MASTER Risk Model - Learning Resources - Abilities

Financial Management

Compare this month’s spending with budget—highlight one cost you can reduce or optimize this week.

Schedule a Monday reminder to check cash flow or key budget lines—spot risks before they escalate.

Create a three-line spreadsheet to track department costs—update it daily for one week to spot trends.

Categorize five recent expenses as fixed or flexible—note where efficiencies could be gained quickly.

List your top three recurring expenses and brainstorm one way each could be reduced or improved.

Review one past vendor invoice today—check carefully for errors or hidden costs to cut quickly.

Reflect on when you avoided reviewing financial data—what mindset or fear held you back, and what was the cost?

Journal about a time poor financial oversight hurt your team—what did you learn, and what would you change now?

Write about how confident you are in reading budgets or forecasts—what would increase your confidence now?

List three financial risks you’ve taken in your role—how did they affect results for your department or team?

Write about your budgeting process this year—did you feel informed, excluded, or caught in the middle? Why?

Think about how your personal money habits influence the way you manage departmental budgets today.

Spend 30 minutes reviewing your departmental budget—spot one risk or opportunity and prepare a short note.

Ask to attend the next financial review with senior leaders—listen for priorities and take learning notes.

Track departmental spending for one week—summarize and share findings with your finance partner.

Choose one financial KPI (e.g., margin, spend) and check the latest trend—interpret what it means for your team.

Flag one unclear budget line—ask finance for explanation and share clarity with your team.

Set a micro-financial goal (e.g., reduce discretionary spend by 5%) and track progress for two weeks.

Ask finance to explain one budget item linked to your department—clarify what drives its importance.

Share a cost-saving or efficiency idea with finance and ask for feedback on feasibility.

Present a small part of your budget in a meeting—invite input and questions from colleagues.

Ask your manager for feedback on how financially savvy you seem in budget discussions.

Ask a peer how they handle unexpected cost pressures—what habits keep them disciplined?

Share a finance article, podcast, or tool with a colleague—discuss what’s relevant to your budget role.

Replace “I’m not good with budgets” with “Financial fluency is a skill I can learn and apply daily.”

View budget limits not as blocks but as creative constraints that spark smarter solutions.

See forecasting as a leadership tool, not a chore—it equips you with control and foresight.

Recast “cutting expenses” as “redirecting resources toward impact and growth.”

Replace “finance is someone else’s domain” with “financial insight strengthens my leadership.”

Instead of “reports are dull,” view them as maps highlighting risks, patterns, and chances.

Watch how senior leaders frame budget discussions—note what they emphasize: growth, risk, or efficiency.

Observe how often financial trade-offs surface in leadership debates and who raises them.

Study how budget owners defend spending—what reasoning consistently lands with leadership?

Track how often ROI or cost-effectiveness comes up in planning sessions.

Listen for cues of financial comfort or discomfort in managers during budget sessions.

Monitor tone and timing of finance updates in leadership emails—what signals do they send?

Project Management

Write a list of all active department projects—note owners, deadlines, and the next visible step for each.

Clarify one ambiguous role or timeline in a shared project—ask a direct, simple question today.

Break your next project deliverable into 3–5 sequential steps—use it to guide team execution clearly.

Block 30 minutes this week to update one project tracker fully—share status with stakeholders.

Send one-sentence project updates to stakeholders—practice brevity and clarity at the same time.

Pick one overdue project task—advance it by doing the next 15 minutes of work immediately.

Reflect on a project delay you oversaw—what was in your control, and how could you handle it differently now?

Journal about how you prioritize multiple competing projects—what logic do you use, and does it serve strategy?

Write about which project phase drains you most—planning, execution, or follow-through—and why that matters.

List the tools or habits that helped you deliver a successful project—how did they keep priorities on track?

Write about when you tend to lose grip on projects—handoffs, time estimates, or team follow-through?

Think about how you react when project scope shifts midstream—what does that reveal about your tolerance?

Define and document scope, milestones, and ownership for one departmental project—share it for alignment.

Choose one project management platform (e.g., Asana, Jira) and run your team fully on it for one week.

Ask your team to set clear project roles and communication rules before starting a joint initiative.

Identify one risk in a departmental project and draft a fallback plan—how would you handle failure?

Run a quick retrospective with your team—capture what worked, what failed, and what to change.

Take full ownership of a small departmental initiative—commit to weekly updates until it’s complete.

Ask your team: “What would make our project planning and reporting easier to follow?”

Request input from a senior stakeholder on your last project update—was it useful or too detailed?

After a team meeting, ask: “Was the next step clear for everyone?”—listen for gaps in your direction.

Invite a peer with more experience to critique your project plan—what’s clear or missing?

Share your project tracker with a peer manager and ask: “Is anything unclear or misleading?”

Ask a peer manager which rituals or tools help them manage deadlines and scope—adapt one to your team.

Change “I’m not a planner” to “Good planning reduces surprises for me, my team, and leadership.”

Reframe “We’re behind” to “Now we see the gap—let’s reset priorities with clarity.”

Instead of “It’s too early to plan,” think “Clarity now avoids rework and stress later.”

View detailed check-ins not as bureaucracy but as trust signals that keep projects aligned.

Replace “I’m drowning in projects” with “I need visibility to prioritize and manage capacity.”

See shifting timelines as part of collaboration—not failure—adapt with both structure and flexibility.

Watch how experienced managers update executives—what cadence and structure do they use?

Observe what happens when project ownership is unclear—how does drift or overlap show up?

Track which meetings feel like progress versus wheel-spinning—what practices create the difference?

Listen to how priorities shift in your team—are changes tracked formally or passed along informally?

Monitor how teams react to deadlines—who delivers early, who delays, and what’s the impact?

Notice when you switch between planning and execution—do you skip key checks or shift too fast?

Change Management

Note one upcoming organizational change—write down in one line how it could affect your team’s outcomes.

Identify one recurring routine you can tweak to help your team adapt faster to shifting demands.

Ask a colleague how their team is experiencing a current change—just listen without offering fixes.

Choose a small improvement you’ve avoided—take the first 15 minutes today to push it forward.

Reflect on your last experience with change—note what coping tactic helped you adapt effectively.

Review your team’s last change communication—spot one unclear or inconsistent message to improve.

Reflect on how you typically react to organizational change—do you resist, adapt, or lead through it, and why?

Journal about a change you actively supported—what helped you embrace it and encourage others to follow?

Write about your biggest emotional triggers when hearing about change—what do they reveal about your leadership?

List one poorly managed change you experienced—what failed, and what would you do differently as a leader?

Write about one recent change you initiated—what worked, and what could make it more sustainable?

Think about your role as a change driver—do you lean passive, reactive, or proactive, and how does it affect results?

Volunteer to lead a key workstream in an upcoming organizational change—model confidence in uncertainty.

Create a one-page change summary for your department—explain what’s shifting, why, and expected outcomes.

Identify one unclear change directive from above—ask for clarity and share updates with your team.

Run a short check-in with your team to surface emotional reactions to an ongoing organizational change.

Identify one small resilience habit your team could build this week—model it openly during change.

Translate a high-level change directive into one clear departmental action your team can execute now.

Ask your team: “What about this change feels most unclear or frustrating, and what support would help you?”

Share your perspective on a current change and ask: “How does this land with you, and what’s missing?”

Invite a colleague to describe how their team adapted to a major change—note lessons for your group.

Ask your manager for input on how you navigated a recent change—what worked well, what didn’t?

Present a small change idea to your team—ask them to highlight risks or blind spots before rolling it out.

Ask someone resisting change: “What would make this shift feel more manageable or fair to you?”

Shift from “change is disruptive” to “change is a chance to align and strengthen our direction.”

Reframe “Directives are imposed” to “Leadership needs feedback—our input shapes execution.”

Instead of “this shift is inconvenient,” think “what opportunity or influence could it create?”

Change “I have no influence” to “I can model resilience and guide my team through it.”

View uncertainty not as chaos but as a stage where managers can still influence direction.

See resistance as care in disguise—often rooted in values, not defiance.

Notice how leadership frames organizational change—do they explain rationale or only mandate steps?

Watch how departments sequence initiatives—what patterns ease adoption across teams?

Observe how your team responds in the first 48 hours of a change—do they express concerns or disengage?

Track who adapts quickly to change and who resists—what clarity or support helps each group?

Notice when staff go quiet during change—what missing information would reengage them?

Pay attention to your inner dialogue during change—are you framing it as threat or opportunity?

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