Does your job ever feel like trying to boil the ocean? For those in the risk and compliance profession, that answer is almost assuredly “yes, of course”.
Likely adding to the complexity of your job is the intense pressure to keep your compliance program ahead of regulatory changes, gain executive buy-in, secure adequate funding, demonstrate value to the business, create a risk-aware culture that also understands the fundamental importance of ethics and compliance… and the list goes on. So, no big deal – right?
If you’re subscribed to the NAVEX blog, you’re likely familiar with the breadth of topics we cover – including articles to help you understand changes in the regulatory landscape, best practices in compliance programs, benchmarking analysis, and key take aways from NAVEX webinars to help you be more effective in your role. Well, now we’re adding “book reviews” to the list because we’re thrilled to share some of the key learnings from “Your Year as a Wildly Effective Compliance Officer” by Kristy Grant-Hart, CEO and founder of Spark Compliance Consulting.
“Your Year as a Wildly Effective Compliance Officer"
“Your Year as a Wildly Effective Compliance Officer” is a masterful blend of personal and professional anecdotes and journaling that helps readers be more effective at work and at home. Kristy crafted a well-designed book to help you implement new strategies in a way that isn’t overwhelming and recognizes the importance of communication, collaboration, and thoughtful planning.
Part goal setting, part journal and reflection, this book helps readers set goals and measure success in a bite-sized way that allows you to actually spend time developing new habits and breaks you out of your comfort zone.
“Your Year as a Wildly Effective Compliance Officer” guides readers through a year-long journey that first establishes quarterly focus areas. Then, readers start a week-by-week journey to set manageable goals and establish habits for personal and professional development, document your wins and successes, and reflect on the accomplishments you’ve had implementing these new techniques each quarter.
But I’ll posit that the title “Your Year as a Wildly Effective Compliance Officer” is a misnomer. While these tips are great for compliance officers, and many of the tips are tailored to that profession, it’s really a much richer story that transcends compliance. The nuggets and advice within this book are paired with approachable goals to help meet your ambitions – whether you’re a compliance officer or any other professional looking to improve your leadership presence and efficiency.
The advice we all need to hear
Throughout this book are helpful reminders of the discipline and practices we would all be better for if we were more mindful about implementing them in our day-to-day. All told, “Your Year as a Wildly Effective Compliance Officer” has over 200 pieces of advice – some requiring larger shifts in your routine, while others result in small changes that can lead to big impacts.
Advice such as “Write and agenda and stick to it” may seem obvious, but when is the last time you sent a quick meeting invitation without including important details like the purpose and desired outcomes? Probably more recent than we’d care to admit. If this is a goal you choose, being mindful about setting the intention for each meeting via an agenda will help keep conversations organized and time will be better spent.
Other pieces of wisdom, like “Speak first,” encourage you to offer insights and opinions first when questions are posed in public settings and leverage principles of psychology to help you establish yourself as a leader in a group setting.
Advice such as “Be strategic in a crisis,” outlines the importance of planning who you communicate with and when if a crisis occurs, helps readers plan their communication strategy to project confidence the issue is well in hand and assure stakeholders that a solution is already in the works. The list goes on, those are just a few of my favorites. Whichever tips you choose to implement throughout the course of your year will enable good behaviors and guide you to the end result – being wildly effective.
Whether you’re a compliance officer in a new role or you’ve been in the same job for years, you’ll surely learn many strategies to help fine-tune your skill set. And for everyone else – while the nuances of risk assessments and keeping track of regulatory changes might not be in your remit, you’ll still learn how to be a Wildly Effective [insert title here] and better leader overall.
No matter where you are on your career journey, no matter the time of year – now is a great time to start “Your Year as a Wildly Effective Compliance Officer.”
