Tips and Tricks of the Trade – Craig D’ Souza

As the managing director of his own business, Craig D’Souza knows all too well the value of having a few #TipsandTricksofthe Trade up his sleeve. Craig is the managing director of E-Risk360 based in Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. E-Risk360 offers a range of services including risk management and compliance consulting system development and training. Craig has been an Exemplar Global customer for over 10 years and participated as a speaker in our Future of Auditing and Excellence in Auditing Expos.

Craig said that auditors need to build up a strong list of #TipsandTricksoftheTrade so that they can gain unique methods and insights that they can use and share that will set them apart from others in their field. Ultimately, he said this will help to provide a positive experience for all the interactions they have throughout their career journey.

“By taking a proactive and positive approach, you ultimately leave a positive and long-lasting impression,” Craig added. “These positive experiences help connect and provide purposeful direction and meaning towards work.”

“One of the most valuable tips that I have picked up throughout the course of my career is the importance of having the ability to engage and tell a story,” he continued. “As an auditor you need to paint a picture about why the information you are asking the auditee to provide is important, and how the Information will benefit the auditee in their role and the organization as a whole. What we are essentially trying to do is build engagement throughout the audit process and demonstrate its value.”

In particular, he has seen the most benefit in its application with clients in the research and education sectors. He has worked in partnership with a number of university institutions to evaluate performance and develop learning and improvement initiatives, with the goal to better align the sector with the needs and expectations of the industry.

“There were a number of lessons learned throughout this project,” added Craig, “One that stood out is the lack of integration in communication systems and processes used between departments for delivering collaborative pieces of work. Once there was a rationalization of these systems and processes (by providing real world stories and case studies of what systems and processes have worked elsewhere), there were significant improvements in output, along with greater collaborative efforts.”

“Overall, If the story is told well, it speaks for itself,” Craig concluded.