By Adam Turteltaub

Openness is both important and a challenge for compliance departments and their leaders.  On the one hand, you have to create an environment where people want to speak up, where trust is high, and transparency is embraced.  On the other hand, some things just can’t be shared publicly.

Barney Rosenberg, a long-time compliance industry veteran and former global vice president of ethics and business conduct in the aerospace industry, has invested a lot of thought on the topic.  As he explains in this podcast, openness can be thought of as creating a climate where people can express their dreams and frustrations without fear of retaliation of any form.

Openness can be encouraged with behaviors such as asking people what they know about you, what they would like to know, and what they would like you to know about them.  But for that to work, the leader has to be truly open and honest.

Open your ears to some interesting thoughts about openness in the compliance context.