In his article in today’s AgendaWeek, Stuart Levine makes a compelling case for directors to pay more attention to strategic communication and their understanding of reputational risk with the BP crisis as an example.

“Enterprise risk management is not limited to crisis situations.  Establishing governance best practices to anticipate threats is a critical part of the challenges facing boards,” he writes. And further, “To fulfill fiduciary responsibilities, questions and preparation both strengthen a company’s ability to respond to unforeseen events.”

Levine, a veteran board member and author of such best-selling business books as “Cut to the Chase” notes the need for board-level conversations and processes that review performance, risk and ethics.