Being an internal auditor doesn’t stop at the office; it shapes who we are.

 As we conclude Internal Audit Awareness Month and celebrate our pride in being internal auditors, it is important to remember that every profession leaves its mark not only on our careers, but also on our personalities and personal lives.

Being an internal auditor doesn’t stop at the office; it shapes who we are.

The positives?
We bring integrity, reliability, and critical thinking into every relationship.
The challenges?
Sometimes our vigilance makes us overly cautious or skeptical with family and friends.

The key is balance: carrying our strengths proudly while softening the edges in personal spaces. Internal audit isn’t just a profession; it’s a way of living with trust and accountability.

Internal Auditors' 2026 Horoscope

 I have asked AI (Copilot) to create a humorous 2026 horoscope for Internal Auditors. Here are the results:

• January: You’ll resolve to “close findings faster.” Stars say… you’ll just open new ones.

• February: Love is in the air, but so are overdue audit reports. Cupid prefers compliance.

• March: Spring cleaning? More like “control testing.” Dust off that risk matrix.

• April: Beware of April Fools—especially in expense claims. Fraud hides in jokes.

• May: Flowers bloom, and so do audit issues. Document them before they wilt.

• June: Mid‑year reviews reveal… you’re still waiting for management responses.

• July: Independence Day (US) inspires you: you’ll declare independence from Excel macros.

• August: Hot weather, hotter findings. Your audit committee wants ice‑cold assurance.

• September: Back-to-school vibes: you’ll lecture managers on segregation of duties.

• October: Spooky season. Ghost entries haunt the ledger. Boo! Material weakness!

• November: Gratitude month. Be thankful for strong controls… and coffee.

• December: Year‑end close. Stars say: Your gift is 'one more follow‑up.

Is Climate Change a Greater Risk in the Middle East than Geopolitical Risks?

 Is climate change a greater risk in the Middle East than geopolitical risks in the next three years? According to the 179 respondents to the IIA Foundation's "2025 Risk in Focus—Middle East" survey, it seems so!

Geopolitical risk in the Middle East is real and should definitely be among the top five risks on the list of emerging risks. Anyone who disagrees is out of touch with reality!"

CAEs in the region often avoid addressing what could appear to be politically sensitive issues, which is understandable given the context. However, CAEs, in our opinion, must give more serious attention to the impact of geopolitical risks on their region and organizations.

What Does It Mean to Be Ready And Relevant?

There is a common consensus that Internal Auditors need to be ready and relevant to succeed and thrive in the current disruptive times and to be ready for what comes next in the highly unpredictable future. Last August, I wrote a post entitled " Has Your Internal Audit Function Tested Positive For The Irrelevance Virus" in which I offered internal auditors some basic suggestions on how to get vaccinated against the irrelevance virus including:

• working on their mindset
• keeping an up-to-date understanding of the company's objectives and business
• understanding the stakeholders perspective on value internal audit can add
• transforming to agile auditing
• understanding the true essence of the internal audit independence concept
• communicating what matters in real-time
• utilization of available technology to its fullest potential
• taking a tablespoon of the "courage syrup" three times a day! 

You can read the full post by clicking on the link above.

Recently, I have attended a webinar sponsored by Workivia. The webinar took the form of a live discussion with Tim Berichon the author of the book " Ready and Relevant - Prepare to Audit What Matters Most ". While I have not read the book yet, I thought the discussion with Tim offered a good summary of his thoughts. The key takeaways from the webinar, at least as I understood it, are as follows:

• Stakeholders want to see internal audit become relevant and they now see how internal audit can perform
• Internal audit leaders have stepped up and taken their independence hat off and not allowed that to be a barrier or stopping them from being most relevant
• Relevance is about survival at the internal audit level and the business level
• The top barrier to agility and innovation was the internal audit team's resistance to change. Internal auditors need to look in the mirror and ensure they have the right mindset and the commitment to that mindset
• Get in the middle of the ERM fan! Internal audit leaders can own the risk management programs
• Automate everything you can. Free up internal auditors, they can not add value unless they can use their brains
• Automation can not replace soft skills yet
• Artificial Intelligence as it starts to be  more affordable may creep into the internal auditors' world in the future
• Tell your stockholders something they do not know, If you tell them what they know, you are irrelevant.
• Internal audit will never be irrelevant if it helps management meet its objectives
• Drop the word added from the phrase"value-added".Everything internal audit does should be a value, it does not need to be added to anything
• Set aside a certain percentage of internal audit time for management request and flexibility

I encourage you to watch the entire webinar, it is available on-demand and can be accessed by clicking on the title of the webinar as shown above.

After reading the above, do you think you know what being "ready and relevant" really means? How do you define it and communicate it to your stakeholders? What do you do to achieve the "ready and relevant goal? Let's start a dialogue and share experiences. 

picture credit:www.ieltsg.com

What Have You Learned Today?

Internal Auditors are expected to provide advice on best practices, consulting services, and opinions on a wide range of issues. To be able to do so and achieve the status of a "Trusted Adviser", I believe they need to learn new things on daily basis! And "by new things", I am not only referring to necessary technical knowledge, but to any other useful piece of information. Such information may prove to be useful to them in providing their services and/or as a door opener in establishing relationships with their customers. Not to mention, improving their business acumen.

Don't confuse this with continuous professional education (CPE), these are two different things!

I have been literally doing just that (learning a new thing every day) for a long time. I would like to think this approach has helped shape who I am today. Needless to say, modern technology has made it much easier to achieve this goal compared to the past!

What Did I Learn Today?

It is very simple and basic: I have learned the difference between " what did you learn today" and "what have you learned today"! I was debating which sentence is more appropriate to use. I have learned that both sentences are grammatically correct. The former is past simple and the latter is present perfect. This is useful information for someone whose English is a second language like myself and for improving my vocabulary &  communication skills!

Why Learn New Things?

An article published on Lifehack.org lists the following benefits :

• Learning across a wide range of subjects gives us a range of perspectives to call on in our own narrow day-to-day areas of specialization.
• Learning helps us more easily and readily adapt to new situations.
• A broad knowledge of unfamiliar situations feeds innovation by inspiring us to think creatively and providing examples to follow.
• Learning deepens our character and makes us more inspiring to those around us.
• Learning makes us more confident.
• Learning instills an understanding of the historical, social, and natural processes that impact and limit our lives.

I can't agree more.

Practical Approach to Everyday Learning!

• First and foremost, you need to have the will and commitment to learn! Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way!
• Chose the right information source. Social media does not necessarily provide correct and accurate information! 
•  Pay attention! You will be surprised how much you can learn by paying attention to people and your surroundings.
• Be curious. Albert Einstein once said, "I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious". 
• Combine entertainment with learning! I often find myself googling a word, a term, or a piece of information I have heard while watching my favorite TV show or reading a fiction book!
• Make reading part of your daily ritual. Joseph Addison said," Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body ".
• If you are a disciplined person, set aside a specific time of the day for quick learning ( i.e. first thing in the morning, bedtime, during commute, or during breaks).
• Don't be shy or embarrassed to learn from younger people. I still learn a lot from my children!
• Make your smartphone work for you. Set up an alert for your topic of interest to keep you up-to-date.

Do You Have The Time?

Absolutely! There is no excuse for not learning a simple thing a day. It only takes a few minutes, this is equivalent to one social media status update!

So, What have you learned today?

Picture credit:What Have I Learned Today Text Written On Notebook Page, Red Pencil On The Right Stock Photo, Picture And Royalty Free Image. Image 39823048. (123rf.com)

My Fellow Auditors :Test your listening skills

One of the most important skills in auditors in general and internal auditors, in particular, is the ability to ‎listen.‎
I like an article entitled: Now Pay Attention, Here's Why You Need Good Listening Skills by Dawn ‎Rosenberg McKay (http://careerplanning.about.com/cs/miscskills/a/listening_skill.htm). Below are ‎some parts of it:‎

Why You Need Good Listening Skills
‎ Good listening skills make workers more productive. The ability to listen carefully will allow you to:‎
‎ •better understand assignments and what is expected of you; ‎
‎•build rapport with co-workers, bosses, and clients; ‎
‎•show support; ‎
‎•work better in a team-based environment; ‎
‎•resolve problems with customers, co-workers, and bosses; ‎
‎•answer questions; and ‎
‎•find underlying meanings in what others say.‎

I also would like to add that listening is a sign of respect for the other person!‎

How to Listen Well
‎ The following tips will help you listen well. Doing these things will also demonstrate to the speaker ‎that you are paying attention. While you may, in fact, be able to listen while looking down at the floor, ‎doing so may imply that you are not.‎
‎•maintain eye contact; ‎
‎•don't interrupt the speaker; ‎
‎•sit still; ‎
‎•nod your head; ‎
‎•lean toward the speaker; ‎
‎•repeat instructions and ask appropriate questions when the speaker has finished.‎

‎ A good listener knows that being attentive to what the speaker doesn't say is as important as being ‎attentive to what he does say. Look for non-verbal cues such as facial expressions and posture to get ‎the full list of what the speaker is telling you.
‎
‎ Barriers to Listening
‎ Beware of the following things that may get in the way of listening:
‎•bias or prejudice; ‎
‎•language differences or accents; ‎
‎•noise; ‎
‎•worry, fear, or anger; and ‎
‎•lack of attention span.
‎
Do you think you are a good listener? Let’s put this to the test! Here are links to listening skills ‎tests:‎

http://www.taft.cc.ca.us/lrc/quizzes/listtest.htm
‎ http://psychologytoday.tests.psychtests.com/take_test.php?idRegTest=3206‎
http://www.cornerstone-ct.com/test-your-listening-skills/
‎
Good luck!‎

Photo credit:www.yourthoughtpartner.com