How to Improve Risk Culture: Celebrate Small Wins That Stick

The morning after Halloween can often find us reaching for an extra cup of coffee, shaking off the playful remnants of the previous night's festivities. As the memories of trick-or-treaters fade, I'm reminded of the constant balance in our profession between the challenges we face and the victories we achieve.

In the world of risk management, we often find ourselves in the spotlight – sometimes misunderstood as the "Internal Affairs" or as the ones the organization is looking at to make all the decisions now. And yes, there have been plenty of our meetings met with last-minute cancellations or skeptical glances and eye rolls.

But amidst these challenges are the wins that truly matter. Like the first time a department manager reached out, needing to make a decision and actually requesting the help of a risk assessment. That moment was a clear indicator: our message is getting through. Sure, we continue to encounter our fair share of hurdles. Like that time our cyber risk campaign didn't get the traction we hoped for. But here's the thing: it's vital that we focus more on our achievements than our setbacks, especially as leaders in this space.

Why celebrating wins is part of how to improve risk culture

If you’re looking for how to improve risk culture, celebrating wins isn’t fluff. It’s reinforcement.

Wins are proof that people are:

• using the language correctly,

• involving risk earlier (instead of after the fact),

• and starting to see risk as a partner, not a penalty box.

That’s culture change in the wild.

The wins worth celebrating

Every small win, whether it's successfully educating someone about the differences between inherent and residual risk or seeing a colleague apply the terms DR and BCM accurately, deserves recognition. As leaders, celebrating these successes not only boosts morale but reinforces the positive momentum our teams need.

A few “small wins” to watch for (and call out immediately)

Here are a few examples of what those small wins can look like in practice:

• Someone asks for a risk assessment before a decision is made (not after it explodes).

• A leader uses risk terms correctly in a meeting (and no one laughs nervously).

• A team updates a process because they understand the why, not because they were forced.

• A department flags an issue early instead of quietly working around it.

• A team cross-trains a backup or documents a critical workflow, reducing key person risk before it becomes a problem.

Each one is a breadcrumb that answers the question how to improve risk culture: you reward the behaviors you want repeated.

Make wins visible without making it weird

You don’t need balloons, a marching band, or a “Risk Champion of the Month” plaque (unless your org is into that sort of thing). Try one of these lightweight options:

• 30-second shoutout in an existing meeting: “Quick win: Ops pulled us in early on X, saved time and rework.”

• One-line recap in a Teams/Slack channel: “Win of the week: DR/BCM language used correctly in the planning call.”

• Mini case study (3 bullets max): What happened → What changed → What it prevented.

These are simple ways to improve risk culture in your organization while reinforcing the behaviors that actually stick.

Culture change is a marathon

Changing an organizational culture is a gradual process, often demanding sustained effort and patience. Educating individuals on the indispensable value of risk management can take time, but its impact on informed decision-making is profound and lasting. As leaders, it's our responsibility to remind our teams that effecting such change isn't a sprint but a marathon, emphasizing the importance of celebrating our wins rather than dwelling on losses.

So if you’re trying to figure out how to improve risk culture, here’s the simplest (and most overlooked) lever: notice progress while it’s happening. That momentum compounds. 

Here's to more wins and the journey ahead!