By Lisa Hochgraf
At the close of one day of CUES Advanced School of Risk Management in Boston, instructor John Bugalla told me about how he loves to shop outlet mall sales for Ralph Lauren Polo products. He loves to get the best deals--percentages off percentages off. And he loves to shop for himself and the grandbaby that's expected next month.
What was striking about the conversation was that Bugalla, principal of ermINSIGHTS, buys multiples of the shirts he likes best. That way, he mitigates his risk. If something were to stain one shirt, he has another. Call it risk management at the mall.
Bugalla's anecdote reminded me of my first semester calculus professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who once told everyone in the lecture room how excited he was the day he learned about the derivative. That day, he walked around and everything he saw made him think about this concept--loosely, how one thing is changing in response to change in something else.
Just like my calculus professor, Bugalla lives what he teaches. And it shows in his enthusiasm as he leads the enterprise risk management school--and keeps the attendees fully engaged in the sessions.
In the comments, please tell me about a teacher you once had who saw the subject he or she taught everywhere they went in the world. What impact did this teacher have on your learning?
Lisa Hochgraf is a CUES editor.
Read more from Bugalla about risk management in "'Cone of Uncertainty.'"
