Trusted Advisors by Richard F. Chambers: What Makes an Outstanding Internal Auditor?

Technical competence is necessary for an internal auditor, but technical knowledge alone does not create influence. In Trusted Advisors: Key Attributes of Outstanding Internal Auditors, Richard F. Chambers examines the qualities that allow internal auditors to earn credibility with management, boards, and audit committees.

Chambers identifies nine attributes associated with outstanding internal auditors, including ethical resilience, critical thinking, intellectual curiosity, open-mindedness, effective communication, relationship building, leadership, technical expertise, and a focus on results.

These attributes matter because internal auditors frequently deliver uncomfortable messages. Management is more likely to listen when auditors are objective, informed, fair, and capable of explaining how an issue affects organizational objectives.

Being a trusted advisor does not mean avoiding disagreement or telling executives what they want to hear. It means delivering an honest and independent assessment in a way that decision-makers can understand and use.

Trusted Advisors is useful for internal auditors at every career level. New auditors can use it to identify the professional behaviors they need to develop. Audit managers and chief audit executives can use it to evaluate staff development and the effectiveness of their relationships with stakeholders.

Richard F. Chambers makes the case that outstanding internal auditors do more than identify deficiencies. They earn the trust necessary to influence meaningful change.