks could affect your role or company?

Capital Allocation

List your top 3 current tasks—rank them by career value, not only urgency or ease of completion.

Identify one area where you’re over-spending time or effort without clear results—flag it today.

Check if your personal time allocation matches your growth goals—note one mismatch to adjust.

Review one recent expense decision—did it balance short- and long-term career impact?

Sketch a quick chart of where you spend work hours—are priorities getting enough attention?

Estimate the upside of moving 10% of your time toward your highest-growth task.

Supply Chain Management

Map your workflow in 5 steps—highlight one weak link or dependency that slows progress today.

Check if your top 3 suppliers or tools meet deadlines and quality standards—flag any concerns.

Create a one-page summary of resource use vs. demand—highlight one misalignment today.

Ask procurement or IT if alternatives exist for two critical tools—note their answers.

Review last quarter’s delays—note the root cause in each and how you could help prevent them.

List your top 3 work tools by usage or cost—do they align with what drives your success?

Lean and Agile Methodologies

Set up a personal task board to visualize your work—flag anything that looks stuck or repetitive.

Run a 15-minute check-in with a peer focused only on blockers—note patterns slowing delivery.

Identify one daily task that adds little value—suggest removing or simplifying it this week.

Pilot a one-week sprint: plan, execute, review—see how it changes your focus and delivery.

Map one personal workflow in five steps—remove any redundant or unclear steps this week.

Take one task and shorten its prep time—see if quality still holds with faster delivery.

Quality Assurance

Create a checklist for one daily task—use it this week to avoid repeating common small errors.

Choose one error type you make often and track it daily for a week—spot when it happens most.

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

Review one outgoing email or file for clarity and accuracy—spot what could confuse readers.

Identify a task you often redo—define a fix or checklist to reduce rework.

Ask a peer to review your draft work—note what they catch that you missed.

IT Systems Management

Document one recurring IT issue you face—outline steps to streamline or automate the workflow.

Set a calendar reminder for system updates—make sure nothing important gets missed.

Review last week’s IT performance logs—note any anomalies or delays you don’t understand.

Make a central list of IT vendors—include renewal dates so nothing is missed.

Identify one recurring IT problem—suggest a small fix your team could test.

Run a 10-minute IT health check—log outcomes and note repeated issues.

Cybersecurity

Update your work passwords today and enable two-factor authentication on key accounts.

Schedule auto-updates on your laptop or phone to reduce security risks today.

Take a 5-minute phishing quiz—see how well you’d spot fake emails.

Review your recent login activity—flag unusual times or locations.

Enable encryption for email or files if not already in place.

Create a checklist of steps during a cyber incident—save it in your files.

Software Development and Integration

Write a clear comment for one piece of code or process so colleagues can understand it faster.

Clean one old file or script by rewriting for clarity and readability this week.

Document one integration step in your work that lacks clear instructions.

Check your project has version control—review one recent commit for clarity.

Create a shared checklist for integrating your work with others’.

Add a linter or formatting tool to clean up your code or documents.

Customer Experience Management

Send a short thank-you note to a customer who gave feedback—ask what mattered most to them.

Review top 3 complaints customers had last quarter—note recurring patterns or causes.

Add a quick satisfaction question to a feedback form you already use.

Rewrite one customer email—make it clearer, warmer, and more human.

Shadow a colleague handling a customer call—note tone and process.

Create a simple journey map for one customer process.

Service Recovery and Resolution

Review the last 3 customer tickets you saw—note how quickly and clearly they were handled.

Rewrite one support template so it feels more human, empathetic, and clear.

Create a short checklist for faster handover when a customer issue is escalated.

Acknowledge one small error openly—it shows responsibility and builds trust.

Add a clear apology step in an automated customer message.

Categorize recurring complaints—note the root causes behind them.

CRM Systems

Update one CRM entry with missing details—recent contact, preferences, or project info.

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

Save a filtered view of your 10 most active accounts or cases.

Add a custom CRM field that tracks one insight useful to your team.

Review CRM tags—merge or remove ones no longer used.

Clean up your last 10 CRM entries—make them useful and clear.

Regulatory Compliance

Identify one regulation affecting your role—read the latest update and summarize one point.

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

Highlight one clause in a contract that carries compliance risk for your role.

Set a calendar reminder for compliance checks monthly or quarterly.

Bookmark the regulator’s official update page for your industry.

Check if your current project follows safety or disclosure rules.

Contract Management

Review a recent contract template—highlight expiration dates, auto-renewal, or penalty clauses.

Create a shared folder to store and organize important agreements for easy access.

Ask your legal team for the latest approved templates—save them in one place.

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

Confirm who approves contracts in your team—make sure it’s clear.

Set a reminder 30 days before key contract renewals.

Corporate Governance

Review your company’s governance chart—note reporting lines and who approves key decisions.

Check if your team has a code of conduct—skim it for relevance to your role.

Check if you can access recent board minutes or leadership decisions.

Look up your company’s latest ESG or compliance statement online.

Check which policies apply to your work—conflicts, confidentiality, or ethics.

Flag one area in your work lacking clear oversight.

Innovation and Product Development

Scan your team’s roadmap—highlight one area where innovation could improve efficiency.

Read a short case study on an innovation—note one lesson you could apply in your work.

Bookmark three sources of industry trends—read one headline today.

Create a simple backlog of unmet user needs from feedback or tickets.

Sketch one bold product idea—no limits, just possibilities.

Check if your company uses an innovation framework—note how it applies.

Research Methodologies

Identify one recent company decision and check what data or research actually supported it.

Review one dataset your company uses—spot a question or pattern that stands out.

Skim a recent research summary—note one thing about its method or approach.

List three research types your team uses—exploratory, descriptive, causal.

Find a free tool to run small team surveys quickly.

Save one strong research example that shaped a project.

Intellectual Property Management

Identify one idea or work product from your team that might need protection or credit.

Check if your company has an IP policy—skim for the basics you should know.

Write down the difference between copyright, trademark, and patent in your own words.

List three knowledge types in your work that should be protected.

Ask a peer how they’ve used legal or branding protections.

Check if your company’s trademarks and copyright are displayed correctly.

Supplier Relationship Management

List your top 3 suppliers—note how often you connect beyond transactions or escalations.

Review one supplier agreement—note the key obligations that affect your role.

Send a quick thank-you to a supplier who recently supported you.

Identify one supplier relationship at risk—note the main contacts.

Add a quick supplier check-in to your calendar—fifteen minutes is enough.

Ask suppliers for ideas—note one suggestion for improvement.

Logistics and Distribution

Map your part of the delivery chain—identify one unclear or weak step slowing progress.

Check lead times for your top 3 deliverables—are they consistent with expectations?

List all external partners in your workflow—circle which are most critical.

Review your delivery SLAs—check if they’re visible and tracked.

Note one recent delivery delay—what could have been fixed earlier?

Create a simple diagram of your process flow—share for feedback.

Cost Management

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

Identify one software tool you don’t fully use—decide to learn or cancel it.

Scan last month’s purchases for small unnoticed expenses—flag one today.

Check your approval limits—see if they fit typical spend in your role.

Ask finance for a breakdown of team budget categories.

Identify one manual process to automate—note cost or time saved.

Data Analysis and Visualization

Replace one messy chart in your report with a clearer visual that shows the main takeaway.

Add conditional formatting in Excel to highlight trends or outliers in data you use.

Add a clear title and one insight to each chart in your next report.

Turn one data table into a chart in Excel or PowerPoint.

Pick one KPI and chart it daily for a week—see patterns.

Make a bar chart of data that matters to your manager.

Predictive Analytics

Identify one key metric you’d like to forecast—find one set of past data for it today.

Try a simple Excel FORECAST on a dataset relevant to your work.

Add a trend line to one of your current charts—see what pattern emerges.

Find one case where analytics improved decisions in your industry.

Brainstorm possible predictors for one outcome you track.

Run a quick correlation test between two variables.

Business Intelligence

Review your top 3 dashboards—check if they answer your daily questions clearly.

Schedule a weekly 15-minute review of one BI report you use—spot early signals.

Add a one-line summary to a BI chart you use regularly.

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

Share a BI report with a peer—ask if it’s clear to them.

Set automated alerts for a KPI crossing thresholds.

Enterprise Risk Management

Identify your top 3 risks at work—list them and rate impact quickly.

Review your team’s risk register—note one item that needs an update or addition.

Schedule a short risk review with your team—focus on one emerging issue.

Review recent issues in your role—note the top cause for each.

Identify one risk you manage—check its current status today.

Bookmark a guide or standard relevant to risk management.

Crisis Management

Review your team’s crisis plan—note any missing roles, contacts, or details you’d need.

List three possible crises for your team—sketch first steps you’d need to take.

Schedule a 15-minute “readiness check” with your team this month.

Confirm backup channels your team would use in emergencies.

Test one emergency alert system—make sure it works.

List key contacts who must be informed first in a crisis.

Regulatory Compliance 2

Identify the top 3 compliance rules for your role—check the latest version or guidance.

Review your compliance training checklist—note one missing or outdated element.

Subscribe to a compliance update relevant to your industry.

Confirm all compliance training is up to date in your team.

Review one process for compliance with key rules.

Product Lifecycle Management

List all products or features your team touches—note which lifecycle stage each is in.

Review your product metrics—compare them with typical lifecycle expectations.

Map stakeholders at each stage of your product lifecycle—note who matters when.

Check your roadmap—see if it addresses growth and decline stages.

Identify one product at risk of decline—list renewal ideas.

Check your product docs—are lifecycle milestones clear?

Market and User Research

Review recent customer input—spot 3 themes that keep showing up in feedback.

Create a quick survey to test one assumption about your customers.

Review competitor reviews—spot customer likes and frustrations.

Set Google Alerts for your market or customer trends.

Review your product’s usability—list quick improvements.

Gather five customer personas—note how they differ.

Go-to-Market Strategy

Write down your target customer segments and list their main frustrations or needs.

Review your last team launch plan—note one strength and one thing to improve.

Map your key sales or marketing channels for an upcoming project.

Write a one-line value statement for your product or service.

Analyze one competitor’s launch tactics for lessons.

Review your pricing—does it fit value and competition?

MASTER Risk Hub