Auditing Success

Your vision = your future  

Individual contributors often fail to recognize that their role is changing as a manager. Managers rely on their teams to accomplish the goals and strategies set forth by the organization. Managers have success by creating a vision and then sharing that vision across the organization and team.

For example, when I was working in a financial services organization we were not appropriately staffed at the lead level. We wanted to be able to execute two audits continuously. Without the appropriate staffing, we couldn’t execute the audits we had on plan. We first needed to visualize the goal of expanding the audits we wanted to get done and realize that we needed additional staff to execute the audits we had listed, by visualizing and communicating the expanded scope of the audit delivery.

One of my favorite visualization books is The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon. This book focuses on a mid-level team lead who is having trouble in his personal and professional life. Until one day he gets on the energy bus. The energy bus is full of people like the main character who have decided to take part in the rules of the energy bus. The bus driver walks them through a visualization process to ensure they are all working in the right direction.

The process is as follows:

• You’re the Driver: Take responsibility for your own energy and choices.
• Desire: Know where you want to go and have a clear vision.
• Faith: Believe in yourself and your vision.
• Trust: Surround yourself with positive people who support your journey.
• Fuel: Feed your mind with positive thoughts and affirmations.
• Direction: Stay focused on your goals and take consistent action.
• Communication: Share your vision and energy with others.
• Encouragement: Lift others up and foster a supportive environment.
• Inspiration: Seek out and create inspiration in your life and work.
• Purpose: Know your “why” and align your actions with your values.