I recently had the pleasure of talking compliance with the one and only BROADCAT. If you don’t know the Broadcat, you should check it out. They create the best customizable infographics, posters, and communication content out there. Plus they have a wicked sense of humor. Read below to find out what tacos, white chocolate and chardonnay have in common, and the biggest challenge I faced that I had to push back against when starting my career. (FYI – the Broadcat is now selling a special enterprise version of the Risk Assessments Made Easy and Wildly Effective Foundations course with BONUS content through their exclusive Design Club – more details HERE).
Give us the story of your life in two tweets.
Three passports: Born Canadian, turned American actress/producer, turned lawyer, turned married-to-British-man, turned British myself, turned Compliance Officer, turned CCO, turned law professor, turned CEO of a consulting company, turned entrepreneur running a West Virginia cabins business, turned property developer, turned compliance video star/producer. Turned full circle.
Why did you start your company?
When I was a CCO, the advice I got from BigLaw firms and the Big Four accounting firms was never useful in real life. It was clear that most of the lawyers and advisors from those firms had never been in-house and didn’t understand how to give practical, proportionate, pro-business advice. I knew I could bring that perspective to the market to help people make their programs better in pragmatic ways.
What makes your approach and your services different from everything else out there in compliance?
There hasn’t been a place where compliance officers can learn practical, useable skills in an online class format. We changed that. Our courses are all video-based and come with useful downloadable materials to help bring the course topics to life. In addition, compliance officers can get compliance education units (CEUs) from the comfort of their office at their own pace and on their own schedule. Our approach is based on real-life experiences—mine as well as those of our clients at Spark Compliance Consulting. Everything we share is meant to be easily understood. We take a friendly approach to skills building and try to be entertaining at the same time. [Ed. note: Yet another reason why Kristy and Broadcat fit together so well!]
What was something you felt strongly about where you got a tremendous amount of pushback from folks in compliance … and where they later agreed with you?
When I wrote How to Be a Wildly Effective Compliance Officer, people in the compliance world weren’t talking about “soft skills” like motivation, persuasion, influence, and selling compliance. There was a sense that these things were not important because being very, very serious was the best way to earn respect. Huge amounts of my writing and speaking are dedicated to helping practitioners in the compliance profession improve the skills that will ultimately move them into positions of power. Knowing how to build relationships, build networks, speak and present more effectively, and get influential people to promote the program—that’s where real career growth comes from.
You can only have five foods or drinks for the rest of your life. What do you choose?
1. Popcorn 🍿
2. Sonoma-Cutrer chardonnay 🍾
3. Extra sharp English cheddar cheese 🧀
4. See’s Candies Cashew Brittle 🍫
5. Tacos. Today and always. 🌮
This content was originally posted on the Broadcat’s site HERE. Written by Jaycee Dempsey. ***** Go check out Kristy’s courses in the Design Club Clubhouse!
