MASTER Risk Model - Learning Resources - Situation

Operations

Identify one recurring admin task you can delegate or automate this week to free time.

Check your daily workflow, what’s one unnecessary step you can remove for efficiency?

Revisit a standard template, update or shorten one that feels outdated or complex.

Ask a colleague: “What’s one admin task that slows you down more than it should?”

Time one admin task (e.g., invoicing), can you cut it using a template or shortcut?

Review your task list, archive or delete anything over 30 days old with no value.

When was the last time your workflow felt smooth and effortless, what made it possible?

What’s one area where you keep reinventing the wheel, what process or tool is missing?

Think of a time when a deadline was missed, what operational failure caused it most?

Which processes have grown bloated, do they add value or just extra steps?

How consistent are your delivery methods, do clients know what to expect each time?

When do you feel most “in flow” during delivery, and when does friction peak?

Map your weekly activities, group them by type and identify where the biggest time drain exists.

Choose one repeat task and document it fully, share with staff to test clarity and handoff.

Block one hour to design or improve a template you’ve been working around manually.

Ask your team to nominate the most chaotic process, then lead a sprint to simplify it.

Pilot a weekly check-in focused only on operations, what’s working, what’s breaking?

Conduct a task audit, highlight low-impact actions you can batch, drop, or streamline.

Ask: “What’s one operational task I handle that could be done faster or differently by the team?”

Ask a peer consultant to walk through your workflow, where do they pause or get confused?

Share a recent SOP with a peer and ask: “Where would you streamline or clarify this?”

Run a quick poll: Which system, process, or tool feels most outdated right now?

Invite a junior staff member to shadow your admin work, what improvements do they notice?

Ask cross-functional peers where your practice creates bottlenecks unintentionally.

Reframe “I’ll just deliver this” to “I’m building a template others can repeat and improve.”

Instead of saying “That’s our habit,” ask “What’s the real outcome this step is supposed to serve?”

Reframe operations not as “admin work” but as the hidden engine powering client results.

Shift from “It works for me” to “Does this process also work for staff who rely on it?”

View operational hiccups not as failure but as “signals for redesign or simplification.”

Replace “We’ll fix it later” with “How do we prevent this recurring in the future?”

Track how many times clients ask the same process question, what needs clearer documentation?

Watch how long it takes to retrieve key resources, does your system really support access?

Observe where projects stall, handoffs, unclear approvals, or missing ownership?

Monitor how you and clients use shared platforms, are they followed or worked around?

Track repeated last-minute scrambles, are they planning gaps or broken systems?

Pay attention to repeated delivery errors, are they due to unclear process or weak templates?

Decision-making

Identify one business decision you’ve been delaying, write down the risk of waiting, then act.

Use a simple “Yes / No / Not now” framework to triage pending client-related decisions.

Revisit a recent small decision, was it deliberate, or made by default? Adjust next time.

Write down three criteria that define a “good business decision” for your role.

Ask a peer to sanity-check one choice you’re overthinking, get quick input.

Block 15 minutes to reflect on a past misstep, what decision could have shifted it?

Recall a time you made a fast business decision that worked, what cues did you trust?

When have you overanalyzed a business choice that didn’t matter in the long run? Why?

What decisions are easiest for you, and which create the most friction or doubt?

Are you more comfortable with reversible or final choices, and how does that shape you?

How often do you decide based on expectations vs. your own professional logic?

When did you last change your mind from new insights, and how did it feel?

Keep a decision log for one week, note the choices made, reasoning used, and visible outcomes.

Before your next major choice, write at least three options, not just a binary yes/no.

Run a “pre-mortem” with a peer, what could go wrong with your current client plan?

Ask two peers for opposing views on the same choice, what do you learn from the contrast?

Lead a group through a decision matrix, compare criteria, weights, and trade-offs.

Force a decision today on one item that’s been stalled over a week, commit to a direction.

Ask a peer coach: “What’s one decision you think I’ve made well recently, and why?”

Review a past strategic decision with your team, what did we learn, and what would we change?

Present a tough client decision to a peer, what do they see that you might miss?

After framing a choice, ask: “Did I explain the tradeoffs clearly enough for you to advise me?”

Ask your team: “Where do we get stuck in decision cycles, and what’s driving the delay?”

Share a recent decision in a peer group, what helped or hindered alignment?

Reframe “I’ll decide later” to “What would help me feel 60% certain to move forward now?”

Replace “I might be wrong” with “Let’s test and learn, data will clarify faster than debate.”

Recast mistakes not as failures but as “experiments that reveal data for future success.”

Replace “What’s safest?” with “What aligns most with my vision for client impact?”

Instead of “I need certainty,” ask “What’s the minimum clarity to keep progress moving?”

Reframe decisions not as endpoints but as “bets on learning, what’s worth testing now?”

Notice when you postpone decisions, what fears or patterns consistently hold you back?

Track how long it takes to close loops on decisions, are they final or frequently revisited?

Watch how client executives make decisions, what filters or models do they lean on?

Listen to your self-talk before deciding, are you seeking safety, or clarity to act?

Observe when emotions override logic in choices, what patterns does that show?

Monitor how project priorities shift midstream, are they reactive or intentionally adjusted?

Structure

Sketch your current delivery structure, are roles, reporting, and handoffs crystal clear?

Identify one responsibility where decision-making is unclear, clarify who owns it today.

Review your goal-setting method, does it align with how accountability really happens?

Update one job description or scope of work, make it match current responsibilities.

Check if your assistant or staff know exactly who to escalate issues to, ask directly.

Write down one clear sentence on your core purpose, does it match your daily work?

When have you seen structure help your consultancy thrive, what made it effective?

When have unclear roles or responsibilities caused friction in your work?

How does your current team structure support or block collaboration?

Recall when you felt underutilized, was it due to unclear authority or scope?

What parts of your role are assumed but not defined, how does that affect clarity?

Recall when your structure shifted, how did it affect ownership or performance?

Clarify who owns each of your five top priorities, write down exact names and responsibilities.

Map out escalation steps for a complex client issue, who intervenes at each stage?

Facilitate a mini-workshop with your team: “What’s working or broken in our current setup?”

Draft a RACI map for one project, define who’s Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed.

Spot a floating task between roles, assign a clear owner and support them in ownership.

Review your calendar, do tasks match your defined responsibilities, or cover hidden gaps?

Ask a colleague: “What part of my role do you rely on most? Is that fully clear to you?”

Ask a colleague: “Which responsibilities in my role feel overlapping or ambiguous?”

Share your org chart with a peer and ask: “Where might friction or confusion show up?”

Ask someone new to explain your reporting lines, does their view match reality?

Gather feedback on how accountability flows in your practice, what needs tightening?

Share your scope of work with a mentor, does it match their view of your role?

Reframe “roles are static” to “roles evolve with growth, what responsibilities must shift now?”

Shift from “I need more staff” to “Can responsibilities be redistributed before hiring more?”

View unclear structures not as dysfunction but as prompts for co-designing accountability.

Recast hierarchy as “a system for support, not control”, how does this shift leadership style?

Replace “I lack authority” with “What aspect can I fully own and show accountability for?”

Reframe org charts as “maps of influence and accountability, not just reporting lines.”

Watch where tasks or handoffs slip in projects, what roles or boundaries need clarity?

Observe team discussions, who dominates, who defers, and what does that reveal about clarity?

Track how often responsibilities bounce around, could a structure update fix the confusion?

Notice recurring confusion in teams, are roles overlapping, or ownership unclear?

Pay attention to how onboarding flows, does structure reflect how people actually work?

Monitor how often clients work outside scope, does it show agility or structural gaps?

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