Let my people think!
I congratulate Richard Chambers for his recent article, Is a Crucial Internal Audit Skill in Decline?
The need for practitioners of any color to think has been a topic of mine for years. This week I posted a video on my YouTube channel, “Thinking is a Critical Skill”.
Richard reports:
For more than a decade, chief audit executives have consistently rated critical thinking as one of the top three skills sought when recruiting internal audit staff. In fact, critical thinking often ranks higher than accounting, risk management or even technology skills.
CAEs see critical thinking as the prized attribute that can separate good internal auditors from great ones.
He shares seven recommendations from Dr. Tara Well, associate professor of psychology at Barnard College of Columbia University, which I recommend reading and giving thoughtful[1] consideration.
Here are my own recommendations, echoing some of what I say in the video:
For yourself:
- Take the time to think. I have a picture in my head of Michael Brooding of my Tosco team with his head down on his desk, appearing to sleep but in reality thinking about what he has just been told and has seen.
- Use travel time to think.
- Don’t automatically do what you did last time, even (especially) if it was successful. Think about it first….
