When the map isn’t enough: Lessons from 50,000 steps
Originally posted on LinkedIn on September 18, 2025
Many of us have just returned from the Compliance and Ethics Institute, our bags a little heavier with notes, new connections, and maybe an extra pair of comfortable shoes. The sessions were thought-provoking, the conversations inspiring. But let’s address the real elephant in the room: finding our way around that massive hotel.
At check-in, we were handed paper maps. Many of us also downloaded the resort’s app, complete with built-in directions. And yet—raise your hand if you still found yourself lost in the endless hallways, detoured by construction, or routed (conveniently) past yet another row of restaurants and shops.
It’s no wonder so many of us racked up 50,000-plus steps over the week. But the point isn’t how far we walked—it’s the reminder of something we see in ethics and compliance programs every day: even when we think we’re giving people the “right” tools, they don’t always work in practice.
Good intentions, messy reality
I don’t believe the resort set out to provide ineffective maps. In fact, I’d guess the designers thought they’d given us everything we needed to navigate with ease. But the reality of construction detours, overlapping paths, and human error meant that even the best-intended tools fell short. Still, finding my fellow lost attendees often led to friendly, kind introductions in moments where we both may have felt a little overwhelmed and vulnerable.
The same happens in compliance. We create policies, communications, and trainings with care—sometimes even with input from employees themselves. But when those tools collide with real-world complexity, stress, or competing priorities, employees may still get lost.
What this means for us
If a map only gets you halfway to your destination, you don’t blame the traveler for ending up in the wrong ballroom—you go back and rethink the directions. Of course, employees still have to engage and do their best to follow the map. But if the tools we give them don’t actually help, over time they may tune us out altogether.
That’s why in compliance, the responsibility is shared: our people bring the effort, and we bring the clarity. Together, we need to check:
Do our tools work in real life, not just on paper?
Where are the detours that employees are likely to encounter?
Are we unintentionally making it harder for them to do the right thing?
A Field Guide takeaway
Next time we roll out a policy or training, let’s not stop at creating the “map.” Let’s walk the halls ourselves—test the path, ask for feedback, and see where employees might stumble. Because in both conferences and compliance, the goal isn’t just to hand someone directions—it’s to make sure they actually arrive where they need to go.
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