The Better Way? Podcast

At the halfway point of the year, Zach and Hui pause to reflect on the ideas that have defined recent conversations in compliance, ethics, and culture. From the role of curiosity as a professional superpower to the growing push toward outcome-based reporting, they unpack why critical thinking—and better questions—remain at the heart of effective programs. Along the way, they highlight the persiste...

What really drives corporate scandals?  In this episode, Zach and Hui sit down with Professor Guido Palazzo, co-author of  The Dark Pattern , to explore how organizational environments shape behavior in ways that go far beyond individual intent or values. Drawing on cases like Wells Fargo, Theranos, and Boeing, Guido explains why misconduct is rarely about intent alone—and inst...

We all complain about meetings—in fact, they just might be one of the biggest unmanaged investments in your organization. Is there a better way? In this episode, Zach and Hui sit down with Dr. Steven Rogelberg, one of the world’s leading experts on the science of meetings, to unpack why meetings so often fail—and what leaders get wrong about fixing them. From the surprising truth about a...

In this episode of  The Better Way , Zach shares reflections from an unusual professional crossover: serving on a criminal jury in a high‑stakes, multi‑week trial. What he experienced in the courtroom and the jury room—confusion caused by complexity, the absence of a coherent story, opaque instructions written in legalese, and the emotional weight of being questioned—sparked a series of insig...

When the DOJ sneezes, the compliance community has a habit of mad dashing to the emergency room. And that’s pretty much what happened when the Department of Justice rolled out its “new” Corporate Enforcement Policy last month. And so, in this episode of The Better Way?, Zach and Hui—somewhat reluctantly—provide a high-level overview of the policy itself, before digging into a recent Law360 article...

In this episode, Zach and Hui trace how corporate compliance evolved from early antitrust enforcement to today’s legal‑dominated structures, showing how scandals, regulation, and enforcement—not a desire to “do the right thing”—shaped the function’s modern form. They also unpack why compliance so often reports into legal and why reporting lines rarely reflect the true power dynamics inside compani...

In this episode of  The Better Way? , Zach and Hui shine a light on some of the compliance metrics that rarely get used but matter most—from behavioral signals and free‑text insights to knowledge‑acquisition and retention and early risk indicators buried inside culture surveys and HR systems. They argue that traditional outputs like training completions and policy attestations tell us almost...

In this episode of  The Better Way? , Zach and Hui sit down with Emily May, President and Co‑Founder of Right To Be, whose work has transformed global understanding of harassment and bystander intervention. Emily shares the origins of her movement; breaks down the powerful 5Ds framework to bystander intervention; and explains how these simple, accessible tools help everyday people safely inte...

In this reflective episode, Zach and Hui open up about pivotal moments that shaped how they think about ethics, culture, and compliance—from unexpected lessons in empathy and communication to the realities of navigating risk, culture, and power inside global organizations. Their stories reveal how the work of compliance is far more human, nuanced, and emotionally complex than policy manuals ever a...

In this episode of The Better Way?, Zach and Hui sit down with Dr. Leann Pereira to explore the psychology behind compliance training—why meaningful learning isn’t about entertainment, quizzes, or catchy trends, but about context, behavior, and relevance. Leann breaks down how bias shows up in everyday managerial decisions, why learning transfer requires realism over edutainment, and how organizat...

Investigations can be rigid, legalistic exercises—but as Zach and Hui remind us, they’re fundamentally human. In this episode, they unpack the viral “Coldplay Kiss Cam” incident as a case study in why rushing to judgment is so dangerous, especially in ethics and compliance. From the purpose of investigations to the importance of withholding conclusions until the facts are in, they explore how curi...

Critical thinking sounds simple—but in practice, it’s one of the most overlooked skills in compliance and culture work. In this episode of  The Better Way? , Zach and Hui dive deep into what critical thinking really means: objective analysis, bias awareness, and evidence-based decision-making. They explore why curiosity is the foundation of critical thinking and why assumptions, incomplete in...

It’s the last episode of the year, and Zach Coseglia and Hui Chen are taking a step back to reflect on what made 2025 so memorable. From a new presidential administration and major regulatory and enforcement changes to questions about the rule of law and the future of DEI— they talk through what these shifts mean for businesses and compliance professionals trying to stay grounded in an increasingl...

In this episode of The Better Way?, Zach and Hui unpack the complexities of corruption with Professors Oguzhan Dincer and Michael Johnston, authors of Corruption in America: A Fifty-Ring Circus. They explore why corruption is not a simple crime—but instead, a deeply entrenched phenomenon with long-term consequences for democracy, development, and institutional trust. You’ll hear why defining corru...

Root cause analysis isn’t just a box to check—it’s the difference between fixing symptoms and solving real problems. In this episode, Zach and Hui unpack why so many organizations stop short of the true root causes, settling for easy answers like “more training” or “rogue employee.” They explore how curiosity, context, and critical thinking can transform investigations from blame games into learni...

What do Icelandic elves, Chilean political ads, and Uruguayan tea rituals have to do with ethics and compliance? More than you’d think. In this episode of  The Better Way ?, Zach and Hui take you on a global journey—literally—sharing travel stories that spark fresh insights into culture, data, and the human side of corporate integrity. From folklore that reveals workplace truths to a cruise s...

It’s human nature to be curious about what other people are doing. But is it helpful. And is benchmarking just a modern day, corporate version of our naturally human instinct to "keep up with the Joneses?”  In this episode of  The Better Way? , Zach and Hui dive deep into the widely used, yet often over-valued, practice of culture and compliance benchmarking. They define i...

In this episode of The Better Way?, Zach and Hui welcome investigative journalist Anna (A) Bianca Roach for a conversation about the intersection of corporate strategy, ethics, and global risk—and the evolving priorities for today’s corporate boards. Drawing from experience reporting for Agenda , a Financial Times publication, A shares insights into what keeps boards up at night: from tariffs and...

It’s easy to measure output. How many trainings. How many policies. How many messages. All "the things" we did to protect the company and shape a culture of ethics and integrity. But did any of those things work? And what does it even mean for something to “work"? In this episode of  The Better Way? , Zach and Hui focus on the distinction between output and outcome—and adv...

In this episode of The Better Way?, Zach and Hui welcome back Alison Taylor (NYU professor, ethics expert, and celebrated author of Higher Ground) for a candid conversation about LinkedIn. Yes, you read that right! We're dedicating an episode to LinkedIn. What starts as a lighthearted look at LinkedIn etiquette (Alison’s pet peeve posts inspired the episode) evolves into a deeper exploration of ho...

There’s a difference between doing “what’s required” and doing “what’s right.” And if you’ve been paying attention, you know that we’ve also done whole episodes on the shortcomings of “do the right thing” language. So, in this episode of The Better Way? , Hui and Zach thought it was time to give ethics the explicit spotlight it deserves. It is, after all, our “E.” They start by unpacking the diffe...

We often hear people in our world say that they’ve spent their day “putting out fires.” Yeah? Well, we thought, why not talk to someone who has spent his career putting out actual fires—and who leads one of the most dynamic fire departments in the United States? In this episode of The Better Way?, Zach and Hui sit down with Sheldon Hao, Chief of the Honolulu Fire Department, for a conversation abo...

Shaping culture can be a daunting task. Because change doesn’t happen overnight. But our world is filled with examples of shifting norms in both the social  and organizational contexts. Just think about how much has changed in the last fifty years—or even, the last five! In this episode of  The Better Way? , Hui and Zach, as they often do, find inspiration in unexpected places; with exam...

Leadership is a recurring theme on the pod. So, as they’re wont to do, Hui and Zach sought out an important voice to dive deep into leadership and leadership development: Dr. Tom Kolditz, a retired Brigadier General (U.S. Army), psychologist, author, educator, and leadership coach. In this episode of The Better Way?, General Kolditz shares insights on trust and leadership in times of crisis—from c...

This series is all about curiosity in the search for “better ways.” And that search has taken us to some unexpected places: we’ve talked to an award winning actress; data scientists; AI ethicists; behavioral scientists; psychologists; lawyers; an auditor; and many others. We’ve also drawn inspiration from congress, religion, academia, the military, sports—and of course, from the world of business....