How can a Chief Audit Executive (CAE) bring out the best in their people? The answer is surprisingly straightforward: ongoing performance assessment, not the kind that arrives once a year like a surprise exam.
Real engagement comes from creating a continuous feedback loop where coaching and performance discussions happen in real time.
Turning Feedback Into Growth
Ongoing assessment does not mean constant evaluation, it means continuous improvement. Heads of Internal Audit regularly review workpapers, assess evidence, test conclusions, and provide timely feedback.
But this process shouldn’t be one-way. Auditors themselves should reflect on their performance and ask, “What could I have done differently?”
Those moments of self-awareness often spark the “Aha!” realizations that accelerate growth far more effectively than formal reviews.
What the Standards Say About It
The new Global Internal Audit Standards, particularly Standard 12.3, make this expectation explicit: supervision, quality checks, and competence development are essential if internal audit functions want to move from good to great.
They call for a change in how audit leaders view quality: not as a checkbox at the end of the process, but as a behavior embedded throughout the process.
The Power of a Feedback Mindset
In my experience, audit teams that adopt this mindset consistently deliver higher quality and more valuable audits.
When coaching and learning happen continuously, engagement grows. When auditors feel trusted to self-assess and act on feedback, it deepens ownership. And when quality is built through daily interactions instead of annual reviews, performance becomes sustainable.