When I started writing this post, Microsoft Word offered to help. Its AI asked what I wanted to write about and then developed a draft that had some excellent content. It wasn’t what I wanted to write, but I am going to steal some excellent parts starting with:
Ask the average person about internal auditors, and you’ll likely hear words like “compliance,” “financials,” or “risk management.” While these are certainly core functions, the scope of a brilliant internal auditor extends far beyond ticking boxes or policing processes. They are strategic advisors, trusted confidants, and architects of organizational resilience.
To this I would add that the brilliant internal auditor:
- Not only thinks out of the box, but is excited about what lies outside the box of traditional internal audit thinking. They are not handcuffed by what others call best practices or even the IIA Standards and other guidance. They may consider them useful inputs, but they customize their practices to what the organization needs in the moment. If that means violating the Standards to deliver the value the organization needs, so be it.
- Their purpose is to help the organization succeed, not just report current failings. When they see the potential for improvement, they work with management to get it done sooner rather than…
