The One Question That Changes Everything for Your Business
Does it feel like every piece of advice you read doesn't quite fit your business?
You're not alone, and you're not wrong to feel that way. When you're a leader in a specialized field, it's easy to believe that general strategies can't possibly apply to what you do. You're dealing with unique regulations, nuanced market forces, and specific client expectations that make your industry feel like a world apart.
Here in the DC metro area, this feeling is widespread. Our economy is a fascinating mix of government contracting, advanced technology, cutting-edge healthcare, and global non-profits. The stakes are high, and the risks feel intensely specific to each sector. It’s a compelling narrative, but it can also hold you back.
The truth is, while every industry has its language and specific risks, the underlying behaviors and decision-making patterns that lead to success or failure are strikingly universal. I'm here to provide you with a sense of relief by busting the "My industry is different" myth. I'll show you how a focus on human behavior, cybersecurity, change management, and fraud prevention can provide a robust framework for tackling your most complex challenges, regardless of your industry.
Why It’s So Easy to Believe “My Industry Is Different”
The belief that your industry is fundamentally different is a seductive one. It’s easy to believe because we live in an age of hyper-specialization, with content, conferences, and communities dedicated to niche aspects of every industry, from fintech to logistics. This hyper-focus reinforces the idea that your business is operating on an island, separate from others. This mindset quietly gets in your way.
When you believe your industry is an exception to the rules, you fall into three traps:
You reinvent the wheel: Instead of applying a proven risk framework, you start from scratch every time a challenge arises. That’s not only exhausting but also wastes valuable time and energy that you could be spending on growth.
You get overwhelmed: Constantly feeling like you're in uncharted territory makes it seem like there are no reliable reference points or guiding principles. This complexity and chaos can lead to decision paralysis.
You stay reactive: By focusing only on industry-specific threats, you miss the deeper patterns—like communication breakdowns or flawed decision-making habits—that are the actual root cause of your problems. You react to symptoms instead of addressing the underlying cause of the disease.
This myth doesn’t just slow you down—it keeps you stuck. But I want to show you a better way.
The Universal Framework: Human Behavior and Systemic Risk
The good news is you don’t have to choose between honoring your industry’s complexities and using a proven framework. You can do both.
Your industry has unique challenges. But the human behaviors that drive success or failure? Those are universal.
Think of it like this: a bridge builder and a ballet dancer have very different jobs, but they both have to work with the laws of gravity. Similarly, a FinTech company and a medical device manufacturer might have completely different goals, but the root cause behind their recurring issues is often the same. It’s about human behavior. As a risk consultant, I've seen the same patterns and human behaviors at play across wildly different sectors. For instance, the fear of change, the tendency to avoid risk, and the influence of group dynamics are just a few examples of these universal human behaviors.
The same patterns. The same problems. The same human behaviors.
The key is to ask a new question: "What universal human behavior is at play here?" This single question can transform your approach to risk, empowering you to see beyond the surface-level problem and identify the invisible dynamics you've been too close to see.
Actionable Insights for a Resilient Organization
This universal perspective isn't just theoretical; it forms the foundation for a practical and actionable risk management strategy. Here’s how focusing on human behavior and systemic risk can make a tangible difference in three critical areas, equipping you with the tools you need to navigate your industry's unique challenges.
1. Beyond the Firewall: Cybersecurity as a Human Challenge
We often think of cybersecurity in terms of software and hardware. However, according to IBM’s 2025 Cost of a Data Breach Report, human error is a factor in nearly 26% of all data breaches. That’s a significant amount of time, money, and energy wasted on preventable mistakes. The most sophisticated firewall in the world can't stop an employee who clicks on a phishing link. The real vulnerability isn't your technology—it's your people.
Actionable Insight #1: Implement Behavior-Based Training. Instead of once-a-year, generic training, implement short, frequent, and scenario-based exercises. For example, use simulated phishing attacks to test and train your employees in real-time. This approach turns a theoretical threat into a muscle memory response.
Actionable Insight #2: Foster a Culture of Psychological Safety. Psychological safety is a shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking. Employees are often afraid to report suspicious activity or mistakes for fear of punishment. You need to create an environment where it's safe to speak up. This encourages open communication, enabling you to identify and address vulnerabilities more quickly.
Actionable Insight #3: Prioritize Identity and Access Management (IAM). In 2024, Snowflake, a leading cloud data platform, made headlines when a threat actor discovered that he could build a tool to use stolen credentials to find, exploit, and exfiltrate data from 165 Snowflake customers (as reported in the 2025 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report). If you aren’t using multifactor authentication, you’re behind the times. If you aren’t implementing the principle of least privilege, ensuring employees only have access to the data they absolutely need to perform their jobs, you’re behind. Modern risk management requires minimizing the potential damage when an account is compromised.
2. The Power of People: Navigating Change with Empathy
The only constant in today's business world is change. Whether it's a merger, a new software implementation, or a shift in market strategy, the success of any initiative hinges on how well your team adapts to it. This is where Change Management, informed by behavioral economics, becomes a powerful tool.
Actionable Insight #1: Frame Change in Terms of Gains, Not Losses. Behavioral economics tells us people are more motivated by avoiding a loss than by achieving a gain (a concept known as "loss aversion"). Instead of saying, "We’re changing our process to increase efficiency," you could say, "This new process will help us avoid the time-wasting errors that have been costing us millions of dollars." This shifts the focus to avoiding a pain point.
Actionable Insight #2: Design for Habit, Not Willpower. Willpower is a limited resource. When you’re implementing a new system or process, don't rely on your team's discipline. Instead, design the new process to be the easiest path. For instance, automate as many steps as possible to create a new habit loop that requires minimal effort and conscious thought.
Actionable Insight #3: Use Social Proof to Your Advantage. People are more likely to adopt a new behavior if they see their peers doing it. Start your change initiative with a pilot group of enthusiastic early adopters. Once they succeed, use their positive stories and results to encourage wider adoption. This leverages social influence to overcome resistance.
3. Unmasking Deception: The Behavioral Side of Fraud Detection
Fraud is a persistent and evolving threat, with organizations globally losing an estimated 5% of their revenues to fraud each year, according to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE). While technology is crucial, the most effective fraud prevention strategies recognize that fraud is fundamentally a human act.
Actionable Insight #1: Implement a Segregation of Duties (SoD). This classic internal control remains one of the most effective methods for preventing fraud. The principle is simple: divide critical tasks among multiple people so that no single individual has complete control over a process. For example, the person who approves an invoice should not be the same person who processes the payment. This introduces friction, making collusion necessary for fraud to occur.
Actionable Insight #2: Look for Behavioral Red Flags. Fraud isn't a one-time event; it's often a pattern of behavior. Look for signs such as employees living beyond their means, refusing to take vacations (to avoid having their work reviewed), or exhibiting unusual defensiveness. While not proof, these red flags warrant a closer look.
Actionable Insight #3: Leverage Data Analytics to Spot Anomalies. Utilize data analytics tools to identify and monitor transactions for unusual patterns. This could be an employee who suddenly makes a series of small, hard-to-detect purchases, or a vendor with a new address that doesn't match their previous records. These tools can act as a "canary in the coal mine," alerting you to potential issues before they become significant problems.
My Role: A Partnership for Clarity and Control
Knowing the right question to ask is just the beginning; the real challenge is what comes next. That’s where I come in.
My role isn’t to be the expert in your industry. You are the expert in your market, your clients, and your technology. I am an expert in human behavior, decision-making, and systemic risk. I bring an outside perspective and a science-backed framework to help you spot the invisible dynamics that have been holding you back.
Together, we'll move from "great question" to real-world results. I’ll help you:
Uncover the Root Cause: I bring the expertise to uncover the exact bias or behavior at play, moving beyond the symptoms to the actual root cause.
Design a Solution: We’ll design real, implementable strategies tailored to your business, whether it's a better decision-making process, a new habit loop, or a smarter control.
Make it Stick: We'll create the systems, rituals, and feedback loops that embed these changes into your culture, ensuring long-term resilience rather than just short-term fixes.
It’s a powerful partnership. When we collaborate, we unlock the best of both worlds, combining your insider knowledge with my outside clarity. The result? Solutions that stick.
Let’s Recap
You’ve just learned:
Why the “my industry is different” myth is so easy to believe
How that belief has been quietly slowing you down and holding you back
What’s true: that human behavior is the common thread across every industry
The one question you can start asking to change how you approach any problem or decision
How working together can help you turn that mindset shift into lasting results
You don’t have to stay stuck in overwhelm. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time. And you definitely don’t have to navigate this alone.
The next time you face a big decision or a recurring problem, stop and ask yourself: "What universal human behavior is at play here?"
This single question can provide you with greater clarity, confidence, and control over your next significant decision.
Want to put this into action and see how this universal framework can work in your business? Let's talk.
👋 Let’s chat. Just human to human. Schedule your spot here. so we can look at your current challenges through a new, more powerful lens—and find the clarity and confidence you’ve been looking for.
