Auditing Leadership E-Book

Brian D. Kush

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 412

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2009

Beschreibung

How can you start a culture of feedback that improves your organization? Turn to page 27. Want to know the most important word to an auditor? Turn to page 65. Do you train people to interrupt you? Want to stop? Turn to page 106. What is the single biggest opportunity to improve your audit? Turn to page 172. Want to hear about the funnier side of auditing? Turn to the "You Know You Are an Auditor When..." Appendix on page 227. Praise for Auditing Leadership: The Professional and Leadership Skills You Need "From networking to e-mail, from team-building to selling yourself, Brian shows how to create a well-organized and effective working life. Although aimed at auditors, the countless ideas put forth in this book can be used by individuals in every field to grow and become more successful in their chosen careers. In fact, one particular assertion summed up the entire thesis for me: 'success is a mind-set, not a finish line.' Kush offers a multitude of unique and creative suggestions for establishing that mind-set." --Joe Hoyle, Associate Professor of Accounting, University of Richmond, and cofounder, www.CPAreviewforFREE.com "Auditing Leadership is a must-read for new graduates and a solid resource for seasoned professionals. Brian Kush has taken a wide range of best practice advice and distilled it into a fantastic handbook for the auditing profession." --Andrew Prather, CPA, Shareholder Clark Nuber PS "Brian's book takes you beyond the technical skills of auditing to help you become both a professional and a leader. The scope of topics covered is impressive, from e-mail communications to accountability to planning your future. The book includes sound, actionable advice that will benefit auditors at all stages of their careers, from staff to partner." --Louise M. Peabody, CPA, Member Watkins Meegan, LLC

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Preface

The chapters stand on their own:

Generic wording:

About the Author

PART I - Professional Interaction and Reflection Skills

CHAPTER 1 - Where Are You Going?

Your Roles

Your Mission

Your Core Values

Roles, Mission, Values: Tying It All Together

Leadership Summary

CHAPTER 2 - Selling Number One

Continuously Selling Yourself

Your Brand

Branding versus Selling

Leadership Summary

CHAPTER 3 - Feedback Equals Money

Sources of Feedback

Performance Evaluations

Feedback Is Contagious

Specific Feedback Rocks!

A Feedback Culture Can Start with You

Leadership Summary

CHAPTER 4 - The Audit Cheerleader

Belief Is Mandatory

Conflict Is Healthy

Positivity Is Contagious

Enemies Are Counterproductive

Leadership Summary

PART II - Networking Skills

CHAPTER 5 - Your Social Capital

Social Capital

Your Circle of Trust

Strengthen Your Capital

Leadership Summary

CHAPTER 6 - The First Step in Networking

Networking Events

Approach Networking as Relationship-Building

Leadership Summary

PART III - Time Management and Personal Productivity Skills

CHAPTER 7 - The Most Important Word to an Auditor

Understand More by Asking “Why?”

Teach Why

Leadership Summary

CHAPTER 8 - The Problem with To-Do Lists

To-Do Lists Can Create Guilt

Create Action Lists

Reconcile To-Do Lists with Goals

Prioritization of To-Dos—It’s Impossible!

Leadership Summary

CHAPTER 9 - The Power of Time-Blocking

Schedule Buffer Time

Time-Block Commitments, or Say “No!”

Planning Your Day by Using Time-Blocking

Time-Block Away Distractions

Time-Block Yourself

Leadership Summary

CHAPTER 10 - The Power of Routines

Routines and Habits

Identifying Proactive, Healthy Routines

Multi-Fulfilling

Give Them a Name

Group Routines Require Group Buy-In

Create Accountability Related to Your Routines

Leadership Summary

CHAPTER 11 - Do You Train Your People to Interrupt You?

Interruption Dependence?

Are You Too Accessible?

Empower People More So They Interrupt You Less

Leadership Summary

CHAPTER 12 - Do You Have Commitment Issues?

Be Aware of All Commitments

Habitually Undercommit

Leadership Summary

CHAPTER 13 - Reengineer Your E-mail Practices

How Much Are You E-mailing?

Challenge E-mails without Substance

What’s in an E-mail?

E-mail Subject Headers

E-mail Body

E-mail Habits of Others

Processing E-mail

How Often Should You Check E-mail?

Leadership Summary

PART IV - Communication Skills

CHAPTER 14 - Effective Opining

What Is Your Advice Process?

Unsolicited Advice

Leadership Summary

CHAPTER 15 - Are You a Filler-holic?

Conversation Word Fillers

Writing Word Fillers

Leadership Summary

CHAPTER 16 - Why We Love PowerPoint Slides

What Is Your Objective in Making a Presentation?

Present with the Audience in Mind

Preparing a Presentation with Purpose

Leadership Summary

CHAPTER 17 - One Way to Avoid Office Rage

Your Confrontation Style?

Turn Anger into Problems and Solutions

Leadership Summary

PART V - Client Relationship Skills

CHAPTER 18 - Who Is the Puppet Master?

Who Is Pulling the Strings?

The Single Biggest Opportunity to Improve Your Audit?

Stop Managing “Clients”

The First Step in Client Management

Stop “Managing” Clients

Leadership Summary

CHAPTER 19 - What Hat Are You Wearing?

How Many Hats Are You Wearing?

Audit Your Audits

Client Education

Leadership Summary

CHAPTER 20 - Be Memorable

Remind Clients of Your Value

Create Stories

Turn “Messing Up” into “Stepping Up”

Let Clients Guide You

Be Yourself

One Client at a Time

Leadership Summary

PART VI - Teambuilding and Reflection Skills

CHAPTER 21 - Prepare to Be Fired

Prepare to Be Fired from the Very Beginning: Leadership Transition

Add More Responsibilities

They See, They Do

Team Accountability

Team Chemistry

The “Open Door” Leader

Teach Your Teams to Seek Complaints

Ponder Your Future Often

Leadership Summary

CHAPTER 22 - Now Where Are You Going?

Success Is a Mind-Set, Not a Finish Line

Awareness Unlocks Who You Are

What Are the Leadership Skills You Uncovered and Want to Develop?

Your Plan

Appendix - You Know You Are an Auditor When . . .

Acknowledgements

Index

Copyright © 2009 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

Published simultaneously in Canada.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Kush, Brian D.

Auditing leadership : the professional and leadership skills you need / Brian D. Kush. p. cm.

Includes index.

eISBN : 978-0-470-50316-4

HD57.7.K.4’092-dc22

2009004124

Preface

This book was made to help YOU ... ACHIEVE. It was not written to give you all the answers. It certainly was not made to provide any technical auditing knowledge or know-how. It was not created to be an all-encompassing book on leadership skills for auditors. This book was also not made to define leadership. In fact, many of the skills and tips mentioned might not be considered “leadership” skills at all. It was also not made to provide you a list of the characteristics that make up a leader. There will also be little, if any, references to any auditing standards, FASBS, GASBS, EITFs, or any other technical references.

This book was created, however, to get you thinking about what leadership means to YOU, and what professional skills you want to develop and improve.

It was written to provide you with ideas, insights, and tips on the leadership and professional skills you will need to take your life and career to the next level. YOU choose the ones you can implement tomorrow. Some of these ideas and insights you have already heard, some you have not. Some you may disagree with or they may make you feel uncomfortable. That is good.

Our objective is to allow you to take some of the ideas referred to herein and the ideas you come to create by reading this book and reflecting on your current practices, and IMPLEMENT THEM AND, BY DOING SO, BECOME A BETTER LEADER, a more reflective, aware, and intentional leader of yourself and those you choose to lead, no matter your job or position.

Turn to page 225 right now. This is your implementation plan. Think about the end benefit of reading this book, from the very beginning. As you read it, think about how you will be filling out this last page.

Why was this book titled Auditing Leadership? Is this a book about leadership skills for auditors or is it a book about auditing your own leadership skills? Hopefully you agree that it is about both!

Some notes to help you in reading this book....

The chapters stand on their own:

While some chapters may be related to others, and in some cases refer to other subjects mentioned in other areas of the book, this book was written so you could pick it up and read any chapter at any time. So read it cover to cover, or pick your reading based on a chapter that intrigues you that day.

Generic wording:

We use certain words throughout the book, words like partner or executive , manager, staff, and client. We know some of you may be working for private companies, public companies, public accounting firms, or government entities. Most of the words are pretty universally accepted in the auditing world, but we know some organizations set up their titles differently, so keep in mind we use these words generically.

The word client should be construed as the group, entity, or person under audit. If you work for a professional services firm, then it is your outside paying client. Some internal audit groups refer to those they audit as clients and that is how we will refer to them in this book.

The words partner and executive are meant to describe the highest level at your organization and are interchangeable.

Some sections in certain chapters may be more geared toward external auditors and others may be more geared to internal auditors. You will probably notice that as you read. We still feel like you can benefit from these sections, and as I have come to realize, we may have some slight differences but auditors are still auditors. We are all the same species!

Born to Be Skeptical Sections

Auditors are a skeptical species. We are supposed to be that way. We are bred to be that way. It’s a characteristic that serves us well in performing our jobs, and the auditing standards formally preach “professional skepticism” to us. As you read this book you will notice, from chapter to chapter, a few “Born to Be Skeptical” sections. What are these? When we present some ideas, we also know there may be another side, a questioning side to them. So what we have done is question some of the ideas presented in the sections, the very same ideas we have presented, and provided some answers or rebuttals to that skepticism.

About the Author

Brian D. Kush, CPA, CISA, is the President of Moxie Partners. He is the leadership and personal productivity coach hired by accountants and other knowledge workers in many of the country’s leading accounting firms and other professional service organizations to help their people take their life and leadership skills to the next level.

Brian’s clients uncover and live their values, purpose, and true potential as leaders through his positive, supportive, and curiosity-based coaching style. They save hours in their workweek and develop improved relationship and communications skills that lead to better-served colleagues and clients and more effective and profitable engagements.

Prior to being a leadership coach, Brian worked in the auditing industry and has been a consultant and trainer to both IT and financial auditors, having spent five years with Ernst & Young and eight years with Audit-Watch, Inc. He has worked intimately and consulted with employees at all levels, from level one all the way up to the executive/managing partner level, at hundreds of accounting firms and internal audit departments across the country.

Brian lives in Reston, Virginia, with his wife and son. He is the founder and author of the Healthy Accountant blog.

PART I

Professional Interaction and Reflection Skills

CHAPTER 1

Where Are You Going?

How much time have you spent planning your life? How much time have you spent thinking about where you are headed? Do you know where you want to be in five years? Have you ever dreamed about how much you can achieve in the next 10 years? It does not matter if you are 20 or 60 years old, the questions are yours, and only yours, to answer. If you were to envision the most ideal scenario of where you would be and when, what does it look like? Many accountants I have met and worked with have not invested much time in planning their life and how to live out the most successful version of themselves they can visualize. Most people have not defined what that successful version looks like. They feel they are either too young (Why should I be thinking about that stuff now?), too busy (I have no time to plan my life, because I cannot even plan my day!), or too “stuck” (I do not have much control over what is going on in my life. I just do what is asked of me!).

It is very easy to ignore these things or not think about them. It is extremely easy to get stuck in the day-to-day responsibilities we maintain, and you cannot plan your life in one day or even a few days. Let’s turn on your self-reflective mode for a little while and have you ask and answer some questions that will provide you with a base for planning the life you want and becoming the person you want to become. We are not talking solely about your career. We are talking about all aspects of your life and your future.