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5 Questions Every Leader Should Ask In A Risk Review
Qualitas
Most leaders spend their time thinking about how to grow.
The best ones also think about what might strain or break that growth — and build it into the plan.
At Qualitas IB, we call that Resilience by Design. The mindset of anticipating pressure, not only reacting to it. It’s about designing stronger systems from the start. Ones that can stretch without snapping.
Momentum can turn into fragility overnight. We believe risk strategy isn’t only a safety net, it’s a leadership skill. Here are five sharp questions every leader should ask to uncover blind spots, strengthen the plan, and make resilience part of your strategy.
🧩 1. What are we relying on too heavily — and what’s our Plan B?
Every business has single points of failure. A key person. A major client. A specialist supplier. A tool that holds everything together.
These aren’t problems in themselves, but they become one when they’re gone.
Resilient businesses bake in flexibility early. That might look like documenting processes held by one team member. Or developing alternative suppliers before you need them. Or diversifying revenue sources before one client becomes too big to lose.
Leaders who design for resilience can adapt faster, recover better, and lead with more confidence.
⚙️ 2. If something unexpected disrupted us tomorrow, how would we keep operating?
Cashflow shock. Cyberattack. Reputational hit. A team leader walking out unexpectedly.
We’re not talking about doomsday thinking. We’re talking about modern leadership.
As Andy Grove, former Intel CEO, famously said: “Only the paranoid survive.”
Contingency isn’t a lack of optimism, it’s a mark of seriousness. Ask yourself:
- Where’s our operational backup?
- Who steps in if someone’s suddenly unavailable?
- How would we handle a bad debt?
Disruption isn’t always predictable but your response can be.
📈 3. What parts of our business aren’t built to scale and could snap under pressure?
Growth is exciting. But it also applies pressure — on people, processes, and systems.
That customer onboarding that used to work? Not scalable. That manual finance process? Not sustainable. That founder doing everything? Not realistic.
Resilience by Design means being aware of weak spots and planning for it before it happens.
This isn’t about slowing down. It’s about about making growth last.
📉 4. What lessons have we already learned the hard way and are we acting on them?
Every business has had a wake-up call. A close call with a contract. A project that almost fell apart. A near-miss with a data leak.
Building resilience means taking those moments seriously and changing the way you operate because of them.
Are you:
- Actively reviewing the lessons that can be learnt from mistakes?
- Updating policies and systems as a result?
- Creating better protections based on what almost went wrong?
Your past challenges can either be loose ends or leverage. Make them part of your future strength.
🧠 5. Are we confident because it’s solid or is it just untested?
Assumptions often feel like certainty. Until something proves them wrong.
You assume:
- That agreement is watertight.
- That supplier will always deliver.
- That process will hold up under pressure.
But has it ever been stress-tested?
A pre-mortem (looking ahead and asking “what could go wrong?”) or a basic risk review can reveal hidden gaps in your strategy. It doesn’t take long but it will save a lot of pain.
At Qualitas IB, we offer what we call a Pre-Mortem Review: A founder-focused risk check that surfaces what could break before it does. Turning stress testing into risk strategy.
📍 Where We Come In
We don’t pitch off-the-shelf insurance products.
We work with founders to pressure-test what you already have, spot blind spots, and build stronger foundations for success.
Insurance should do more than tick a box, it should help you lead with confidence and turn risk into a strategic advantage.
If you’re ready to build resilience by design, not just react to problems later — we’d love to talk.
