Five Goals for My Next Chapter on The Audit Trail

As the old saying goes, “when one chapter closes, another one opens.” For me, I recently closed the longest and most extraordinary chapter in my career when I stepped down as President and CEO of The IIA. As I have noted, it was not an easy decision, but it was the right decision for both me and The IIA. The IIA will benefit from new ideas and fresh leadership, and I am now free to pursue life as a “private citizen” again after more than 12 years of leading a complex global organization under the glare that came with being a spokesman for the internal audit profession.

What many of my readers may not realize is that I had spent more than a decade before my tenure at The IIA as an internal audit thought leader, speaker and advocate. Transitioning to the IIA role in 2009 enabled me to pursue those passions while also providing the strategic leadership and operational oversight for a $70 million business with more than 200 employees and over 200,000 members around the globe. As I step away from the CEO responsibilities at The IIA, I stand ready to re-embrace my passions.

When it comes to my career, I feel that I am too old to start a new book, but too young to have written the last chapter. So, as I prepare to write my next chapter, I thought I would share some of the goals I have set out for myself. There is no timeline associated with these goals. In fact, they are more aptly described as the principles that will guide me as they are metric driven goals. Here are the five goals that I plan to pursue in the months and years ahead:

1. Be a timely and vocal champion for the internal audit profession. The dictionary defines a “champion” as “a person who fights or speaks for another person (or a cause).” I have been a champion for the internal audit profession for more than two decades, and I certainly don’t intend to stop now. A champion is not a cheerleader. As a champion, I will highlight the profession’s progress and it’s opportunities to step up when improvement is needed. I will write and speak about the need to be change agents (the topic of my newest book), and I will advocate for the greater use of technology, a more dynamic focus on risk, and waging and winning the war for talent in the decade ahead.
2. Partner with like-minded organizations and individuals to elevate internal auditing. For more than 20 years, I have aligned with organizations whose missions includes elevating the internal audit profession. Whether serving in The IIA, PwC, COSO or on the boards of several university accounting departments, I have always been motivated by desire to see this profession grow, and be recognized as essential to effective risk management, internal control and corporate governance. In the coming weeks, I will be announcing several new partnerships including one that will be my primary focus in the year ahead. Stand by for more.
3. Encourage others by imparting wisdom gained from 46 years in the profession. While I will serve as a champion for internal audit in public, I also hope to be a coach for those serving in internal audit leadership roles and those starting out on their own audit trails. I often receive private messages from those seeking direction or advice. Unfortunately, the demands of my IIA role didn’t always permit me to be the kind of coach others were seeking. In the future, I hope to be more responsive when someone has a question, needs advice, or is simply looking for a sympathetic ear.
4. Be a resource that illuminates the potential within internal audit departments and professionals. While the partnerships I mentioned earlier will feature prominently in my future plans, I have also established client service firm, Richard F. Chambers and Associates, LLC, from which I plan to help those chief audit executives and others striving to build and sustain high performing internal audit departments. The logo for my firm prominently features a lighthouse, because the company’s mission is to “illuminate potential” for those it serves. For more information on the firm check out www.richardchambers.com. The web site will also feature all of my blogs and other internal audit news going forward.
5. Be courageous and call it like it is. Regardless of what I say in the future as a champion for internal auditing, I hope to be courageous enough to speak truth to power, but also professional enough not to be disagreeable. Over the years, I have willingly called out the actions of those who disparaged or interfered with internal audit. I plan to continue to speak out when warranted. However, speaking out should never equate to speaking down. Those who follow me on social media know that it is not my style to personally attack or disparage those who hold different views. I long for the day when discourse on alternate views remained civil.  

So, there you have it – my goals for the next chapter on my audit trail. I do not know how long this chapter will last, or whether it will be the final chapter in my professional career. I only know that I am excited to begin the chapter with my lofty goals in hand.

I look forward to sharing each page of the new chapter with my thousands of friends and colleagues around the world.