No One Can Do Your Push-Ups for You!

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No One Can Do Your Push-Ups for You!

Need help with online training?  There’s a company for that.  How about understanding trade sanctions in Iran?  A law firm is waiting for you.  Seeking ISO 37001 anti-bribery program certification?  Consultants, auditors and certification bodies are ready for you.

Everywhere you turn there are solutions to help your compliance and ethics program.  Great vendors, lawyers, consultants and temporary staff exist to help you to make your program better.  It almost makes you think that with enough budget, you could sit on a beach directing the program with minimal effort while the outside help takes over. 

But there’s a catch.  A CEO friend of mine told me he was frustrated because he was trying to get used to his new gym routine.  He said, “I have someone to dry clean my laundry, clean my house, answer my phone and schedule my travel.  But I can’t hire someone to do my push-ups for me.” 

There are some things you simply can’t outsource.  Here are three of them:  

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Don't Be a Turkey...Remember to Give Thanks in the Office

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Don't Be a Turkey...Remember to Give Thanks in the Office

This week, my friends in the United States will be celebrating Thanksgiving.  Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving in October, and while we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in the United Kingdom, the attitude of gratitude can go a long way wherever you are in the world to help you to be a wildly effective compliance officer.

In most working environments, people are so busy handing out criticism they hardly ever receive praise.  Yet people thrive in environments where they feel appreciated and acknowledged for their contributions.  Knowing this, you can strongly influence your corporate culture by consciously choosing to acknowledge those around you when they uphold and embody your organization’s values.  By verbally and visibly appreciating those around you, you become part of the positive feedback loop that will make your organization not only more ethical, but also a nicer place to work. 

Here are four tangible ways you can use gratitude to ramp up your effectiveness:

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Start with Why

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Start with Why

Visibly holding back tears, the man approached me.  I’d just completed the keynote at the American Bankers’ Association Compliance Conference, which I’d closed by showing a video about how compliance officers are changing the world for the better.

“I finally get it!” he said.  “All this time I’ve thought I was pushing around paperwork. But I’m not.  I have three daughters.  I love our home.  In my job, I make sure mortgage paperwork is compliant with the law.  But that’s not what I do- what I really do is ensure people like me get to keep their homes.  I never realized that I have a calling.”  I was overwhelmed with his emotion and the excitement I had for the new understanding he had about why his job mattered so much.

In his Tedx talk, How Great Leaders Inspire Action, Simon Sinek says that great leaders always start with the “why.”  Mediocre leaders start with the “what” or the “how.”  The “what” is the product or the thing company produces, the “how” is the process of making the thing.  Most importantly, the “why” is the reason behind what we do.

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The Secret to a Long and Successful Career as a Compliance Officer

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The Secret to a Long and Successful Career as a Compliance Officer

What makes for a long-term successful career in compliance?  Is it personality?  Certainly, being likeable is advantageous, but it isn’t critical.  What about understanding the business?  Absolutely, this is important, but it won’t necessarily make you effective.  What makes a wildly successful compliance officer?  One word: planning.

 

Average compliance officers spend their day fighting fires and moving from one crisis to the next.  While crisis management is undoubtedly a critical skill, having a plan to reach your goals between crises is even more important.  Here are three reasons that goal-setting and planning are the most important activities for a successful career as a compliance officer.

1.      Management Assesses Performance Against Goals

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ISO 37001: Who's doing the certifying (and other responses to Hui Chen)

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ISO 37001: Who's doing the certifying (and other responses to Hui Chen)

Hui Chen recently published a post sharing her opinions on the ISO 37001 Anti-Bribery Management Standard and ISO 37001 certification. She made some important points. 

She also asked questions and drew comparisons that should be evaluated in the context of how the ISO 37001 certification process occurs, and what it means for companies and organizations seeking it.

I want to respond to ensure the conversation is balanced and that another point of view is considered.

1. It is correct that “Prosecutors will not outsource their responsibilities.” Ms. Chen begins by stating that prosecutors won’t rely on ISO 37001 certification, but will always do a proper investigation. Ms. Chen makes an important point that is often misunderstood by the compliance community. 

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