You do not need to be an entomologist to know that a termite never bites loudly. It chews quietly until the pillar collapses. That is how organizational risks work. The ones you ignore are the ones that bring you down.
In May 2024, Summit Consulting Ltd was engaged to conduct risk training and got the opportunity to review a manufacturing company’s risk register. It had every textbook risk: market volatility, regulatory changes, and supply chain disruptions.
All neat, all useless. Guess what was missing? A risk that every staff member knew, but no one dared to write down. The CEO’s brother-in-law, who controlled procurement with zero oversight.
Six months later, the company bled millions from fake supplier deals. The board launched an investigation. Too late. The real risk was never external. It was the sacred cow nobody touched.
This is the fatal mistake leaders make.
“Culture is never what the CEO says. It is always what people whisper when the CEO is away..”
They focus on:
a) Risks they can easily report on.
b) Risks that tick the compliance boxes.
c) Risks that are politically safe to discuss.
But ignore the real risks, the internal ones:
a) The over-promoted manager everyone fears.
b) The toxic culture that drives away talent.
c) The silent fraud creeping through weak controls.
d) The leader whose ego is bigger than the mission.
These are what are called “boardroom blind spots.” They are not hidden. They are simply ignored. And that is why they will hurt you. When I conduct a risk audit, I do not ask for your risk register first. I ask your junior staff, “What do you fear most happening here?” That is where the real risks hide. A company survives market shocks. But it rarely survives a culture of silence.
If you want to protect your organization,
a) Demand brutal honesty in risk discussions.
b) Make it safe to report ugly truths.
c) Reward those who call out uncomfortable risks.
d) Audit for risks your team avoids talking about.
The risk you ignore is like cancer. It grows in silence until it kills. Smart leaders do not just manage risks. They hunt them down before they strike. Do you?
The Summit Consulting Team.
I remain Mr. Strategy
