In Conduct Risk: A Practitioner’s Guide, published by Risk Books of London (2016), I argued that conduct risk is most simply defined as institutional behavior that can result in poor outcomes, and that conduct risk lurks in one of the four dimensions of operational risk (people, processes, systems, external events). In both the public and private sectors, people are at the heart of conduct risk. Misconduct can result in reputational, military, or financial loss. When it comes to the nation’s critical infrastructure, outcomes are felt by the government, non-government institutions (NGOs), and private industry. The essays in the conduct risk volume all deal with aspects of conduct risk. I was asked to write about its root causes, and I identified three: tone at the top, workplace culture, and conflicts of interest

I’m writing this just after the 25th anniversary of 9/11, a day when most of us are caught up in our memories of that time in American history, reflecting on the very worst parts of that day but reminded that the day brought out our best moments.

This weekend, as we look around the country, we see that a significant portion of the population is displaced, evacuated from their own homes because of wildfires, floods, winds, tornadoes, mudslides, or even failures of critical infrastructure like bridges, roads, and dams. This is not a new phenomenon—it’s familiar from the last several years, as the planet heats up. Winters are similarly cast, often with warmer temperatures and little snowfall, leading to summer challenges. The weather situations are felt not just in this country, but overseas as well, as a good part of Europe swelters under 100+ degree temperatures and droughts.

I wrote the newsletter column reprinted below in October of 2020, in the heart of the pandemic. As we celebrate 250 years tomorrow, we remember the late great John Lewis and his lifelong focus on the right to vote. The tide is starting to turn for MAGA voters, opening doors for robust conversations about our country and the direction it has been headed in during both of President Trump’s terms. We are not a nation of grifters. And we do believe in liberty and justice for all.