Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Outside In

By Rick Nason, PhD, CFA
Partner, RSD Solutions Inc.

Like most business people, I read at least accurate).  It is well accepted that it is critical to not fall too far behind in this information age.

As an avid newspaper reader, I consider myself to be relatively abreast of the major topics that concern my day to day activities.  This is particularly so when it comes to my community and my country.  Also it appears to be obvious that the best way to keep abreast of my community and my country is to read the local newspapers and the national newspapers.  The reporters for these publications live in the places they are writing about and understand the history of the issues and how they affect the community.

However, I find that it is sometimes – maybe even most times – most informative to read about my community and country by reading the views of a foreign journalist.  While they might not have the “on-the-ground” insight, they often offer insights that the local journalists miss.  Seeing your community through the eyes of an outsider can be illuminating.  Sometimes it can be a rude shock, but in those cases it is often the shock that you need to better understand the issues.

Risk departments can be like local journalists.  They understand the issues and the history well, and they appear to have their finger on the pulse of the important issues.  However, because of their “embeddedness” they may also miss issues that outsiders more readily pick up on.

Those who dismiss outside sources of information do so at their peril and at their own loss.

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