Posted by Adam Turteltaub

You just started leading a compliance program.  Whether you are new to the company or new to compliance, you probably have a lot of questions to ask as you get started, but where do you begin?

In this podcast, Beverlin Hammett (LinkedIn), Compliance Regulatory Risk Officer at Habersham Medical Center, offers an intriguing answer.  She met with leadership around the organization and asked them three questions:

* How long have you been with the hospital?

* What are your main issues?

* What do you think I am here to do?

The first question helped her understand how much experience the person had both within the organization and their role.  This helped her gain an understanding of how much expertise the person had as well as the issues, challenges and triumphs that they had experienced.

Asking what the main issues they saw was a more subtle question than it appears.  It provided insights into their perspective on the institution and its challenges and helped her understand their focus.

The final question, “What do you think I am here to do?” helped illuminate attitudes towards compliance and begin laying the foundation for the idea that compliance is here to help solve problems.

The exercise helped her both get off on the right foot with operations and to better understand the challenges and opportunities.  It also helped illuminate several issues within the organizations that she was able to successfully address immediately.

Listen into learn more about her intriguing approach and the benefits it could have for other organizations.