Auditing is often regarded as a drab, boring, analytical, spreadsheets kind of world. However, I have found that it is not nearly as black and white as some think. It's just as much art as science, and the personalities involved provide quite a color spectrum. Simply put, who we are affects what we do, or as Ron Washington might say, "how we do."

How I was raised, the family that I came from, the experiences I had in school, in dating relationships, in athletics, in church... they have all impacted how I view the world. This is significant because it makes me who I am. Your experiences are significant because they make you who you are. And... appreciating the person sitting across the desk is something that's often missed in the IT Review process. I need to understand that this person may or may not be having a good day. May or may not have stress at home. May or may not feel threatened by my presence. This is important, because this person has to go home when they get off work, and how we treat each other will impact how well we're both able to love our families.

The black and white world of checklists and policies, procedures and configurations often misses this, and that's wrong. After all, if people weren't around, we wouldn't be auditing. It's not about the result... it's about the people. Appreciating the person across the desk isn't just the right thing to do. It's also helpful. Many of the recommendations I've made over the years have come because the person across the desk cares about their job, they care about their customer, and they care about doing the right thing. Often times, the people we work with understand the risks that we look at far better than we do, and so appreciating them helps them to appreciate what we do. It's often been said that people don't care what you know until they know that you care.

I'm as guilty as anyone else of feeling hurried, trying to check the right things off my list and moving on to the next control objective. However, I find if I stop down to actually listen to the person I'm working with, and to hear their life, not only does it make me a better person, but it makes me more effective. If you struggle in the same way.... slow down... breathe. Look someone in the eye. Listen. No... really listen. Don't think about the next thing you're going to say... just listen. In the end... we'll all be better off for it.