Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes
By Melanie Lockwood Herman
“To our brains, daily life is like tightrope-walking over a vast pit full of furious honey badgers and broken glass; one wrong move and you’ll end up as a gruesome mess in temporary but exquisite pain.” – Dean Burnett, Idiot Brain: What Your Head is Really Up To
To prep for this Wednesday’s Affiliate Member webinar, “If I Only Had a Brain: Neuroscience and Risk Management,” I’ve been reading Dean Burnett’s book, Idiot Brain. During the webinar my colleague Diana Del Bel Belluz will help participants understand some of the quirky ways brain structure and chemistry intersect with risk practice. Diana will also discuss how brain-based barriers to effective risk management can be overcome. Confirm that your organization is a current Affiliate Member, or sign up for Affiliate Membership and access to recorded webinars and future live webinars. Call Kay Nakamura at 703.777.3504 with questions about benefits or access.
In his chapter on fear, Burnett explains that although the fears of early humans were limited to “physical, life-endangering hazards,” the modern human brain “can find literally anything to fret about,” and “Anything that might have a negative consequence, no matter how small or subjective,” is perceived as worthy of worry. We’ve certainly seen this at NRMC with client risk lists including hundreds of what ifs that keep the risk team awake at night. In our consulting practice we try to help teams both identify and prioritize their top risks, without going overboard. Creating an exhaustive list of what ifs takes time away from the what now? and what then? discussions that reduce fear and ratchet-up resilience through the development of Plans B, C and D.
Burnett also describes apophenia: seeing connections in places where there actually aren’t any. You might have witnessed this reaction if you know any conspiracy theorists or colleagues who craft unfounded concerns. Although it’s important to look for connections and intersections between the top risks at your nonprofit, doing so obsessively can lead you off track.
During risk identification and risk assessment exercises, remind your team to respect, but not overindulge in fear:
In contrast to short-term memory, which lasts for a maximum of one-minute, Dean Burnett explains that long-term memories are limitless. On the upside, every past and future happy experience will be permanently imprinted in your brain. On the downside, retrieving even happy memories can be challenging and frustrating. Memories that include emotional sensations (i.e., we remember how we felt when the event took place) are easier to retrieve than memories without emotional content. Why? Because emotions, sensations and thoughts create additional links—a bit like the metadata on a webpage used to optimize search engine results—adding importance and relevance to a memory.
To help your team create memorable, retrievable memories of sound risk practice:
The next issue of the RISK eNews will offer additional thoughts on the intersection of neuroscience and risk management in your nonprofit.
“That brain of mine is something more than merely mortal, as time will show.” – Ada Lovelace, mathematician and mother of computer programming
Melanie Lockwood Herman is Executive Director of the Nonprofit Risk Management Center. She welcomes your thoughts about neuroscience and risk management, and hopes you’ll join NRMC’s Affiliate Membership program to enjoy the webinar with guest speaker Diana Del Bel Belluz this Wednesday, December 6, 2017. Contact Melanie at Melanie@nonprofitrisk.org or 703.777.3504.
“First let me congratulate you on a conference well done. I had a great time at the Nonprofit Employee Benefits Conference and walked away with some valuable tools and questions that we’ll need to be addressing in both the short and long term. Thanks to you and your staff for all you do to provide us with quality resources in support of our missions.”
“BBYO’s engagement of the Center to conduct a risk assessment was one of the most valuable processes undertaken over the past five years. Numerous programmatic and procedural changes were recommended and have since been implemented. Additionally, dozens (literally) of insurance coverage gaps were identified that would never have been without the work of the Center. This assessment led to a broker bidding process that resulted in BBYO’s selection of a new broker that we have been extremely satisfied with. I unconditionally recommend the Center for their consultative services.
“Melanie Herman has provided expert, insightful, timely and well resourced information to our Executive Team and Board of Directors. Our corporation recently experienced massive growth through merger and the Board has been working to better integrate their expanded set of roles and responsibilities. Melanie presented at our Annual Board of Director’s Retreat and captured the interest of our Board members. As a result of her excellent presentation the Board has engaged in focused review which is having immediate effects on governance.”
“The Nonprofit Risk Management Center has been an outstanding partner for us. They are attentive to our needs, and work hard to successfully meet our requests for information. Being an Affiliate member gave us access to so many time- and money-saving resources that it easily paid for itself! Nonprofit Risk Management Center is truly a valued partner of The Community Foundation of Elkhart County and we are continuously able to optimize staff time with the support given by their team.”
“The board and staff of the Prince George’s Child Resource Center are extremely pleased with the results of the risk assessment conducted by the Nonprofit Risk Management Center. A thorough scan revealed that while we are a well run organization, we had risks that we never imagined. We are grateful to know that we have now minimized our organizational risks and we recommend the Center to other nonprofits.”
Great American Insurance Group’s Specialty Human Services is committed to protecting those who improve your communities. The Center team has committed to delivering dynamic risk management solutions tailored to nonprofit organizations. These organizations have many and varied risk issues, hence the need for specialized coverage and expert knowledge for their protection. We’ve had Melanie speak on several occasions to employees and our agents. She is always on point and delivers such great value. Thank you for the terrific partnership and allowing our nonprofits to focus on their mission!