By Nicole Cannis-Collins
“Compliance? Compliance with what…?” asks everyone with whom I’ve engaged in small talk at any point in the past five years. I’m used to it by now and my automatic explanation does little to squelch the questioning.
Among friends, I am jokingly referred to as Chandler Bing; a reference to the now-classic episode of “Friends” where Rachel and Monica lose a bet when they couldn’t summon a response to the question “What is Chandler Bing’s job?” In a desperate attempt to win, Rachel exclaims that he is a “Transpondster”.
This has been my experience. The response, my perpetual monologue for so long that when, today, for the first time someone didn’t question me, I hardly knew how to react. And then, something rather remarkable happened. It dawned on me that, for the first time, I was surrounded by people who knew what I did for living; that I would have a three day respite from giving long-winded self-explanatory responses regarding my career.
Thirty minutes later, Roy Snell stood on the stage, looked out at the CEI 2016 attendees and said, “We understand you. We understand.”
I looked around the room and observed the many, many faces of my fellow compliance professionals, my peers, and, if I may quote the inimitable Taylor Swift, my #squad.
I looked around and could have sworn I witnessed the same sense of solace etched on their faces, the strength of comradery, the ease of knowing we were among our kind.
We understand you.
When I go back to the real world, leaving behind this safe haven of my fellows, when asked what I do for a living, I will think fondly of my days at CEI and proudly respond, “Trandspondster”.
Joking, of course.