It was a Saturday night, and Brian spotted trouble from the start. The tall man with the slicked-back hair at the back of the crowd was not going to wait his turn to get up to the bar, and Brian could see the other patrons becoming visibly annoyed as the man pushed his way to the middle of the crowd. The music was loud. The crowd was loud. Brian was moving as quickly as possible to get to everyone who wanted a drink. He prided himself on being more aware of not just the customer in front of him, but the entire crowd. He liked to think of it as his customer vision shifting from tunnel to panoramic. He smiled to himself as he thought about how he would tell Jack to use that as a topic for one of his TIPs.

Brian’s smile quickly faded when he saw the troublemaker trying to plow his way through a group of women politely waiting their turn to order a drink. The tall man didn’t realize that one of the women was standing next to her boyfriend. That boyfriend was big and didn’t take kindly to the pushing of his girl, nor did he appreciate the words that the troublemaker used to describe her, when she told the man to stop pushing.

Loud words were exchanged, and Brian could see a fight was about to happen. Sure enough, the boyfriend pushed the troublemaker, which moved the entire crowd a few feet backward. The tall man was about to lunge back at the boyfriend, with his arm cocked back, ready to throw a punch. But he never got the chance.

Brian, sensing potential for a melee, and without thinking, swiftly pulled himself up onto the beer cooler and then in one motion stepped onto the bar and threw himself into the middle of the action like a rock star attempting to surf the crowd at a concert. However, he landed on his feet and grabbed the troublemaker from behind, pinning his arms behind his head in a full nelson, and pushed him all the way through the crowd and out the front door. Brian told the bouncers not to let the tall man in the rest of the night. Of course, the troublemaker had a few choice words for Brian, but Brian didn’t care. He was already on his way back into the bar and made his way back to his station.

There was applause from the crowd and a quick handshake from the boyfriend.

“Thanks for that!” the boyfriend shouted.

“My pleasure,” Brian responded.

It actually was his pleasure. Brian had not been in a fight or even put his hands on another person since eighth grade. His heart was pounding, and he felt incredible. He could have waited for the bouncers to step in once the fight started, but he knew that would disrupt the crowd and the evening. It may have escalated, and someone could have gotten hurt. What if the cops came and the whole evening went to hell? He could try to rationalize it, but the truth was he made a split decision to make sure no one got hurt. It could have gone differently, but he felt he made the right move.

The boyfriend ordered a round for his crowd and handed Brian an extra $20 as a tip.

“You made sure tonight didn’t go wrong, ’cause that guy was about to go down, and I probably would have been taken out of here in handcuffs.”

“Yeah, I could tell it wasn’t going to be a friendly discussion,” Brian laughed.

The boyfriend turned back to his group, and Brian looked down the bar towards Kelly. She pointed at him, made a fist, and pounded her chest, as if to say, “respect.”

From that point on, the night was business as usual. No fights. No altercations. Just lots of people, lots of drinks, and a heck of a lot of tips. It was about three hours later when the crowd started to thin out and Brian began cleaning up his station.

The boyfriend returned to order a final round for his friends.

“So, do you do that often?” he asked.

“Do what?” Brian responded.

“Jump the bar like that. It’s a risky move. I would have said you had about a 40% chance of getting over the bar, landing properly, securing that dude, and getting him out of the bar without getting hurt, or getting hit.”

Brian smiled. “It was my first time. I wasn’t really thinking.”

“Well in that case, now knowing you never did that before, I’d have given you a 20% chance of coming away clean.” The boyfriend extended his hand. “I’m Kurt.”

“I’m Brian. Are you a bookie, Kurt?”

“Ha. That’s funny. Actually, not a bookie, but I guess you could think of what I do as odds-making. I’m a risk manager.”

Brian continued to wipe down the bottles in his station.

“Risk manager. What’s that?”

“Well, typically risk managers assess and identify potential risks to an organization that could hinder reputation, safety, security, or financial stability. I identify those risks and work with the right people in my organization to develop a strategy that reduces the severity and/or probability of that risk.”

“Sounds interesting. So, were you thinking about your own risk when you shoved that jerk?”

“Good point. No. Not my own risk. I was thinking about the risk to my girlfriend and her friends. My goal was to move the risk away from them. Technically, that’s what I do at work as well. I transfer risk away from my company.”

“So, what kind of risk is the most dangerous for a company.”

“Well, I work for an underground construction company.”

“That sounds dangerous.”

“It is. Under our feet, below our lakes, rivers, and oceans, run utility lines, tunnels, and structures. If you hit one of the utility lines, it can kill you, and sometimes everyone around you. Gas, propane, and electricity all have the potential to destroy. So, if you ask me what the greatest risk to a company is, I’d have to say it’s the people.”

“The people?”

“Yup. The people. Most companies fail because of people. Most accidents happen because of people. Most reputations are destroyed because of people. A business’s good name and reputation is worth more than 75% of an organization’s value. If a company loses value it’s because the people fail to follow through on the promise that the company stands for.

“In my company, if my people don’t follow guidelines, people die. In hospitals, if people don’t follow proper procedures, people die, and the hospital gets sued. In financial institutions, if people don’t follow ethical guidelines, people don’t die, but reputations do. So, I always like to say that my company is like any company. There are unseen risks that can become destructive at any moment, and it’s up to me, and my fellow risk managers, to minimize the risk or the impact of those destructive behaviors.

“I always remind people that you are never not a representative of your company and the company brand. No matter where you are, on the clock or off the clock, your reputation is a direct connection to the company and everyone in that company. So, you are accountable for your own future, but when you are part of a company or team, you are accountable for everyone’s future as well.”

Brian thought about risk and reputation and realized that in any company, and on any team, the reputation of the team is only as strong as the weakest individual.

“I work with people in all departments of my company, and everyone is most worried about alignment. Are the people aligned? Do they understand why we are in business, and what their role is in keeping that business operating and thriving? Every person is an integral part of the organization, and if one person refuses to protect the business and the brand, then the company is at risk. For me it’s about consistent quality, safety, and compliance. I work to protect the company brand.”

Brian knew that jumping the bar was probably a stupid idea. He put himself at risk for injury, but not doing anything would have put the bar at greater risk. What if a fight broke out and a bottle was broken and someone got badly hurt? Who would be responsible? The bar probably had insurance, but what kind of insurance? And, even if it covered a lawsuit, wouldn’t a serious injury prevent people from coming back to the establishment? All it takes is one event and one moment to change everything. So, he did what he thought was best for “his company,” which upon further reflection was not something he would have done just a few months ago. He felt a sense of duty to protect the business and the brand.

“People are the most valuable asset of any organization. Which is why I tend to work a lot with Talent Development and Human Resources. In my company we invest time and money to hire, train, and engage our entire workforce. If an employee is engaged and feels the company stands with them as much as the employee stands for the company, that’s alignment, and that can be very powerful. Organizations want people who are going to consistently represent their brand and minimize their exposure to risk. So, if they hire people who live and breathe the culture and the values, then they know those people will fulfill the promise of the company to their customers.”

“I’m between jobs at the moment,” Brian stated. “I’m working here temporarily, and I’ve been thinking about what new kind of career I want, and how I’m supposed to support and protect my family. I’d hop the bar for them just as easily as I did tonight. So, I guess you could say I’m looking for a company that feels like family.”

Kurt smiled. “Yeah. There are a lot of great companies out there that know how to take care of the people that take care of their brand. Keep looking. You’ll find it. And when you do, just make sure they know how much protecting their business and their brand means to you. If you can show that, they’ll be scrambling to bring you into their world.”

Brian shook the risk manager’s hand and thanked him for the advice. Protect the business and the brand like you’d protect your family. Hop the bar if necessary. Minimize or transfer the risk and exposure. Do that and you’ll always have an employer that values you. Good advice for any employee.