Author: Jamming with Jason

Most people in internal audit focus a lot of time and energy on technical skills, ignoring soft-skills since those are just “touchy-feely” topics anyway that aren’t that important in internal audit. Think again. You will still get ignored no matter how technically competent you are. The key to being heard and moving to trusted advisor status is through developing soft-skills.
Internal audit can also be a dangerous profession (and I’m not talking about paper cuts). Learn how you can stay out of harm’s way.
Make sure to join me for the breakout session at IIA International Conference on “How to Become a More Mindful and Emotionally Intelligent Leader” on Tuesday, 9 July at 12:45. If you’d like to have a mini-interview that will appear on a future episode, make sure to message me on LinkedIn, e-mail me, or stop by the Unified Compliance booth in the exhibit hall, where I’ll be hanging out.

Jason Mefford is a Rock Star – Internal Audit, Risk Management and Compliance. He helps Chief Audit Executives (CAE) and professionals with technical & soft-skills training and coaching to navigate the mine fields of audit, risk and compliance in organizations. http://www.jasonmefford.com and http://www.meffordassociates.com
Interviews and discussions (jam sessions) relevant to Chief Audit Executives and professionals in internal audit, risk management, and compliance.
#internalauditpodcast #internalaudit #chiefauditexecutive

Yep, you read the title correctly. Performing an excellent audit, following all of the standards, and writing a great report won’t stop you from getting fired. In fact, sometimes that is what helps gets you fired. To learn more, and how to avoid those land mines, take a listen to this episode.
There is also some important information about the upcoming IIA International Conference from 7-10 July in Anaheim, California and how you can be featured on an upcoming podcast episode.

The cRisk Academy webinar referenced in this episode with Jason Mefford and Brian Ahearn on Influence is: Tuesday 7 June, 10am PDT, 1pm EDT: https://www.bigmarker.com/crisk-academy/Avoiding-Resistance-by-Using-the-Principles-of-Influence3-2019-05-21-09-30-pm
If you can’t make it to the webinar, the recording will be available later at: https://ondemand.criskacademy.com/
#internalauditpodcast #internalaudit #internalauditwebinar #chiefauditexecutive #influence #communication

Certifications are an important part of developing one’s career, but you need to focus on the right certifications and learning. We’ll discuss the Big-3 certifications (the ones internal auditors should have) and how to make informed decisions about the training and learning needs to move your career forward. Hint: it’s not about just getting alphabet soup certifications behind your name, it’s about being strategic in determining which certifications and training will move you forward in your career. We’ll also give some guidance on top competencies internal auditors need to develop to succeed in the future.

Jason Mefford is joined by Karl Stingily, the Chief Audit Executive at Caeser’s Entertainment, the world’s most geographically diversified casino-entertainment company.

Jason Mefford is a Rock Star – Internal Audit, Risk Management and Compliance. He helps Chief Audit Executives (CAE) and professionals with technical & soft-skills training and coaching to navigate the mine fields of audit, risk and compliance in organizations. http://www.jasonmefford.com and http://www.meffordassociates.com
Interviews and discussions (jam sessions) relevant to Chief Audit Executives and professionals in internal audit, risk management, and compliance.
Apple Podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/jamming-with-jason-mefford/id1456660699
PodBean: https://jammingwithjason.podbean.com/
#CIAexam #certifications #internalaudit

Moving to an agile internal audit approach is a big shift in mindset. It is not just performing audits in a more nimble or lean way. It is about using agile methodologies to transform the whole audit process. This method produces a more collaborative approach with the audit client, a more self-managed team mentality, and scheduling the audits in time box work cycles (sprints). This fundamentally changes how we plan, perform, staff and report on audits.
Jason Mefford is joined by Rick Wright, CAE of YRC Worldwide to discuss the big picture view of agile auditing, how to transform your audit team into an agile methodology team, and discusses Rick’s upcoming book on Agile Auditing that will be published summer of 2019, which includes a practical approach and case studies on how to move from traditional auditing to agile auditing.

#agileauditing #internalaudit #chiefauditexecutive
Check out more episodes and full episode videos at Jasonmefford.com, and don’t forget to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform!

Internal audit has established some great traditions over the years. As Tevye, the character from Fiddler on the Roof said: “Traditions, traditions. Without our traditions our lives would be as shaky as… as a fiddler on the roof!” Later; however, Tevye realizes, “our old ways were once new, weren’t they?” We have to be willing to change with the times and create new traditions that provide more value to our organizations than the old ones.
Jason Mefford is joined by Dan Clark, for a discussion on establishing your own personal brand, tips for becoming a better auditor, and making internal audit a career. You’ll also learn how to become a trusted advisor and provide insight and foresight.
Dan Clark is the GOAT of Internal Audit (you’ll have to listen to learn what that means) and CAE of Washington Trust Bank. In a career that spans more than 30 years, Dan has accumulated a lot of wisdom that he shares in his book: Dare to Be Different – An Auditor’s Personal Guide To Excellence. Currently, he is working on new book: The Tao of Internal Audit.

Check out more episodes and full episode videos at Jasonmefford.com, and don’t forget to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform!

Most Chief Audit Executives (CAEs) struggle with justifying the level of internal audit resources. When internal audit is viewed by stakeholders as a “cost center” this is an annual challenge justifying headcount and annual budgets, especially when the organization is in cost-cutting mode. Many in the profession advocate using benchmarking as a way to “right size” the internal audit function, but this can be a very slippery slope and is based on some faulty assumptions. A much better approach is to focus on the organizational risks and expectations of the board and senior management.

Check out more episodes and full episode videos at Jasonmefford.com, and don’t forget to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform!

As auditors we audit the effectiveness of controls and make recommendations for improving controls. If we are not careful, what we may actually do is recommend ineffective controls or try to over control our organizations, effectively strangling the organization and making it more difficult to achieve objectives. Here’s a case study showing some ineffective and over control from one of the largest banks in the world that should know better. Makes me want to scream “give me a break.”

Jason Mefford is a Rock Star – Internal Audit, Risk Management and Compliance. He helps Chief Audit Executives (CAE) and professionals with technical & soft-skills training and coaching to navigate the mine fields of audit, risk and compliance in organizations. http://www.jasonmefford.com/ and http://www.meffordassociates.com
Apple Podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/jamming-with-jason-mefford/id1456660699
PodBean: https://jammingwithjason.podbean.com/
#internalaudit #internalauditpodcast #jammingwithjason #internalcontrols #cae #chiefauditexecutive

Jason Mefford is joined by Dan Clayton, for a discussion of how internal audit is evolving and changing, driving some of the updates to Sawyer’s Internal Auditing, 7th edition.
Information in the International Professional Practices Framework (IPPF), the Internal Audit textbook, and CIA Review Course materials, provide a basis for how to practice internal auditing, but Sawyer’s Internal Auditing (one of the most influential books in the profession) fills in some of the gaps, and shows where internal audit is headed.
Dan Clayton is the Director of Strategy and Knowledge Management for the System Audit Office at The University of Texas System, and was the project leader for the update team to Sawyers Internal Auditing, 7th edition.

#jammingwithjason #internalaudit #sawyersinternalauditing
Check out more episodes and full episode videos at Jasonmefford.com, and don’t forget to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform!

When we try to go through this thing called life and our career alone, the road is hard and usually full of landmines. It’s better to admit we need help and create or join a group that can be a support network and group of advisors before the stress and pressures from work spill over into our personal life and send us spiraling downward.
There is magic in groups. When the right people get together, develop real connections, and provide support and encouragement for each others, some really amazing things happen. Learn how magic happened during the writing of “Werewolves of London,” hear a story of what happens when you try to do it alone, and how you can create your own support network, or join a group like the new CAE Roundtable.

Jason Mefford is a Rock Star – Internal Audit, Risk Management and Compliance. He helps Chief Audit Executives (CAE) and professionals with technical & soft-skills training and coaching to navigate the mine fields of audit, risk and compliance in organizations. http://www.jasonmefford.com/  and http://www.meffordassociates.com
Apple Podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/jamming-with-jason-mefford/id1456660699
PodBean: https://jammingwithjason.podbean.com/
#internalaudit #chiefauditexecutive #cae

Many support functions in organizations want to be seen as a “trusted advisor” to the business, and internal audit is no exception. There is an aspiration to provide value, so we work really hard proving to ourselves that we are adding value, but other don’t see it and tend to runaway.
“And I wonder, I wo, wo, wo, wo, wonder, why,” we aren’t seen as trusted advisors. Maybe it’s because we don’t really understand what “trust” and “advice” really mean.

Jason Mefford is a Rock Star – Internal Audit, Risk Management and Compliance. He helps Chief Audit Executives (CAE) and professionals with technical & soft-skills training and coaching to navigate the minefields of audit, risk and compliance in organizations. http://www.jasonmefford.com/ and http://www.meffordassociates.com
Apple Podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/jamming-with-jason-mefford/id1456660699
PodBean: https://jammingwithjason.podbean.com/
#trustedadvisor #internalaudit #cae #chiefauditexecutive