What you will learn
This week on The Audit Podcast, we’re joined by returning guest Jason Mefford, audit leader advisor and founder of the Audit Leader Forum.
Jason shares what it really means to have “real” conversations as an internal audit leader—and why authenticity, not ego, matters most. We talk through the situations where tough conversations come up most often, including with the board, the C-suite, executives, and staff.
He also breaks down practical advice for navigating difficult discussions and introduces the five areas of leadership audit leaders need to focus on as they move into senior roles.
Timecodes:
4:06 – What it means to be a “real” CAE
7:56 – How to have a “real” conversation
18:23 – Four scenarios where a real conversation is necessary
25:17 – Building confidence as a leader
30:33 – Dealing with confidence challenges
36:47 – Five key areas of leadership
45:38 – Final thoughts
Field: Auditing | Delivery Method: Self Study | CPE Hours: 1.0
This podcast is brought to you by Greenskies Analytics, the services firm that helps auditors leap-frog up the analytics maturity model. Their approach for launching audit analytics programs with a series of proven quick-win analytics will guarantee the results worthy of the analytics hype.
Whether your audit team needs a data strategy, methodology, governance, literacy, or anything else related to audit and analytics, schedule time with Greenskies Analytics.
Curriculum
Your instructor
I’m Trent Russell, founder of Greenskies Analytics. Before launching Greenskies, I served clients across industries in EY’s IT Risk Assurance and later in the Financial Services Office, where I helped build practical data analytics procedures. Today I partner with internal audit functions to design analytics and AI strategies that stick—and to turn technical insights into clear, productive conversations with the business.
I’m passionate about helping audit leaders communicate with confidence. Through Greenskies, The Audit Podcast, and my quarterly audit analytics roundtables, I focus on what actually works in the room: asking better questions, listening for what matters, and building trust. In this course, I’ll share the tools and real-world approaches I use with teams every day so you can have conversations that move audits—and relationships—forward. Learn more at greenskiesanalytics.com.