Leadership and Career

When we speak of non-retaliation, it’s often in an effort to encourage staff to speak up. Right now, lack of speaking up isn’t the problem. Retaliation itself, rather than employee silence, is running rampant, harming our cultures of integrity. Mary Shirley discusses some of the data around the culture-of-integrity crisis and provides a guide detailing an actionable way to address...

Strong compliance programs don’t just happen. They require planning — and budgeting. Being thoughtful and proactive will help drive appropriate budgeting that supports and promotes program effectiveness, while reducing your stress both now and throughout the next fiscal year. ’Tis the season of budget management. Every year, around the time fall beverages show up at your local barista, budgeting blues...

Are we conditioning our employees not to speak up? The traits present in our best employees might make them less likely to raise issues, concerns and ideas. Compliance expert Courtney Sander explores integrating speaking-up practice within the business to benefit your compliance program and the broader organization. What makes good employees great can hurt a speak-up culture. I started down...

When we think of the term "career advice," we usually consider it from the job seeker's perspective. But career advice isn't just for those seeking a new role; it also applies to those in a position to help. For her column this month, Mary Shirley talks about how you can help others get a leg up and offers do's and...

Amicus curiae briefs play a significant role in appeals throughout the country. From state appellate courts to the U.S. Supreme Court, judges increasingly rely on the perspectives of amici to inform their opinions. According to the American Bar Association, over a third of U.S. Supreme Court opinions are directly influenced by amici, and the same is true for a large...

It’s the only resource none of us can ever replenish: Time. So why is it now a revolutionary act to say that you’ll spend exactly as much time at work as your boss is willing to pay you for? Quiet quitting is a resoundingly stupid name for simply doing your job. I was paid to write this. I have an...

Few compliance programs have tasks that are spelled out in the job descriptions of every person in an organization, and even the best of programs require buy-in from everyone from the C-suite to the housekeeping staff. But as so-called “quiet quitting” continues to change the workforce, compliance and ethics managers may need to take extra steps to ensure their programs...

Rising political and cultural tensions are undeniable. But just as there remain political leaders with convictions, ethics and compliance consultant Lisa Schor Babin says corporate leaders need to understand that now is the time to screw their courage to the sticking place. Political rhetoric and dog whistling are not newcomers to the national scene. What is new and, frankly, frightening...

In her inaugural Living Your Best Compliance Life column, Mary Shirley shares tried-and-true methods for building deep connections on your compliance team — even if you’re not even in the same country. Welcome to the inaugural Living Your Best Compliance Life column. In my new monthly series for CCI, I’ll be exploring the landscape of life as a compliance practitioner...

Attorney and podcaster Tom Fox shares his insights about what skills today’s chief compliance officer needs — and what might be on the horizon for CCOs. What skills will be needed for the mid-century chief compliance officer? Yes, we are still a few more years to 2030 and what could be considered mid-century. But we know already that moving into...

The best return-to-work scenarios prepare employees for the new realities they face while also acknowledging the horrors and hardships they’ve been through. Here’s why a new culture is as vital as new policies. Now past the two-year mark, we feel how the pandemic has taken its toll on us as we try — not without challenge — to recoup our...

What if you threw a party and no one came? Anyone who has mailed a batch of invitations or launched an email about a virtual gathering can relate to the mild anxiety associated with having people over. What if the chairs — or the boxes on a Zoom screen — remain empty? If there were any concerns prior to the...