The rise of objective-led GRC: Why focusing on the next audit won’t deliver the next opportunity

I founded my first SaaS company, Ansarada, almost twenty years ago.

Back then, I saw good teams lose momentum in the moments that mattered most — not just the big ones like mergers or capital raises, but the everyday ones too.

Rolling out new products. Renewing major contracts. Securing insurance. Passing audits.

Even setting next quarter’s strategy or responding to a critical customer RFP.

These moments all carried risk - commercial, operational, financial — but most leaders didn’t see it that way. Governance and risk management were treated like side jobs, not business enablers.

People were flying blind, hoping their spreadsheets and shared drives would hold together long enough to get through the next review.

When governance becomes grind

I’ve lived the frustration first-hand.

The hours wasted on ISO certifications, insurance renewals, financial audits, and board packs — often rework, not progress.

The time lost chasing evidence across systems.

And the constant pressure on people with little GRC experience, forced to interpret complex risk questions just to win or retain customers.

These weren’t governance experts — they were the people keeping the business running.

And yet they were being pulled into a world of policies, frameworks, and checklists that didn’t feel connected to their actual work.

Why most GRC still misses the point

The more I looked, the clearer it became: most governance, risk and compliance frameworks are designed for the next audit, not the next opportunity.

They focus on demonstrating control rather than creating clarity.

They measure activity instead of progress.

And they consume more energy than they return.

You can feel it in most businesses today — GRC is treated as something you “have to do”, not something that helps you move faster or smarter.

When that happens, risk becomes a tax on ambition.

Teams lose time. Leaders lose confidence.

And governance — which should be the engine of trust and direction — becomes a brake pedal instead.

What objective-led GRC really changes

Objective-led GRC starts with what the business is trying to achieve — and connects every risk, control, and action to that goal.

It turns governance from something reactive into something directional.

If your objective is to grow through new products, you’ll face different operational, safety, and sustainability risks than if you’re expanding internationally or acquiring a company.

Objective-led GRC makes that visible. It links your strategy to the specific controls and evidence that keep it safe.

The impact is both practical and cultural.

When people can see how their work connects to the organisation’s objectives, risk stops feeling like bureaucracy. It becomes meaningful.

You don’t just improve controls — you improve commitment.

Objective-led GRC brings purpose back into governance. It connects people to progress.

The next shift in business culture

Objective-led GRC isn’t about software — it’s about mindset.

It changes how people see their role in running a good business.

And yes, technology helps make that possible.

At Drova, we’ve built the RunGood Platform to bring that thinking to life.

With AI Mates taking care of the heavy lifting — the evidence gathering, reminders, and reporting — people can focus on decisions, not documents.

And every Run-series module contributes to that culture of confidence:

• RunSafe keeps your risks and controls in sync.
• RunSure makes compliance effortless and always-on.
• RunReady strengthens your resilience so operations never stop.
• RunSustainably helps you turn sustainability intent into measurable impact.

Together, they form one rhythm - businesses that run responsibly, resiliently, and ready for whatever’s next.

That’s the world we’re building at Drova: one where governance runs quietly in the background so your business can run good, every day.