logo-newlogo-newlogo-newlogo-new
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Audit Trail Academy
  • Advisory Services
  • Books
✕
  • Home
  • Chambers on Internal Audit
  • Internal Auditing Reputation
  • INTERNAL AUDITORS MUST BE CREDIBLE BEFORE THEY CAN BE INCREDIBLE!

INTERNAL AUDITORS MUST BE CREDIBLE BEFORE THEY CAN BE INCREDIBLE!

THE STAGGERING TOLL OF COVID RELIEF FRAUD: WHERE WERE THE THREE LINES?
May 16, 2022
NEW ACFE FRAUD REPORT IS AN EXCELLENT RESOURCE FOR INTERNAL AUDITORS
May 31, 2022
May 23, 2022

As a young internal auditor, nothing was more frustrating to me than presenting a great internal audit recommendation or new idea to an audit client (or “auditee” as we called them back then), only to be met with waves of skepticism and negativity. I knew my message was important, but at times it was challenging to overcome the mistrust and fear that materialized by the mere fact that the recommendation came from an internal auditor.

Looking back on those early internal audits, I now realize that some of those communications breakdowns could have been avoided. The realization came slowly to me: I didn’t completely understand why I sometimes had difficulty in “selling” recommendations until a particularly frustrating exit meeting. Almost every recommendation I shared seemed to elicit client skepticism — until the moment when a more experienced auditor joined the conversation. My colleague went back over several recommendations I had presented a few minutes earlier, and the recommendations suddenly seemed completely reasonable to our client.

Why were the recommendations so much more persuasive when they were delivered by someone else? I believe the difference was that the senior auditor had built up a solid working relationship with the client and had firmly established his credibility. As internal auditors, I believe we all have the potential to be incredible. But first we must be credible.

Even when an outstanding internal audit has been completed and internal audit recommendations are sound, it is often difficult for younger or newer internal auditors to leverage credibility. The good news is that credibility is a attribute you can actively work to improve. Hopefully some of the following tips can help you avoid a few of the frustrations I faced early in my career.

1. Exude enthusiasm.
We all tend to view people who are enthusiastic and passionate about their work as more credible than those who are not. It’s difficult for others to buy into our ideas when we are seen as ambivalent or negative, especially when we are not enthusiastic about our own audit results.

Maintaining a positive tone is particularly important when we are critiquing others. It’s not enough that we are enthusiastic; we also must help our clients become enthusiastic about the changes we recommend. It’s easier to develop enthusiasm when we maintain a positive attitude and concentrate on solving problems, not on finding fault. The next time you are tempted to say, “You did it wrong,” instead try saying, “Let’s figure out what the problem is and see if there is a better way to do it.”

2. Demonstrate your care and concern.
If you demonstrate that you genuinely care about your audit client and its problems, you will be well on your way to establishing credibility. Yes, delivering on results is critical for personal credibility — but nothing is more critical than keeping relationships positive while also delivering the results. When you show genuine concern for your clients, you are also convincing them that your audit recommendations will be in their best interests.

3. Project professionalism.
It may not always seem fair, but we are judged not only on our ideas and recommendations but on how we present them. If you tend to dress sloppily, use slang or profanity, keep a disorganized work area, show up late for meetings, or check your text messages and emails throughout the exit conference, don’t be surprised when some clients assume you also are sloppy about your work. Being organized and professional in your dress, speech, and actions will help to assure your ideas are taken seriously.

4. Communicate continuously, candidly, and (almost) completely.
Ongoing communications can solidify your reputation as someone who is open to discussion, even when the discussion involves disagreement. Visibility is also critical: If your co-workers and clients don’t remember your name or face, you have not yet fully established credibility.

I don’t mean to suggest that you will seem more credible if you monopolize meeting time or bombard other people with huge amounts of minute detail: Listening is as important as talking in establishing credibility. I also don’t mean to imply that discretion isn’t important. Internal auditors often deal with sensitive information, and nothing can destroy trust and credibility faster than gossiping or failing to preserve confidentiality. We must be particularly careful about agreeing to remain quiet regarding potentially bad situations: You can’t be credible as an internal auditor if you agree to hide anything immoral or illegal, and it might cost you your career.

5. Be responsive and follow through on commitments.
A reputation for dependability is essential for establishing credibility, and following through on your tasks and promises shows your clients and co-workers that you are trustworthy and reliable.

Communication is essential if you are going to miss a deadline or commitment; but even if you communicate with all parties about the delay, making too many excuses will eventually destroy your credibility. Perhaps the dog really did eat your audit report, but that won’t change the fact that the report was not delivered when it was promised. When it comes to establishing credibility, results are more important than excuses, so it’s important not to make promises unless you are sure you can keep them.

6. Be prepared.
If you are not prepared for meetings or don’t know what you are talking about, you have no credibility no matter what else you might bring to the table. Preparedness is especially important for internal auditors because each new audit brings us into a new working situation. Asking questions is key to successful internal auditing and can help build credibility, but it’s important to do your homework first so that you don’t ask unnecessary questions.

If you have not prepared in advance by learning about your industry and reading files of previous audits, for example, you are destroying your own credibility and wasting management’s time.

7. Get it right!
As Nathaniel Hawthorne said, “Accuracy is the twin brother of honesty; inaccuracy, of dishonesty.” Regardless of whether an inaccuracy is a careless mistake, a deliberate exaggeration, or a downright lie, an internal auditor with a reputation for inaccuracy is always going to have a credibility problem. If you’re not sure of your facts … check them. If you’re not sure about your audit procedures … get a second opinion.

Building credibility takes time, but a solid reputation for trust and credibility can follow you for the rest of your career, and for internal auditors it is always well worth the effort. I have shared a few of my favorite tips for establishing credibility, but many other factors are important. If you have witnessed other ways in which an internal auditor rapidly gained (or lost) credibility, please share them. We’d all like to learn from your experience.

Share

Related posts

February 20, 2023

The Perils of Internal Audit as ’Corporate Police’


Read more
December 19, 2022

Fines Against Internal Auditors Raise Serious Questions


Read more
October 31, 2022

Internal Auditors: Put Away Your Radar Guns (and focus on traffic safety)


Read more

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

What’s Trending

03-20-23

New Report Reveals Surprising Insights from Internal Audit Executives


03-13-23

New IIA Report Is a Timely Benchmarking Resource for Internal Auditors


03-02-23

6 Things Audit Committee Members Often Won’t Say to Internal Audit


Read More

Archive

  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009

Contact Us

PO Box 1441
New Smyrna Beach, FL 32170

+1-407-463-9389
rchambers@richardchambers.com

About AuditBeacon.com

AuditBeacon.com is a resource center for internal auditors and risk professionals from around the world. In addition to more than 500 blogs authored by Richard Chambers, the site includes links to news and insights on internal audit and other information that illuminates the value of this important profession. AuditBeacon.com is provided as a service by Richard F. Chambers and Associates, LLC.

Copyright © 2023 Richard F. Chambers & Associates. All Rights Reserved.
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Audit Trail Academy
  • Advisory Services
  • Books