Thinking about Risk: Taking or Avoiding Risks is a C-Suite Imperative! “…risk is a reality and you have to think about how to position the organization to take advantage of the opportunities,” says Peter Zaffino, CEO of Marsh, LLC, on the front page of The Wall Street Journal’s May 31, 2016, “C-Suite Strategies” section.   Mr. Zaffino is also quoted as saying that “Risk isn’t a negative.”   While taking risks can absolutely be a positive—a business imperative, actually—it can also be a negative.   Most importantly, risk should be considered strategically and tactically, and absolutely in the context of the enterprise taking the risks. The International Standards Organization’s treatise on risk management defines risk as the “effect of uncertainty on objectives,” specifying that an “effect is a deviation from the expected” and that an effect can be positive or negative. [ ISO 31000:2009 ]   Positive or negative … the positive outcomes from risk taking include corporate