The Life of a Compliance Officer

It’s relatively easy to find resources out there for understanding what makes for an effective compliance program.  It’s harder, though, to learn what it’s like to be a compliance officer on a personal level.  What they go through, how they get through the hard times and thrive in the good times.  And, of course, who they are outside of work. To fill that gap, I created the Compliance Lives podcast (also available on Apple and Spotify). 

Unlike other podcasts, including the roughly 800 Compliance Perspectives podcast episodes that I hosted, the focus here is on who we in the compliance community are.  I wanted to give compliance people a chance to tell their stories in their own words and with their own voices.  The goal was to bring color and dimension to the members of our profession, both those working in-house and those serving them, and to allow people to talk about what’s important to them and what they have learned beyond how to comply with a given regulation or to ensure their program is effective.

Some of the typical questions we cover are;

• What got you into compliance?
• Why do you stay?
• What gets you through the difficult times?
• What should those starting in compliance know?
• Where do you think compliance is doing well?
• Where is it falling short?
• What skills do we need to master next?
• What are the keys to advancing your compliance program?
• What are the keys to advancing your career?

Listening in to our colleagues provides you with insight into our community.  It helps you know who your peers are and what they have learned along the way.

There are roughly two dozen episodes recorded so far, including conversations with this publication’s Adam Balfour, Joe Murphy and Rebecca Walker.  A new episode is released most weeks.

What’s remarkable is the range of experience people bring to the profession.  It’s not just lawyers and internal auditors who find themselves as compliance officers or as aligned professionals.  Ian Moolman came to the field from logistics.  Charles Freericks, was a Hollywood studio executive. 

They prove that there is no one route into the field.  The podcasts also reveal that there is also no one way to thrive in the profession, other than by bringing your true self, and all of your life experiences to bear.

There is also a tremendous range of how people work in this field.  I’m not talking just some working as compliance officers and others working as outside counsel or at a vendor.  In a recent episode I spoke to Steve Priolo, who works as a fractional compliance officer for companies that don’t have an in-house person to assume the role full time.

One commonality, though, has emerged already.  Several of the guests shared one attribute that they felt was essential to success, and it’s not one that has been discussed extensively (although explored briefly in a prior edition of Ideas & Answers https://ideasandanswers.com/curiosity-and-humility/ ):  curiosity.  That includes the need to be curious about how the business works, and why people act the way that they do.  It’s a strong argument for taking the time to study human behavior.

If you listen in to the podcast, I hope you’ll find both inspiration and comfort in hearing the voices of your peers.  From some you may find a common bond.  From others you’ll get a taste of different perspectives and experiences.  But from all of them, I hope, you’ll find a connection with the community and recognition that, no matter how lonely the job may get, you’re never fully alone.

I welcome any comments and any observations you may have that are inspired by these stories. Let me know which of the life stories moved you or were helpful, and feel free to let me know if you would like to share your Compliance Lives