In this episode of RiskMasters, I speak with Leroy Roberts, founder of Team-Worth Solutions and a leadership and risk advisor specialising in risk culture, conduct risk, and decision-making in high-pressure environments.
With more than 19 years of frontline leadership experience across the British Army, the Jamaica Constabulary Force, and board-level advisory roles, Leroy brings a practical perspective on how risk management frameworks, leadership behaviour, and culture interact to shape outcomes.
This conversation focuses on a critical but often overlooked reality: risk culture is not a values exercise. It is a control mechanism that directly influences risk decision-making and operational risk outcomes.
🎯 What You Will Learn
- How risk culture influences decision-making at every level of the organisation
- Why operational risk often builds through behavioural drift, not isolated events
- How chief risk officers and board directors can identify early warning signals
- Why silence and hesitation are indicators of weakening risk control
- How “decision drag” impacts risk management effectiveness and execution
- Practical ways to strengthen leadership accountability and governance discipline
⏱️ Episode Highlights
02:30 – Risk decision-making under pressure and leadership accountability
How leaders behave when decisions carry consequence, and why accountability often weakens under stress.
06:45 – The role of risk culture in operational risk outcomes
Why culture acts as a control mechanism shaping how risks are identified, escalated, and managed.
12:10 – Early warning signals in risk management systems
How behavioural drift, hesitation, and delayed escalation signal weakening control before incidents emerge.
21:30 – How boards can improve oversight of risk culture and conduct risk
What boards should actually look for, moving from narrative to evidence-based oversight.
30:15 – Strengthening governance through clear ownership and escalation discipline
Why clarity of ownership and decision rights is the most direct lever to restore control and execution pace.
🧠 Key Insight
“Risk culture determines whether issues are surfaced early or allowed to accumulate. It is a control mechanism embedded in how decisions are made.”
👤 About Leroy Roberts
Leroy Roberts is the founder of Team-Worth Solutions, specialising in risk culture, leadership, and conduct risk.
He advises organisations on strengthening risk management, decision-making, and governance frameworks, helping leaders identify and act on early signals before risks escalate into incidents.
Find Leroy on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/leroy-roberts-leadershipconsultant/
Learn more about the Culture and conduct scorecard mentioned during the episode: TBC
Learn more about Leroy’s book The Risk Owner’s Reset: A 90-Day Culture & Conduct Operating System for Executive Leaders Under Scrutiny
📝 Related Resources
· Psychological Safety in Risk Leadership: The silent foundation of trust, culture, and challenge
Explores how psychological safety directly impacts risk culture, decision-making, and escalation behaviour.
· From Approval to Impact: Repositioning Risk Appetite as a Board Tool
How board directors and chief risk officers can align risk appetite with decision-making and governance outcomes.
· What Would Change if Risk Identification Was Treated as a Strategic Advantage?
Reframing risk management as a forward-looking capability that strengthens leadership and strategic execution.
· Strategic Uncertainty Governance: Who Owns Strategic Uncertainty?
Clarifies ownership and accountability in risk decision-making under uncertainty.
· Risk Capacity: The Hidden Constraint Behind Strategy and Governance
How operational risk, capacity, and leadership decisions interact to shape strategic limits.
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