This week I am exploring a five-part series on compliance as seen through the lens of Winnie the Pooh and the characters who live in the Hundred Acre Woods: Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger, Kanga & Roo, and Piglet. Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear and Pooh was created by English author A. A. Milne. Yesterday, we introduced Tigger and the sales function’s role in compliance. In this episode, we focus on Kanga and her son, Roo, and the Corporate Ombudsman’s role in compliance.
Kanga is a female kangaroo and the doting mother of Roo. They live near the Sandy Pit in the northwestern part of the Hundred Acre Wood. Kanga is the only female character to appear in the books. Kanga is kind-hearted, calm, patient, sensible and down to earth. She likes to keep things clean and organized and offers motherly advice and food to anyone who asks her. She is protective over Roo and treats him with kind words and gentle discipline. She also has a sense of humor, as revealed in chapter seven of Winnie-the-Pooh when Rabbit connives to kidnap Roo, leaving Piglet in his place; Kanga pretends not to notice that Piglet is not Roo and proceeds to give him Roo’s usual bath, much to Piglet’s dismay.
Roo is Kanga’s cheerful, playful, energetic son, who moved to the Hundred Acre Wood with her. His best friends are Tigger and a young Heffalump named Lumpy, who loves to play with him. Roo is the youngest of the main characters. When Kanga and Roo first come to the Hundred Acre Wood, everyone thinks Kanga is a fierce animal, but discover this untrue and become friends with her. In the book, when Tigger comes to the forest, she welcomes him into her home, attempts to find him food he likes and allows him to live with her and Roo. After this, Kanga treats him like she does her son. I want to use Kanga and Roo to consider another role in compliance. It is the creation of an ombudsman for employees to help facilitate compliance.
Kanga is the most trusted soul in the Hundred Acre Woods. She would be an ideal ombudsman and an example that the “success of these programs depends partly on getting the right person for the role. A good ombudsman is a superb listener who establishes trust in people at all levels.” They need to have the skills to think through solutions to problems. Kanga certainly has such skills. A great example is the arrival of Tigger in the Hundred Acre Woods. While Tigger claims to like everything to eat for breakfast, it is quickly proven he does not like honey, acorns, thistles, or most of the contents of Kanga’s larder. However, he discovers what Tigger likes best is the extract of malt, which Kanga has on hand because she gives it to Roo as “strengthening medicine”. This is another key trait of an ombudsman; the person must also respect senior executives and be comfortable taking issues to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or the Board if necessary. Understanding the corporate culture and who has influence is also important – which is why many capable people in this role are promoted from inside the company. The same can be said for Kanga in the Hundred Acre Wood.
Join me tomorrow when I consider Eeyore and the role of corporate legal in compliance.
