What is the greatest network TV Christmas special? It’s not even close – A Charlie Brown Christmas. Whether you go in for the story, the religious references, its commentary on the commercialization of Christmas, the woefulness of Charlie Brown (the most Charlie Brown person I know), the ennui that many suffer through the holidays or the fantastic score from jazzman Vince Guaraldi; the show is truly the best. Now in its 55th consecutive year of airing, it usually starts off the holiday season for many Americans when it runs on ABC. It is truly a holiday classic.
We all have a part of Charlie Brown in us but as Linus notes at the end of the show, “I never thought it such a bad little tree.” In other words, we can all do better than we think ourselves capable of going forward. Further, while not many can lay claim to being the best compliance professional, we all can strive to become the best compliance practitioner we are capable of being. I thought about that concept when I read an Inc. article on productivity by Leigh Buchanan, entitled “Want to Be More Productive? Follow This Advice From Tim Ferriss”. It has some interesting ideas for every Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) to consider in 2020 to improve productivity. One of the key insights is that with more free time a leader can “concentrate on complex, open-ended issues such as strategy, innovation, culture, motivation and vision.” If you, as CCO, have more time to concentrate on those areas you will be able to consider not only where your compliance regime is, but where it may be going and to where it could go. Another insight was that personal productivity does not equal compliance program progress.
Delegation is always a key technique in improving productivity. However, you should not simply “shove things off your plate” but use the opportunity to give specific and new challenges to employees to help in their own career development. Think of how you can achieve dual goals of greater productivity and employee engagement/development by using the well-worn technique of delegation. By doing this it frees you up to take on more strategic tasks. While doing compliance in the field may not be as initially efficient as being done by the corporate office, the long-term benefits are not to be denigrated.
Engage with your employee base to get their views on your productivity. You should consider a survey of the company’s employees and third parties you help to manage, about how they view your productivity. Of course, you have to listen to it and then remediate if they identify problems, issues or concerns. But if you are serious and want to use the feedback to actually improve, the power of sharing this issue with your constituent base can be quite powerful.
Another strategy is to get out of the weeds and think long term. Think about a one, three- and five-year plan for your compliance program. Map that out so you can see where your compliance program should go, what is feasible and where technology could take your program. Not only will it give you a road map but you should be focused on what your company needs and how you will get them there. This one is sometimes difficult for the compliance practitioner who has worked more on the front lines, in a tactical rather than strategic role.
Engage with your direct reports and their direct reports; then move outward to more fully operationalize your compliance program. Operationalizing your compliance program means moving it down into your organization. The effect will improve your productivity as a CCO because others will take the lead on compliance and make it their own business process. This does not mean you need more meetings, it means you delegate out and make your team and employees accountable for following through with the required actions. You can facilitate this action with such positive strategies as a brown bag lunch or town hall.
You do not have to take this as far as Tim Ferriss did in The 4-Hour Workweek but having more time does allow you to focus on bigger and better types of compliance programs. It also allows you to consider where compliance may be headed in 2020 and beyond. Just as risks seem to be exploding; legal, financial, reputational and a host of others; Boards and senior management will look more and more towards the compliance function to use its risk management strategies and techniques to manage them. Make sure you have the time to not only be prepared but to do so.
Finally, if you have not done so already, sit down with the family and watch (again and again) A Charlie Brown Christmas. It will put a smile in your heart and get you ready for which ever holiday season you celebrate.
Special bonus – Check out the Vince Guaraldi Trio soundtrack on YouTube.
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