I remember well when a friend and colleague who worked at one of the big banks told me a story that clearly demonstrates the need for support functions to be visible to leaders and their teams. It is not enough to be data gatherers and reporters!

The story was shared over a coffee to catch up on her new role as a Chief Operating Officer for one of the business units. She had previously been in a line 2 role within the risk team. For those not familiar with the Three Lines Model for Risk Management, the 1st line is the business, the 2nd line is the risk function operating from the central core, and the 3rd line is internal audit.

The big banks often create 1st line risk roles, filling them with people with risk management expertise and charged with supporting the business to fulfill the expectations of the Board and senior management.

However, what my friend found in her new COO role was that her 1st line risk people were missing in action. They were visible in the sense she could see them at their desks, but they did not come anywhere near her! They lacked strategic presence, an essential quality for achieving impact.

If you or your team are in the reporting trap, here is a quick suggestion to break free: Start doing impact reviews with your internal clients to assess what impact you have had on them and the impact they have had on their goals.

I’d love to hear what impact you have been having on the business leaders you serve – please reach out via info@bryanwhitefield.com.