To Which Profession Is Import/Export Compliance Most Akin?

Dear the Import/Export Compliance Manager,

What’s the best metaphor for import/export compliance professionals?  Are we police, executioners or, as one sardonic colleague put it, meter maids?

Musing in Madison

Dear Musing,

Meter maids?!  The Import/Export Compliance Manager scoffed at that at first, then realized that meter maids do have the power to get people in trouble.  OK, maybe this question is a little trickier than originally thought.  Let’s walk through this, shall we?

Rather than jump into professions and start comparing them, let’s break down import/export compliance to its constituent parts.  Below is a list of what our positions really entail:

1. Understanding of the laws and regulations concerning import/export compliance (and occasionally influencing them through direct interaction with the government)

2. Creating and implementing a compliance program that fits our company’s or institution’s needs

3. Educating our co-workers about compliance rules and regulations

4. Auditing to make sure employees are following established procedures

   
   

So let’s start with the police.  We can make an argument that keeping an eye out for violations, such as speeding or armed robbery, is a form of auditing.  Cops must also certainly understand laws and regulations, since they enforce them.  And let’s be favorable and say that the police can do a bit of outreach to educate the public about laws.  But they certainly do not set up a program of compliance to help us all stay within the law. 

Executioners?  Compliance people have a tough enough image problem as it is.  Executioners exist only to punish, so that wouldn’t work.

Meter maids find violations, i.e. auditing, but that’s about it. 

Hmm, this is kind of difficult.

(thinking)

The types of jobs that jump to mind are all enforcement-centered, from prison guards to judges to superheroes.  These positions are mostly reactive though, not proactive like import/export compliance professionals are supposed to be.  In short, we own everything soup-to-nuts, cradle-to-grave, start-to-finish except punishment, meaning that we are not the ones who discipline or fire employees for willful violations of company policy or the law.

(thinking some more)

Maybe soccer (football) referees?  After all, like good soccer referees, a good compliance program works in the background, letting the action continue without interruption, but within compliance.  When it’s required to step in, such as when calling a foul or fixing a situation, we try to avoid gumming up the works, instead fixing the problem and keeping things running.  Yet, when things go wrong, we step in and fix them, whether it’s giving a red card or conducting an investigation.  It could be argued that the referee creates the proper conditions for compliance by calling a tight game, rather than letting things get out of control.  And it’s his job to ensure everyone is following the rules, but allowing for some flexibility (as the saying goes, ‘there are 17 rules in soccer, and the 18^th rule is that the referee can choose how he enforces every one of them’).  That sounds good, right? 

(wondering what constitutes a ‘flop’ in the world of import/export compliance)

Suffice to The Import/Export Compliance Manager can’t think of a great answer for this question.  Soccer referees seem to be the best of the bunch, or at least a more positive image than meter maids and executioners.  Play ball!