Throughout my career, I\u2019ve never heard a business leader say compliance isn\u2019t important. Time and again, through countless conversations and interviews, compliance is touted as paramount to the firm. And while those presidents and CEOs may think they believe that, often compliance is left out of those key meetings and decisions, only being filled in later to \u201cmake it happen.\u201d If you have \u201ccompliance\u201d in your title, likely this has happened to you. So how can you keep this from happening?<\/p>\n
Earning Confidence<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n If you expect to get an invite to the meeting simply because of your title or status at the firm, I suspect you\u2019re in for a rude awakening. When conversations come up about a new offering, the goal is to have people think, \u201cLet\u2019s get Compliance involved early so we go down the right path.\u201d No one likes to have an idea gain momentum only to have it change course (or worse, squashed) later on. That\u2019s uncomfortable on both sides of the table.<\/p>\n In order to be a part of those discussions, you have to prove you\u2019ll add value. So how does compliance show its value when it\u2019s typically viewed as the \u201cNo\u201d department?<\/p>\n First, be a student of the firm. This is easy when you are new and trying to gain a fundamental understanding of what exactly the company does. But beyond those initial meetings with departments, dig deeper. Ask questions that are not directly tied to regulatory considerations.<\/p>\n Ask questions like:<\/p>\n Showing that you\u2019re interested in things beyond your day-to-day responsibilities shows a genuine concern for the overall success of the company. It also helps you piece things together for your own understanding and will ultimately make it easier to get things accomplished.<\/p>\n Demonstrating Value<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve earned the seat at the table, how do you keep it? It\u2019s no surprise that most measures of success are quantifiable. Firms often set out high-level goals \u2013 so how can you tie your efforts into the firm\u2019s successes?<\/p>\n You have to understand what the goals are. I know this seems obvious, but as you\u2019re reading this now, can you recite your firm\u2019s goals for this year? What about the 3- and 5-year goals?<\/p>\n Don\u2019t let yourself become just an email address. Just as it\u2019s important to get to know people on a more personal level, let them also get to know you. Communications (and compliance) goes both ways.<\/p>\n\n