Happy National Pizza Week to those in the U.S., and for those all around the world, International Pizza Day is February 9, 2024.

If you know me, you know that I like a podcast that bends my mind while I’m doing some handy (or not very handy) work outside of my day job. I recently listened to the Economics of Everyday Things, which I highly recommend. The episode highlighted Scott Wiener, who at the time of the recording of the episode, held the Guinness Book of World Records for the most pizza boxes ever collected. He had to have a storage unit for his pizza boxes. He was committed. And well-studied. The show wasn’t necessarily about him, but it was about how important a good pizza box is to the pie. If you know me, you also know that I haven’t met many pizzas that I don’t like. 

The show got me thinking about the connections between a good pizza box, according to the pizza box collector (and many experts), and a good Compliance Program: 

1️⃣ Good ventilation is important. There’s a lot of moisture in a recently baked good, like a pizza. If the pizza box does not have a means for the steam to exit, the crust will be the texture of the cheese, etc.. A compliance program’s “ventilation,” shows in the form of fitting tests of the program itself and objective oversight. The compliance program is marked by standards serving the organization and customers as intended, with a built-in lookback of whether the program is objectively meeting the organization’s needs.

2️⃣ Start with the end in mind. Recycling of the pizza boxes is important. It used to be believed that a pizza box could not be recycled if the pizza box had greasy cheese on it. However, it’s been discovered that even pizza boxes with particles and those little zesty packets of red pepper and parmesan cheese can still be recycled. The pizza box recycling process must be thoughtful. Similarly, a good compliance program keeps in mind that even the worst messes and the greatest regulatory and legal debacles serve as some of the best lessons for future and current leaders and employees. We are given opportunities to “recycle the errors” into training and lessons so that we can better serve customers.

3️⃣ One size does not fit all.  Pizza boxes evolved to follow some basic rules, and are customizable. Dominos(R) pizza boxes are specially made for a quick assembly, but the pizza box for the specialty pizzeria down the street catering to local customers for the last 50 years may not need to be set up in 7 seconds. The compliance program needs to be nimble and flexible for the program for the customers, the employees, the product, the particular jurisdiction’s law, and ensure that it is updated. My clients’ compliance programs need to be customized for their growth, strategy, and profitability needs; it’s not rigid.

4️⃣ Intentionality is important. Customers win when we are intentional. It may be a unique hobby/ obsession to collect used food receptacles, but there are several of us who are passionate about Compliance, just as in this fellow, who is passionate about pizza boxes. Keep learning.

Economics of Everyday Things  https://youtu.be/QrRKKZI8FoM?si=_uwSXpwpg8GXwrb_  

For those in Italy 🇮🇹 (thank you!) your National Pizza Day is January 17. 

About Kay Godfredsen

Hello, my name is Kay Fairchild Godfredsen, a proactive, solutions-oriented, and pragmatic legal strategist with 20+ years of experience and demonstrated success in providing legal support to senior management and employees at all levels of the company on legal issues, risks, processes, policies, and procedures. As a seasoned legal strategist, I specialize in deciphering intricate legal puzzles and transforming them into actionable strategies. With a keen eye for detail, I dissect convoluted issues and provide comprehensive solutions that drive compliance, mitigate risk, and fuel growth. My legal acumen is seamlessly integrated with a deep understanding of the business landscape. I thrive on collaborating with cross-functional teams to align legal frameworks with corporate objectives. Together, we navigate the evolving regulatory landscape to foster innovation while ensuring airtight legal protection. Specialties: Strategic Legal Guidance, Crisis Management, Complex Corporate Transactions, Contract Development & Negotiations, Risk Assessment & Mitigation, Employee Performance Management, Data-Driven Decision Making, Cross-Functional Collaboration, Critical Situation Handling

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Kay Godfredsen

+ posts

Hello, my name is Kay Fairchild Godfredsen, a proactive, solutions-oriented, and pragmatic legal strategist with 20+ years of experience and demonstrated success in providing legal support to senior management and employees at all levels of the company on legal issues, risks, processes, policies, and procedures. As a seasoned legal strategist, I specialize in deciphering intricate legal puzzles and transforming them into actionable strategies. With a keen eye for detail, I dissect convoluted issues and provide comprehensive solutions that drive compliance, mitigate risk, and fuel growth.

My legal acumen is seamlessly integrated with a deep understanding of the business landscape. I thrive on collaborating with cross-functional teams to align legal frameworks with corporate objectives. Together, we navigate the evolving regulatory landscape to foster innovation while ensuring airtight legal protection.

Specialties: Strategic Legal Guidance, Crisis Management, Complex Corporate Transactions, Contract Development & Negotiations, Risk Assessment & Mitigation, Employee Performance Management, Data-Driven Decision Making, Cross-Functional Collaboration, Critical Situation Handling

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