I typically take time off around Christmas and New Year’s to recharge, refocus, and remember why I choose to do the work that I do. I think this is true for many people. We are fortunate to live in a place where we can take time off to relax and reflect, unburdened by serious conflict or social instability, and not […]
If you sit on the Board of a regulator, congratulations! You are probably overworked, under-compensated, little appreciated and not understood. After all, regulatory Boards are strange creatures. Whilst they often look like Boards of corporate entities, their remit isn’t to increase profits but to reduce harm. In a company, profit is easily measured and seen. In a regulator, however, harm […]
One of the main challenges for regulators is how to stretch our resources to adequately cover our responsibilities. Compliance planning is an essential tool for meeting these challenges. Where are you going to put your regulatory efforts? How much capacity do you have? Where do you put your energy to minimise harm? How do you communicate your plan so duty […]
Leading a regulator is different from leading a business or even a department of government. As a regulator we’re always in the public eye, and constantly take criticism from all sides. We can’t be inertial. We can’t sit back and do nothing. And yet when we do act to prevent harm, it’s often those who are harmed nonetheless that make […]
William the Conqueror, great lover of hunting, is credited as establishing England’s forest laws to protect game animals and their habitat from destruction. It was an early example of government establishing laws to protect the natural environment and food systems and avoid the tragedy of the commons, where cumulative impacts of individuals harm the whole community. More than 800 years […]
Culture is the currency of delivery The Royal Commission into Banking Misconduct revealed many instances of systematic corruption, from employees setting up fraudulent loans, to opening children’s accounts to meet targets for bonuses. Commissioner Hayne recommended that organisations assess their culture. Philosopher Amelie Rortywrote about corruption in a 1998 essay which started, ‘Nothing is more natural than sliding down the […]
Is a private company any better at strategic planning than a government is? Or have we reached a point where strategic planning in government doesn’t make sense anymore? If you accept the premise that we live in an increasingly reactive world, is it unrealistic to try to avoid crises? Should we instead just reward managers who can mitigate them […]
There are different schools of thought when it comes to strategy. Some say strategy is simply planning: defining the outcomes you want—being mindful of the organization’s capabilities and culture—then charting a course for how you’re going to get there. Others say it is positioning how you are to compete, or sidestep your competition, or align your efforts to seize opportunity. […]