7 Compliance Mindset Shifts: How to Strengthen Cyber Resilience and Build a Foundation of Trust

Embrace Compliance Requirements to Drive Cybersecurity and Business Success

Compliance doesn’t equal security.

If you spend time around cybersecurity professionals, you will hear this phrase.

But what does it mean?

How can we leverage compliance (what we must do) to create the desired security outcomes for our business partners, clients, and customers (the things we want to be done)?

In today's digital world, many organizations think about compliance incorrectly. They see it as a barrier, something they must do more of, costing them time, money, and peace of mind.

This thinking is fundamentally flawed, leading to a lack of engagement, integration, and focus.

First and foremost, we must truly see compliance for what it is: the minimum defined standard acceptable to regulatory agencies, customers, clients, and stakeholders. Compliance requirements are critical because they establish the baseline or "floor," not the ceiling.

It is the foundation you build and strengthen from—a foundation that starts with the right mindset.

Cyber success in today's world requires a proactive and strategic approach that builds on compliance to address evolving threats. As an experienced assessor and auditor, I've seen firsthand how a shift in mindset can revolutionize how organizations handle compliance and use it to improve security.

Here are seven compliance mindset shifts to help simplify your compliance approach, strengthen resilience, and boost confidence in delivering the cyber outcomes you require with less effort and stress.

1. Understand Your Obligations

Mindset Shift: Move from superficial understanding to deep comprehension.

Understanding your regulatory landscape is the foundation of any successful compliance program. It's not just about knowing the rules but comprehending their implications and integrating them into your strategy. It's combining the "what" with the "how."

Strategic focus, tactical integration.

Imagine discovering halfway through an audit that you've been investing heavily in unnecessary tools or compliance measures while critical vulnerabilities have been left exposed.

This scenario is all too common.

Action Step: Break down complex regulations into manageable parts and prioritize them based on impact and risk. Create a checklist of must-do actions and tackle them in order of importance.

2. Use Compliance as a Learning Experience

Mindset Shift: View compliance challenges as opportunities to learn and grow.

Where do these compliance regulations come from?

Are they created just to bring you pain and misery? No, not really.

Every compliance challenge offers a chance to learn and develop. Rather than seeing them as hurdles, consider these challenges invaluable lessons to drive your organization forward.

Compliance challenges can often feel like a burden, but what if they were opportunities to build foundational strength and drive growth?

Every time I work through a compliance readiness engagement, I always learn something new, something I didn't see before, and it usually ends up being the catalyst for improving, streamlining, and simplifying something. 1% better every day, right?

Action Step: Document lessons learned from each compliance exercise to create a knowledge base to streamline future compliance activities and training for new team members. Don't lose your hard work, and get a little better every day.

3. Look for Opportunities

Mindset Shift: See compliance as a gateway to increased performance and confidence.

Shift your perspective to use compliance as the guidepost to improvement. What if the very regulations you view as restrictive could be the key to unlocking new efficiencies and strengths within your organization?

Focusing on the potential benefits rather than just the requirements can uncover significant growth opportunities.

I've worked with several clients who have turned compliance reviews into comprehensive process improvement initiatives, saving thousands.

This continual improvement mindset helps them not only meet regulatory requirements but also streamline their operations, improve performance, and strengthen confidence in the outcomes they are delivering.

Action Step: Identify at least one process improvement or security enhancement that compliance activities can bring to your organization. Focus on the added value beyond just meeting the requirements.

4. Change the 'Check-the-Box' Mentality

Mindset Shift: Integrate compliance into your technology and business strategy.

Viewing compliance as a checklist task leads to minimal effort and missed opportunities for achieving unity of effort across your business.

If compliance is just another box to tick, you're likely missing out on its potential.

Compliance should be an integral part of your business strategy, not a mere formality. Moving beyond a checklist approach fosters a culture of continuous improvement and genuine security. It builds trust and demonstrates proficiency.

For example, tech debt is a huge issue in today's digital world. A company that treats compliance as an ongoing process rather than a one-time task will find that they are always prepared for audits and doing the planning work to identify systemic risk items like tech debt.

This increased readiness translates into less disruption, confusion, fewer last-minute scrambles, and a stronger security posture year over year that can help drive growth.

Action Step: Implement regular compliance reviews as part of your ongoing operational processes and integrate these reviews into your existing workflows.

5. Lead by Example: The Military Lesson

Mindset Shift: Demonstrate visible leadership commitment to compliance.

Leadership sets the tone for the entire organization; we know this. When leaders are visibly committed to compliance, it fosters a culture of accountability and excellence.

Leaders at all levels need to be engaged as compliance champions, ensuring that the minimum standards are met and the organization is set up for success.

One of my first inspections as a junior enlisted member in the United States Air Force (back in the day) was a Nuclear Surety Inspection. The stakes were incredibly high, and there was no room for error.

Our senior leadership team was actively engaged in every aspect of the inspection (military term for audit). They were there in the work centers, they were there for the pre-activities, and they were there to champion every aspect of the effort from start to finish.

The rigorous standards and detailed procedures we followed ensured the safety and security of nuclear assets. This experience taught me the importance of compliance and attention to detail, lessons I carry into every aspect of my professional life. Leaders do set the tone.

Action Step: Regularly review and update your compliance and security procedures to meet current standards and address emerging threats. Create leadership rhythms that reinforce and enable compliant activities. Make it easier for team members to follow established protocols.

6. Take Action

Mindset Shift: Turn insights into actionable improvements.

What did you do with that last compliance assessment report?

Insights from compliance activities are only valuable if they lead to actionable improvements.

Proactive steps based on compliance activities can lead to substantial improvements in both security and business operations.

After you conduct your compliance reviews, don't just file the report away and hope it goes away. Take immediate action, prioritize what is needed to enhance your security measures and also take the initiative to gain a competitive edge.

Demonstrate your commitment to robust compliance practices.

Action Step: Set up a compliance task force or designate a leader responsible for implementing and monitoring compliance-related improvements. This approach drives better engagement, improves accountability, and helps integrate security with business operations.

7. Redefine Compliance as Progress

Mindset Shift: View compliance as an ongoing journey.

Compliance isn't a destination but a journey. Viewing it as an ongoing process can transform how your organization approaches security and growth. Embracing compliance challenges as opportunities for progress fosters a culture of continuous improvement and resilience.

It is essential that you view compliance as a progressive journey rather than a static goal.

This is the biggest travesty I have seen.

Clients will invest hundreds of man-hours and thousands of dollars to "pass the audit," only to let everything die on the vine once the audit ends. It's painful, tragic, and unnecessary.

Viewing compliance as an ongoing journey helps you keep ahead of regulatory changes and greatly enhances your reputation and trustworthiness in the market. It will also help you ensure that compliance is not something you achieve but rather something you do daily.

Action Step: Use compliance metrics to track progress and identify areas for improvement. Regularly review these metrics to ensure continuous improvement and long-term sustainability.

The Bottom Line

Imagine a world without compliance standards in business, finance, technology, or engineering. The absence of these standards would lead to a chaotic environment where inconsistency, inefficiency, and errors prevail.

In business finance, lack of compliance could result in financial fraud, loss of stakeholder trust, and financial instability.

In technology, it could lead to data breaches, loss of sensitive information, and overall technological failures (sound familiar).

Engineering without standards could result in unsafe products, infrastructure failures, and endanger public safety.

Compliance standards ensure consistency, safety, reliability, and trust, forming the foundation for sustainable growth and success.

By adopting these seven strategic mindset shifts, you can simplify compliance, strengthen cyber resilience, and lead your organization to success.

Ready to strengthen your organization's cyber resilience and improve your cybersecurity outcomes? Let's discuss your situation to make the most of your compliance mindset.