To be the best, it’s wise to learn from the best—and compliance programs are no exception. It is no coincidence that compliance officers who are most confident in the effectiveness of their programs also tend to exhibit practices typical of highly mature programs. But they appear to be the exception, not the norm.

Jaclyn Jaeger is a freelance contributor to Compliance Week after working for the company for 15 years. She writes on a wide variety of topics, including ethics and compliance, risk management, legal,...