Internal Audit Manager Leadership Skills Management Resources

Internal Audit Manager Leadership Skills Management ResourcesInternal Audit Manager Leadership Skills Management ResourcesIntensifying regulatory demands, rapidly evolving technologyand many other challenges in todays dynamic business landscape are making it more important than ever for organizations to have a strong internal audit department. They also need skilled, experienced professionals in key roles like audit manager to help support the function.To secure this talent, many employers are prepared to offer higher starting compensation in 2017to audit managers and other internal audit leaders, according to Robert Halfs latestSalary Guidefor the accounting and finance profession.An organizations ability to meet compliance requirements andidentify potential risks requires coordination, cooperation and vigilance by employees at all levels. Through the audit process, the internal audit team ensures everyone in the organization is doing whats required to help avoid risk and meet compl iance demands. However, because audit projects are often complex and time-intensive, its easy for even experienced auditors to lose sight of key details and miss red flags.Enter the audit manager, who is responsible for overseeing completion of audit assignments and confirming the work is of high quality and adheres toprofessional standardsand otherrelevant requirements. The audit manager typically manages an entire audit project, from scheduling audits to preparing audit strategy to assembling the audit team. He or she also must draft detailed reports about audit findings and communicate relevant information to management to inform their decision making.Collaborate and communicateObviously, to do all of the above the audit manager must bring both technical andinterpersonal skillsto the table - including the ability to foster teamwork and helpguide others through change. These skills are important because todaysaudit teams, including their leaders, need to collaborate more frequent lywith staff bothinside and outside of their department - and, perhaps, across geographies.An audit manager is expected to have expert knowledge of relevant regulations,as well. But employers look to audit managers to go beyond honing this expertise and play a lead role in communicating the detailed nature of these rules to everyone in the organization who has a role in compliance. This requires the audit manager to have not only strong written and verbal skills, but also the ability to engage in a productive dialogue with staff, including at the executive level, who dont necessarily understand the complexities of audit speak.A big-picture viewEffective communication isnt possible without first establishing trust, of course. So, another challenge for an audit manager is finding the best way to establish credibility among individuals both within and outside the department. A successful manager leads by example, taking the initiativeto collaborate across departments, consider differe nt perspectives and be respectful to others. (And as our research shows, most professionals view integrity as the most important leadership attribute by far.)An audit manager will need to apply advancedcritical-thinking and analytical skillsin order to interpret audit findings and translate them for the business. Additionally, the audit manager needs to take a big-picture view of the function itself, especially when it comes tohiring.Embracing this broader perspective of the organizationwill allow the audit manager to think strategically whenrecruiting talent that the company will need to stay on top of evolving compliance requirements and emergingrisks. Heor she alsocan make sure staff members have access to theprofessional developmentopportunities they need to succeed, and that will encourage these in-demand professionalsto stay with the organizationfor the long term.This post welches originally published in 2014 and has been updated to reflect more current information.