In the current financial environment we are not always sure of the risks we face. We also neglect certain stages in our lives. To raise the awareness of our future clients we have come up with this list based around
the letter ‘D’.

This document presents matter for reflection before taking action.

It is a checklist for Executives and Company Directors who are continually required to think carefully before making a decision in their professional and private lives.

Decision-Maker
The Decision-Maker is a man or woman who engages their own responsibility and that of their company. Commitments made must be respected, or risk receiving an official Claim.

Their motto could be “daring to progress”, because of the difficult decisions faced every day. The ultimate goals are of course to ensure the future success of his/her company, career and above all family.

Thus, the Decision-Maker’s actions must be based on a set of criteria adapted to visionary management.

 Dependence
Whatever their statute or title, the Decision-Maker depends to a greater or lesser extent on the political, economic and social environment.

Other factors are also at work. Our environment is going through profound changes. The Decision-Maker is confronted with external events whose consequences, positive or negative, have an important impact on the running of business.

These events intervene at a regional, national or international level. Their impact on the strategy and management of a company can be direct or indirect, and may even influence decision making.

Decision-Maker’s Goals
The leader’s role is to meet targets.

They seek to realize their dreams while preserving what has already been won.

This attitude gives them confidence that they are on the right path. They know that their professional performance will allow them to have a certain ease and comfort, both in their professional career and at the time of retirement.

Decisions
The Decision-Maker’s task requires a great capacity to anticipate and have a clear vision of how to develop the future of the business.

This is the price of success. With a large background of knowledge, the leader must prove their capacity to master the changes that occur daily and turn them to their advantage.

Discernment
To decide is to ask questions.

“Will my decision be as relevant tomorrow as it is today?" If there is any doubt, the decision needs to be adjusted to comply with the principles of Risk Management.

The leader is thus responsible for commitments made in the short or medium term.

Deterioration
A situation can change for the worst.

Sometimes an event escapes the Decision-Maker or is inappropriately dealt with.

The cause can be human actions carried out within the company, or external events, but it is always the responsibility of the leader to rectify the situation.

Destruction
Being unprepared to face a serious situation puts the Decision-Maker’s position in peril. They are obliged to find immediate solutions. If such a scenario comes as unexpected, the problem can reach uncontrollable proportions.

When the dam breaks, the flood must be managed or the torrents will sweep away everything in the professional and private lives of the person involved.

Disappearance
With the disappearance of the company, the Decision-Maker assumes all of the consequences, professionally and privately.

A Decision-Maker who can avoid such a catastrophe earns the respect and admiration of his entourage.

Few get through this with their reputation intact. Those who fail to find a solution are considered as “bad” decision makers and may subsequently have difficulty finding a similar position.

Relationships with the close family and friends can suffer gravely when questions as to how and why emerge.

Decision-Makers’ Rights
When the worst happens, the Decision-Maker loses the majority of his rights.

He must assume any mismanagement, misleading statement, breach of trust, neglect or error.

A wealth of accusations will be found to bring this person down. Even the best, most well-founded arguments will not suffice against such accusations.

Duties
The disappearance of a Company is inevitably a tragic event:

• The Decision-Maker must fulfil his commitments vis à vis the employees’ wages, social security and pension schemes contributions, banks, suppliers etc. He is personally responsible along with all the Members of Board and Management.
  
• If they fail to respect these commitments, any third party can take legal action and threaten their personal assets.
  
• With limited resources, a Decision-Maker in this situation will face another dramatic problem to fulfil his private duties, for example mortgage, insurance, food, school and transport fees etc.
  
• Some people have not been able to bear such a desperate situation and have put an end to their lives. Their families then pay the price of such a failure twice.

Dignity
Such a situation puts the dignity of any person under enormous pressure.

Few have come out of such an event unscathed. The majority admits defeat.

Numerous brilliant directors have been hit head on and become depressed.

Our mission as an Insurance Broker is to propose a list of measure in compliance with an updated risk management method to raise the awareness of key personnel with regards to these scenarios.

We take measures to enable any Executive or Decision-Maker not to wait until the damage has been done.

The situations mentioned in this document don’t just happen to other people. They must be known, observed and respected so that they don’t happen to you.

Our mission is to envisage these various situations in order to avoid them. Together, we will certainly find a made-to-measure solution.

It is wise to place at least 5% of your fortune with assorted guarantees and individual insurance cover to protect you legally from any unhappy circumstances.

Indeed, no “crash landing” at any level should be able to completely destroy your assets and compromise the future of your career and the security of your family.

Mr Noujaim, the author of this document written in 1998, still strongly believes today that there is a different way of thinking about the present and the future.

Solid investments need an intelligent combination of profitability and security.

How many thousands of people have today been ruined by thinking only in terms of profitability, and neglecting the rules of common sense.

Eleven "D's"

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