Empowering Internal Auditors: Strengthening the Saboteurs Interceptor Muscle for Peak Performance

#TheEvolvingAuditor

In the dynamic world of internal auditing, professionals are often faced with complex challenges and high-stake situations. As internal auditors, our role is critical in ensuring organizational integrity and compliance. However, the journey is not without its internal obstacles, often manifesting as self-doubt, stress, and disempowering thoughts.

Positive Intelligence (PQ), developed by Shirzad Chamine, offers a powerful approach to strengthening one’s core mental fitness muscles. The Saboteurs Interceptor, one of the core muscles of mental fitness, offers internal auditors a powerful tool to navigate these challenges and become more effective, productive, empowered, and fulfilled in their roles.

Unmasking the Saboteurs

PQ identifies ten different “Saboteurs” – internal characters or thought patterns that tend to undermine our well-being and potential. These Saboteurs include the Judge, Victim, Controller, Hyper-Achiever, Avoider, and more. Each Saboteur has its unique way of sowing the seeds of self-sabotage, whether it’s through self-criticism, blame, perfectionism, or procrastination. These Saboteurs operate in the background of our minds, often without our conscious awareness. They whisper disempowering thoughts and beliefs that can lead us to make decisions or take actions that are not in our best interest. The first step toward growth and transformation is recognizing these Saboteurs and understanding how they operate within us.

In the context of internal audit, internal auditors encounter a range of Saboteurs throughout their work, from self-criticism when reviewing their own work to the Judge, Victim, and Hyper-Achiever, among others, rearing their heads in different situations. The Judge might critique our methods, the Victim might lament the stress of tight deadlines, and the Hyper-Achiever may set unattainable standards for ourselves. These Saboteurs can undermine our confidence, disrupt effective communication, and hinder overall productivity.

To excel in our roles and fulfill our potential as internal auditors, it’s essential to recognize these Saboteurs and understand how they operate in various scenarios.

Activating the Saboteurs Interceptor Muscle

The Saboteurs Interceptor is the mental super muscle that can effectively intercept and neutralize self-sabotaging thoughts and behaviors. This super muscle plays a pivotal role in situations such as heated process discussions with auditees, internal audit self-reviews, meetings with managers, and many other challenging moments in our daily work.

To make the most of this mental super muscle, consider the following steps:

• Self-Awareness: Develop a keen sense of self-awareness. Pay attention to when specific Saboteurs tend to surface in your work. This awareness helps you identify which Saboteurs to target for intervention.
  
  
• Positive Intelligence Reps: Engage in Positive Intelligence exercises and techniques designed to strengthen the Saboteurs Interceptor muscle. Much like a physical workout routine, these exercises need consistent practice.
  
  
• One Day at a Time: Understand that transformation doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a gradual journey, and each day you invest in building your Saboteurs Interceptor muscle is a step closer to lasting change.
  
  
• Seek Support: Don’t hesitate to seek support from mentors, coaches, or colleagues who can offer guidance and encouragement as you navigate the challenges of strengthening your Saboteurs Interceptor muscle.

Practical Applications of the Saboteurs Interceptor in Internal Auditing

As internal auditors, the Saboteurs Interceptor muscle proves invaluable in a wide range of situations:

• Heated Auditee Discussions: When process discussions with auditees become intense, the Saboteurs Interceptor can help maintain composure, facilitate constructive dialogue, and arrive at mutually beneficial solutions.
  
  
• Reviewing Own Work: For effective self-review, the Saboteurs Interceptor aids in maintaining objectivity and reducing self-criticism. It promotes a healthy self-evaluation process that enhances the quality of your work.
  
  
• Managerial Meetings: When meeting with managers, the Saboteurs Interceptor fosters confidence and aids in articulating ideas, discussing findings, and addressing concerns.
  
  
• Handling Unclear Questions: In situations where you’re faced with unclear questions or questions for which you don’t know or remember the answer, the Saboteurs Interceptor helps maintain focus and composure, enabling you to ask for clarification or seek appropriate solutions.
  
  
• Data Delays: When auditees don’t share data on time, the Saboteurs Interceptor helps in managing stress, addressing the issue professionally, and adapting to unforeseen circumstances.
  
  
• Missing Risks: If you discover a missed risk in your coverage, the Saboteurs Interceptor empowers you to acknowledge the oversight, adapt your approach, and implement necessary corrective actions.
  
  
• Leadership Presentations: When presenting final reports to auditee leadership, the Saboteurs Interceptor helps maintain poise, convey information effectively, and handle queries confidently.

A path to transformation

For internal auditors, the journey of strengthening the Saboteurs Interceptor muscle is synonymous with enhancing your capabilities, overcoming self-doubt, and becoming a more effective and fulfilled professional. By consciously working to intercept and neutralize self-sabotaging thoughts and behaviors, you’ll experience a profound transformation in your career and personal growth.

Every day of exercise for your Saboteurs Interceptor muscle is a day of investment in your success. In the realm of internal auditing, where challenges are the norm, this super muscle can be your key to peak performance. Embrace the journey, celebrate your successes, and learn from setbacks. Your path to becoming a more empowered and productive internal auditor begins one day at a time.

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Positive Intelligence has an illuminating and engaging app guided program combined with weekly live group coaching to help you succeed in this path to transformation. With daily app guided exercises taking no more than 15 minutes a day and weekly videos to enhance your knowledge, this program is a game changer. I have adapted this program to focus on the needs of the evolving internal auditor and the scenarios and challenges they face.

Sign up to our mailing list to receive details on future programs. https://mailchi.mp/72be82fd42cb/pq4ia

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