MASTER Risk Model - Learning Resources - Abilities

Financial Management

Review your last month’s personal expenses and pick one area where you can reduce spending this week.

Set a weekly reminder to check your bank balance and pay any outstanding bills on time.

Create a simple spreadsheet to track three recurring costs—update it daily for one week.

Categorize five recent expenses as fixed or flexible—see how your money is distributed.

List your top three recurring bills and brainstorm one way to reduce or optimize each.

Review your last payslip or expense claim—check for small errors or missed details.

When have you avoided financial planning, and what mindset or fear contributed to your hesitation?

Reflect on a time when poor financial decisions impacted a project—what could you have done differently?

How confident are you in reading a budget or P&L? What would improve that confidence right now?

What financial risks have you taken in the past, and how did they influence your outcomes?

Think about your organization’s budgeting cycle—do you feel informed or disconnected from financial planning, and why?

Reflect on how your personal money habits influence how you manage business finances today.

Spend 30 minutes reviewing your department or business budget, even if it’s not your direct responsibility.

Ask to attend your team’s next budget review meeting—listen actively and take notes to learn.

Track your work-related spending for one week and summarize findings for your manager.

Choose one KPI tied to finances (e.g., ROI, margin) and check its latest value—interpret the trend clearly.

Identify a vague line item in your budget—request clarification from your finance team today.

Set a micro-financial goal (e.g., save 5% on expenses) and measure progress after two weeks.

Ask a finance colleague to explain a financial term or metric you don’t fully understand.

Share a financial idea or cost-saving proposal with your team—ask for feedback and input.

Present a small section of your team’s budget in a meeting—ask for insights or concerns.

Request feedback from your manager on how financially aware you’re perceived to be.

Ask a peer how they manage unexpected expenses—what practices help them stay financially disciplined?

Share a financial learning resource you found useful—discuss its relevance with a teammate.

Instead of thinking “I’m not good with numbers,” reframe it as “Financial skills are learnable and valuable.”

View financial constraints not as blockers but as creative boundaries that drive innovation.

See budgeting as a strategic tool, not a burden—it gives you more control, not less stress.

Recast “cutting costs” as “redirecting resources to what matters most for growth or innovation.”

Replace the belief “finance is someone else’s job” with “financial understanding strengthens leadership.”

Instead of seeing financial reports as boring, view them as maps showing risks and opportunities.

Watch how senior leaders talk about financial goals during team meetings—note key terms and priorities.

Observe how often financial metrics come up in decision-making discussions and who initiates them.

Study how budget owners justify spending in approval meetings—what arguments are most convincing?

Track how often teams ask about ROI or cost impact during brainstorming or planning sessions.

Listen for signs of financial confidence or discomfort in your peers during budget discussions.

Monitor the timing and tone of financial updates in leadership emails or presentations—what do they emphasize?

Project Management

Make a list of all current tasks you’re responsible for—note owners, deadlines, and next steps.

Clarify one vague task or deadline with your manager today—ask a short, direct question for certainty.

Break your next assignment into 3–5 small steps—check each one off as you complete them.

Block 30 minutes this week to update the status of your current tasks in your project tool.

Send your manager a one-sentence status update today—practice short, clear communication.

Pick one overdue task and work on it for 15 minutes today to move it forward.

Think about a recent project delay—what was within your control, and how would you handle it differently now?

Reflect on how you prioritize when juggling multiple projects—what’s your decision logic, and does it serve you?

What phase of project work do you enjoy least—planning, execution, or follow-through? Why?

Recall a successful project—what habits or tools helped you stay organized and meet deadlines effectively?

When do you tend to drop the ball in projects—handoffs, communication, or time estimates? What’s the pattern?

Reflect on your tolerance for ambiguity—how do you respond when project scope shifts midway?

Define and document the scope, timeline, and key milestones for a task you’re leading—even if informal.

Choose one tool (Trello, Asana, Notion, etc.) and manage a full week of work entirely on that platform.

Ask your team to agree on project roles and communication norms before starting a shared initiative.

Identify a project risk and draft a short plan B—what will you do if that risk materializes?

Schedule a short project retrospective, even informal—review what worked, what didn’t, and what to improve.

Take ownership of a small project or workstream—commit to updating the team weekly until completion.

Ask your team: “What would make our project planning and updates easier or more effective?”

Request feedback from a stakeholder on your last project update—was it too detailed, too vague, or just right?

After a meeting, ask: “Was the next step clear to everyone? Did I communicate it effectively?”

Invite someone with more project experience to review your current plan and suggest improvements.

Share your planning doc or tracker with a colleague and ask: “Is anything unclear or missing?”

Ask a peer which project tools or rituals help them manage complexity or stay ahead of deadlines.

Change “I’m not a planner” to “Good planning reduces stress and improves results for me and others.”

Reframe “We’re behind” to “Now we know the gap—we can reprioritize and act with clarity.”

Instead of “It’s too early to plan,” think “Early clarity avoids later chaos.”

View process steps as progress signals, not bureaucracy—they guide others and build trust.

Replace “I have too many projects” with “I need better visibility and prioritization to handle this load.”

See shifting timelines as a reality of collaboration, not a failure—adapt with flexibility and structure.

Watch how experienced project leads handle updates—what cadence, structure, and language do they use?

Observe what happens when a project lacks a clear owner—how does confusion or drift show up?

Track which project meetings feel productive versus scattered—what makes the difference?

Listen to how often priorities shift in your team—are changes tracked or just verbally passed along?

Monitor how different people respond to deadlines—who overcommits, who delays, and what’s the impact?

Notice when and how you switch between planning and doing—do you miss key steps or switch too fast?

Change Management

List one upcoming change in your team or department and write down in one sentence how it could affect you.

Identify one routine you could adjust this week to stay more flexible with shifting priorities.

Ask a teammate how they’re coping with a recent change—listen closely without jumping in to fix.

Pick one small change you’ve been avoiding—take the first 15 minutes today to start moving on it.

Think back on the last change at work—write down what helped you adjust effectively.

Review your team’s last announcement—note one phrase that could confuse and suggest a fix.

How do you typically respond to organizational change—fight, flight, freeze, or flow? Why?

Reflect on a change you supported—what helped you embrace it instead of resist it?

What are your emotional triggers when you hear about change—disruption, control loss, ambiguity? Explore why.

Recall a poorly managed change—what were the consequences, and what would you have done differently?

What changes have you initiated in your role recently—what made them successful or not?

Reflect on your role as a change agent—are you passive, reactive, or proactive, and how does it affect outcomes?

Volunteer to lead or support one aspect of an upcoming change initiative in your team or department.

Create a one-page “change briefing” to help your team understand the what, why, and how of a shift.

Identify one unclear change in your organization—ask a manager for clarity and better communication.

Set up a team check-in to surface emotional reactions or concerns about an ongoing transition.

Choose a habit to intentionally adjust this week—practice small-scale resilience in the face of change.

Help translate a high-level organizational change into one clear action for your team to prioritize.

Ask your team: “What’s unclear or frustrating about this change? What would help you move forward?”

Share your view on a change and ask: “How does this land with you? What’s your perspective?”

Invite a colleague to describe how they adapted to a major shift—and what they’d do differently next time.

Ask your manager for feedback on how you handled a recent change—what worked, and what didn’t?

Present a small change idea to your team—ask for candid input on risks or blind spots.

Ask someone who’s resistant to change: “What would make this feel more manageable or fair to you?”

Shift from “change is risky” to “change is a chance to re-evaluate and grow with intention.”

Reframe “top-down changes are forced” to “Leadership may lack visibility—feedback helps shape future moves.”

Instead of “this change is inconvenient,” think “what opportunity or learning might it create?”

Change “I have no control” to “I can influence how I respond and help others adjust too.”

View uncertainty not as confusion but as a transition space where influence is still possible.

See resistance as a signal of care, not defiance—it’s often rooted in values and trust.

Notice how leaders communicate change—do they address emotions or just facts? How does it land?

Watch how different departments pace and sequence changes—what patterns help adoption stick?

Observe how your team reacts in the first 48 hours after a change announcement—what signals do they give?

Track who embraces vs. resists change—what support or clarity makes a difference for each?

Notice when people go quiet or disengage during change—what’s missing that they need to reengage?

Pay attention to your own internal dialogue when change hits—what story are you telling yourself?

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