As ARM Compliance Business Solutions celebrates six years, we’re turning the spotlight on the people who have helped shape our approach to compliance.
In the first feature of our “People Behind Compliance” series, we have Debra Ciskey, Senior Compliance Advisor, who has built her career around a simple idea: compliance should help organizations perform better, not hold them back.
We sat down with Debra to talk about what drew her to compliance, the experiences that shaped her perspective, and what building stronger, more practical compliance looks like today.
What inspired you to pursue a career in compliance?
My approach to compliance has always revolved around performance. At the front lines of our businesses, people don’t have time or bandwidth to memorize what the law says; they want to know what they are supposed to do and how they are being held accountable for doing it. I’ve learned that adults appreciate knowing “why” they have to do something, and when they know why, they are more likely to do it.
When compliance intersects with job skills, that’s when sparks happen. Seeing this approach in action, and the “hey, that really works!” feedback I’ve gotten from collectors up to CEOs over the years, has inspired me.
What area of compliance are you most passionate about, and why?
Compliance is a tool in the performance toolbox. It’s not only about not breaking the laws, but it’s also a kind of shape-shifting tool. Sometimes, a hammer, as in “No, you absolutely cannot do that.” Sometimes it’s a set of pliers, as in “That might work, but think about it with these compliance constraints in mind. Now how would you do it?”
Compliance is not a unitasker; it’s a valuable multi-tool. What takes passion is getting all the tools, federal laws and rules, state laws, local laws, client requirements, and internal policies to fit in the toolbox together, and to learn how to use them all and still get the job done.
What is one piece of advice you would give someone working in compliance today?
The best advice I can give someone working in compliance today is “Begin with the end in mind.” To me, that means to picture the outcome you desire (or that your client, boss, or CEO desires) and then consider the alternative paths to getting there. It’s easy to build one road, but what about the bumps and potholes that are certain to develop on that road? To a compliance person, the bumps and potholes are, “We can’t do that; it will cost too much,” or “We’ve been doing it that way for years; why change now?”
There are too many bumps to list here, but a good compliance person has to consider the potential bumps and be prepared with alternatives that will still get you to the end that is desired, but maybe via a different route. That means being flexible and creative, as long as the desired “end” is achieved.
What’s your favorite hobby or way to spend your free time?
My favorite thing to do outside of work is to spend time with family. That usually means taking a trip or hosting people in our home, and I enjoy both of those options. My family is far-flung: siblings in Florida, Washington, and Iowa, and grandchildren in Texas and Illinois, not to mention in-law siblings and their kids.
My husband of 47 years, Mark, and I like to take road trips, and we’ve had many spontaneous adventures along the way to visit our beloved family members and have fun outings with our 2 beautiful grandchildren.
What does “Building Better Compliance” mean to you?
Building Better Compliance means integrating compliance into an operation’s culture and practices seamlessly. When an organization does something because “it’s the right thing to do” rather than because “the law says we have to do this,” it opens the door to positive creativity in thinking, designing, and action.
There are always options, and when we build better compliance, we think and talk about those options until we hit on the one (or more) that fits best into our operation, maintaining dignity for our organization and for consumers.