On the Frontlines: Turning Setbacks Into Success
Blogs Stilianos Malamos, CFE, CISA, CRISC Mar 04, 2025
In our profession, technical skills and professional knowledge are often emphasized as the primary drivers of success. There are, however, two less discussed but equally crucial traits that may transform an average auditor into an exceptional one: persistence and optimism. These qualities help auditors navigate the complex landscape they face and may contribute to meaningful organizational change.
The Resistance Challenge
Many internal auditors have experienced organizations that are resistant to change. After all, we are the professionals who pinpoint improvements in established internal control systems. We recommend potentially disruptive changes and may hold teams and functions accountable to standards they might view as burdensome. In that sense, organizations resistant to change may view us with skepticism or even hostility.
This resistance can be expressed in many ways, such as a delayed response to information requests, minimal cooperation during interviews, pushback and challenges on findings, or even rejection of recommendations. For many auditors, these reactions can be demoralizing and disheartening, which may tempt them to soften their approach.
The Persistence Difference
Persistent auditors, however, usually view resistance differently. They understand it as a natural part of the change process, rather than a personal setback or insurmountable obstacle. This perspective allows them to:
Maintain professional standards. Persistent auditors don't compromise when faced with resistance. They continue to pursue and stand by well-supported findings.
Follow through on recommendations. Rather than filing a report and moving on, they circle back to check implementation progress, offering support during challenging interorganizational transitions and documenting both successes and ongoing issues.
Build relationships over time. Persistence isn't about being stubborn; it's about consistent engagement. A persistent internal auditor maintains regular contact with stakeholders, building trust through reliability and consistent follow-through.
One senior auditor I know transformed a previously hostile claims department by simply showing up consistently with the same professional conduct, regardless of how his recommendations were initially received. After two years of regular contact with the audit clients and consistent follow-through, this department became one of his strongest allies in driving organizational improvement — and promoters of internal audit as trusted advisors.
The Optimism Advantage
While persistence keeps auditors engaged through challenges, optimism shapes how they approach those challenges. The optimistic internal auditor focuses on improvements rather than failures. They frame their findings in terms of opportunity rather than criticism, helping stakeholders see the positive potential and impact of addressing issues.
The optimistic auditor believes in the organization's capability for change. This belief gradually becomes contagious within the organization, inspiring others to view required changes as achievable rather than overwhelming. Optimism can also serve as a buffer against potential burnout for internal auditors, helping them find meaning in their work — even when progress seems slow or incremental.
Being optimistic likely increases the success rate for influencing others in the organization. For internal auditors, this translates to greater implementation of recommendations and more collaborative working relationships across the organization.
Developing Persistence and Optimism
Some may argue that optimism and persistence are personal skills that are not easily taught, but these qualities can be cultivated through practice. One way to build persistence is to break large audits into smaller milestones to maintain momentum. Other persistence exercises include documenting small wins to recognize progress made and establishing consistent follow-up routines for recommendations. Auditors can practice optimism by presenting findings in terms of opportunities rather than compliance failures and by celebrating improvements and organizational changes derived from past audits.
Organizational Impact
When internal auditors combine persistence and optimism, organizations may experience transformative benefits, such as more effective risk management. Various stakeholders will come to respect and value input from auditors, with the perception of internal auditing shifting from a punitive process (bad cop mentality) to a valuable improvement tool. This perception increases the likelihood of actions being embraced and implemented by audit clients.
As internal auditors, we understand that the impact of our work extends beyond identifying control weaknesses and compliance issues. By applying persistence and optimism, we become agents of positive organizational change, transforming the audit client’s resistance into receptivity, and challenges into opportunities — and contributing to more mature organizational governance overall.
By developing these soft skills alongside our technical expertise, we will better position ourselves as internal auditors, trusted advisors, and facilitators for positive organizational change.