February 13, 2023

When an Internal Audit Client Shows You Who They Are – Believe Them!

Famed American poet Maya Angelou once observed: “When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.” I have always found that to be […]
July 5, 2022

Winning Over Skeptical Internal Audit Clients: 5 Strategies To Remember

In my recent blogs, I have been focusing on the basics of effective client service by internal auditors. I even wrote an article for AuditBoard on […]
February 16, 2022

When Friction Erupts: 5 Ways Internal Auditors Can Mend Broken Fences

My recent blog, “Five Things Not to Say When You Are Starting an Internal Audit,” was far and away the most popular I have written in […]
November 29, 2021

Internal Audit’s Relationship With the General Counsel Can Be Complicated

As a newly appointed chief audit executive many years ago, I tried early to identify the other executives in the organization who would be our strongest […]
November 3, 2021

Whose Risk Is It, Anyway? When Management Says ‘No’ to Internal Audit

One of the most frustrating events in my career was one of the first times an internal audit client firmly and repeatedly said “no” to one […]
August 29, 2021

“When Management Goes Rogue” – How Should Internal Audit Respond?

When it comes to corporate governance, I believe there is one enduring lesson from the past two decades: When boards of directors fail in their oversight […]
August 16, 2021

5 Frequent Sources of Tension Between Management and Internal Audit

In the past year, management and internal audit have stood together in the vast majority of organizations in the face of the unprecedented risks presented by […]
September 20, 2020

​We Are Here to Help You — This Time We (Really) Mean It

“We are here to help you!” That phrase seems so innocent, but those six little words are sometimes referred to as “the biggest lie of the internal […]
August 31, 2020

When Lines to Internal Audit Fall Silent, It’s Time to Reach Out

As the COVID-19 pandemic extends further into the second half of the year, many of us have fallen into a grudging acceptance that disruptions to our […]
July 6, 2020

​Persuading Internal Audit Clients Just Got Harder

There’s an old expression — “when everyone shouts, no one listens” — that certainly rings true today. From politics to social media and even in grocery […]