This has been an amazing year, hasn’t it? Chaotic, managing the fallout of sudden changes in our work and the way we operate in our community, sad stories, heroic stories, people who lost their job and other people who have been the busiest they have ever been....
Quality Practice
Acknowledging the Influencers
Do you occasionally reflect on the people who have significantly impacted on the way you think and operate? Do you know who has influenced you in the way you conduct yourself? Recently one of my wonderful colleagues put out a challenge to people like myself to...
The importance of succession practices…
One of the risks that organisations face is succession, whether of its governance body, senior staff or for other positions that are fundamental to the organisation’s operations. Succession involves really thinking and planning for the day when one (or more) key...
A lot can change between one audit and the next…
Towards the end of a closing meeting, I often recommend the organisation takes time to celebrate. It's not a big thing, really but sometimes when I make this sort of recommendation, it triggers another level of conversation with the people attending the closing...
The auditor’s role in situations where neglect occurs
Over the past month, a number of media reports have followed the investigation into the disgusting and degrading way Ann Marie Smith died in South Australia as well as other cases where people with disabilities have died or been seriously neglected while in the care...
Difficult Conversations
Recently I was reading an article about how a manager prepared for some difficult conversations that she needed to have in her workplace. The manager talked about the benefits of preparation, being clear about the situation, the importance of listening and...
How Auditors Manage Evolving Systems
When auditing and assessing organisations, I look at where its practices are with embedding standards and quality frameworks into their strategic and operational frameworks. I look at policies and procedures, but I also look at several other factors. These include...
The Guaranteed Way Forward in Managing Change
This week, my friends have been checking in with me to see how I am managing the latest change in my life – the change away from being a service provider to now being 'Mum'. Honestly, I think I am doing pretty well. I know I have said this on many occasions, I am...
The Power of Independence
One of the essential requirements in any professional audit is the auditor’s independence from the entity being audited. This means the auditor is expected to be objective, operate with integrity and give an unbiased and honest professional opinion about the audited...