Every profession seeks stature. Internal auditors are no different. You want to be respected. You want to be trusted. You want to be seen as partners who help your organizations succeed. Yet the data paints a clear picture. The profession still struggles to gain the credibility and influence it has sought for decades.

The IIA’s Vision 2035 report offered a sobering snapshot. Forty eight percent of internal auditors believe they are viewed as the police in their organizations. Only forty percent say they are seen as trusted advisors. Thirty six percent say they are respected. Only twenty eight percent say they are valued. Twenty one percent say they are seen as change agents. Nineteen percent say they are seen as strategic. Only thirteen percent believe they are viewed as dynamic.

AuditBoard’s recent Focus on the Future 2026 report tells a similar story. Almost ninety percent of (American, UK and German) respondents said they want to be seen as trusted advisors. Only 57% believe they are. More than 60% want to be viewed as strategic partners. Only 40% believe they are seen that way.

These numbers reflect the ongoing the gap between aspiration and reality. They also highlight something deeper. A desire for acceptance. A desire to be included. A desire to be recognized for the value you bring.

Many of us can remember what it felt like growing up. You tried to fit in. You wanted to be seen as one of the cool kids. You looked at the kids who always seemed comfortable in their skin. They had confidence. They had presence. They had influence. They were included in decisions. Others listened to or even tried to emulate them.

Internal auditors often find themselves in the opposite role. You are sometimes viewed as the enforcers. You deliver hard truths. You report on failures. You challenge the status quo. The comparison with adolescence is striking. You try to be seen as the cool kids. Yet you are often grouped with the rule followers who remind everyone of the boundaries.

This brings us to a simple question. What will it take for internal auditors to earn the place they want. What will it take to be seen as the cool kids once and for all.

Why the Perception Gap Persists

The perception gap is not a mystery. It reflects how internal auditors behave. If you act like the police, people will respond to you like the police. If you define your purpose around compliance, people will see you as enforcers. If you focus only on what went wrong, no one will look to you for insight on what could go right.

Perception is a response to behavior. It does not follow mission statements or taglines. The world will see you the way your actions suggest.

You want to be trusted. Yet trust requires consistency. Trust requires openness. Trust requires empathy. Trust requires the ability to understand the pressures your stakeholders face. Many internal auditors excel at objectivity. Far fewer excel at empathy. When empathy is missing, trust is hard to forge.

You want to be seen as strategic. Yet strategic thinkers speak the language of the business. They frame risks in the context of outcomes. They connect their insights to decisions. Too many internal audit reports focus only on controls. The business cares about customers, growth, margins, resilience and speed. If you want a strategic seat, your work must reflect the issues leaders care about.

You want to be seen as dynamic. Yet many internal audit functions operate on static plans. They move slowly. They struggle to adopt new tools. They resist change. Dynamic functions respond to real time risks. They learn new skills. They embrace new technology. They adapt without hesitation.

When you match your behavior to your aspirations, perceptions change.

What the Cool Kids Have That Internal Auditors Need

Cool kids have confidence. They have capability. They have social skills. They have influence. They are comfortable in conversations with peers and leaders. They earn respect through their presence and their actions.

Internal auditors can have all of this. Nothing about the profession prevents it.

Cool kids also bring value that others recognize. They contribute ideas that matter. They solve problems. They offer insight. They help others succeed. People want them involved.

Internal auditors can have that too. It starts with your mindset. You serve the organization. Your goal is to help leaders succeed. You help them understand risks. You help them make better decisions. You help them manage uncertainty. When you deliver value that matters, people invite you in.

Cool kids don’t work overtime to be cool. They demonstrate traits that others admire. The same is true for internal auditors. Your goal is not to chase popularity. Your goal is to demonstrate value. Popularity follows value.

But before we explore ways to enhance our “cool factor,” its important to remember that we should never sacrifice authenticity to be cool. As American actress Vanessa Hudgens has observed “Being cool is being your own self, not something someone else is telling you to do.”

An Action Plan to Become the Corporate Cool Kids

Internal auditors can change perceptions. Your action plan will be driven by your goals, the current perception gaps you face, and even the culture of your organization. The following are some practical steps you can take to transform the perceptions of your function once and for all:

1. Reframe your purpose.
   Define your purpose around value creation. Make it clear that your goal is to strengthen performance. You are not in the business of fault finding. You help leaders see risk before it becomes loss. You help them seize opportunities with confidence.
2. Show empathy in every interaction.
   Ask questions that show you understand the pressure your stakeholders face. Listen without judgment. Acknowledge the realities of their environment. Your credibility will grow.
3. Build business acumen.
   Study your industry. Understand your organization’s strategic goals. Learn how value is created. Use that knowledge in your reports and conversations. Leaders will see you as part of the business, not an observer on the sidelines.
4. Deliver insights, not observations.
   Focus your reports on causes and impacts. Explain why the issue matters. Show how it affects customers or business outcomes. Insights demonstrate strategic value.
5. Earn trust through transparency.
   Share your approach. Explain how you form conclusions. Provide clarity on timelines. Manage expectations. People trust what they understand.
6. Communicate with purpose.
   Use clear language. Use simple statements. Remove jargon. Speak in terms your stakeholders use. Communication is a superpower. It separates the respected from the ignored.
7. Demonstrate agility.
   Update your audit plan when risks shift. Adopt new tools. Learn new skills. Leaders notice teams that move with speed.
8. Strengthen relationships with intention.
   Meet with management outside of audits. Share trends and insights. Ask for input. Trust grows through consistent contact.
9. Show courage when it counts.
   Cool kids are not afraid to speak up. You must be willing to raise difficult issues. Courage earns respect.
10. Celebrate wins.
    Highlight improvements achieved through your work. Show the impact you have. Visibility drives perception.

Internal auditors have everything they need to earn their place. You can be trusted. You can be strategic. You can be valued. You can be dynamic. You can be invited into key conversations.

The profession will reach this point when behavior aligns with aspiration. The world notices actions. When you behave like strategic partners, the world sees you that way.

Finally, being cool is an intoxicating idea for many. But, as internal auditors, we cannot lose sight of the core principles that define our profession. We must never compromise those principles for the sake of popularity. To paraphrase Dr. Suess: “Being cool is not about fitting it, it’s about standing out.”