By Andy Kovacs
(5-Minute Read)

Dislike

The best internal auditors are almost always those who create a rapport with their clients. When internal auditor’s behaviour is accusing or aggressive, they are far more likely to be met with resistance than when they treat findings as an opportunity to help accomplish objectives and facilitate improvement.

– Richard Chamber (IIA President & CEO)

“It’s not a bloody popularity contest!”

Here’s a question for you:

  • Do your auditees like you?

When I first started to design and deliver communication development learning programmes for internal audit teams around 20 years ago, this question was invariably met with puzzled expressions when I asked it.

“It’s not a bloody popularity contest!” would be the stock reply.

But people are far more likely to say ‘Yes!’ to the offers of those who they like (and ‘No!’ to the offers of those they dislike, even if it is in their best interests to accept the offer). So getting your auditees to like you should be a priority when it comes to your audit fieldwork conversations.

Without such a rapport, your efforts will be greatly reduced.

Having said that, I’m sure there are many of you sitting there thinking:

“But it’s NOT a bloody popularity contest!”

So here’s a philosophical thought experiment to show you that it had better not be a bloody UNPOPULARITY  contest!
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