By Adam Turteltaub

Virginia MacSuibhne is not your typical compliance officer. It’s not surprising then that this former global chief compliance at Agilent and Roche, who also has an Etsy shop selling irreverent, NSFW compliance merch, decided she wanted to do an atypical podcast.

Rather than focusing on a brilliant idea she had or a huge success, she suggested we discuss the mistakes she has made. Each of them has an important lesson for others in compliance.

Mistake #1: Do the code of conduct yourself.

It’s far better to involve the business team both to gain their insights and get their buy in.

Mistake #2: Think working inside a company is like working for their law firm.

When you work in a company, even in the legal department, you need to focus on relationships and be less transactional. There’s no clock or timesheet to record billable hours. So spend the time getting to know your colleagues and building personal connections with them.

Mistake #3: Disregard the rhythm of the business.

Every business has its own rhythm, with busy and quiet times and its own processes for getting thing done. Take the time to learn them.

Mistake #4: React immediately and strongly to evaluations.

Sometimes it’s better to take a breath and understand the context as well as what drives you.

Unofficial mistake #5: Not listening to this podcast.

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Sponsored by Case IQ, a global provider of whistleblowing, case management, and compliance solutions.