– The quick intro
I’m Charles David Schrock
But you can call me “Bud”. Seriously.
Back when I was in my mid-20s, I had the good fortune to become a Chief Audit Executive.
I was young. I had very little management experience. And I was certainly the least important member of a high-performing leadership team. For me, it was a great opportunity to see how these leaders kept us all focused on the right things and moving in the right direction. They created an environment where all of us could contribute to the extent of our abilities. It was all so simple. And stress-free.
Unfortunately …
Over my career I also worked with some leaders who, while smart and conscientious, inexplicably took faulty steps when the right step – what they should have done – seemed obvious to me. And yet, they couldn’t see it. That’s frustrating. Unique opportunities don’t come along that often.
Looking back …
I was an internal auditor for most of my career. Which means that I paid attention to the things going on around me. I observed some brilliant leaders. And some very successful teams.
I really wanted to understand why these individuals and these teams were special. Curiosity is in my nature. I get excited by useful insights. Sure, “what” and “how” are interesting. But, I thrive on “why”.
So, over the past 20 years or so, I’ve consumed hundreds of books, articles, and TED talks about personal and team performance.
And along the way, I learned some lessons …
I learned that high performing individuals and high performing teams have a few simple things in common. Not everything. Just the important stuff.
And I’ve learned that the best solutions are simple, practical, complete, and sustainable.
I want to share those lessons. They’ll help you they way they’ve helped me.
If you’re interested in becoming a better-informed internal auditor, I recommend:
These posts are occasionally controversial. And sometimes funny. Many auditors have found these insightful.
The Audit Explainer™.
And, of course, my older posts (on various topics that seemed important to me at the time) are still available. Check out my archive if you wish.