Jamming with Jason Mefford

Imagine you are in your BED and just don't want to get out. You might feel a little fear, depression or shame. You want to pull up the covers and stay exactly where you are, but it's time to flip off the covers, jump in your canoe and start paddling with your OAR and go from playing the role of a victim to becoming the victor. I'm joined by my dear friend Marty Stanley on this #jammingwithjason #i...

As the world changes, we have to find new ways of doing things ... and this is definitely true of #internalaudit that has been operating relatively unchanged using a traditional approach for decades. What will our relationship with the board, management, and the #chiefauditexecutive be like in this new brave world? I'm joined by Mike Smith to discuss finding new ways to thrive in this #jammingwith...

For the times, they are a changing in the internal audit profession. You can choose to stick your head in the ground and ignore what's going on, but you may end up like some CAEs who just got let go from their positions for sticking with a traditional internal audit mindset. In this week's podcast I share why Traditional Internal Audit is dying. We've been seeing this for years, but I share with y...

In this #jammingwithjason #internalauditpodcast I speak with Joe Oringel about some of the challenges #internalaudit is facing when it comes to #dataanalytics. It turns out one reason people struggle is not understanding the seven body of knowledge areas we should be focusing on and determining where you want to be. We discuss personnel issues (e.g. do you hire a data scientist and teach them how...

In order to really add value to your organization, internal audit has to move to the strategic level. Too often we spend our time in the details and weeds and then wonder why executives are not interested in what we have to say. If you are being ignored, you are probably not talking and acting at the strategic level. Unless we focus on what is relevant to executives and the board, we risk being vi...

As organizations outsource more and more of their processes, the #risk associated with managing those vendor relationships goes up. Organizations may think they are removing the risk by #outsourcing, but they are only sharing or transferring a portion of the risk. Just ask the countless organizations that found themselves holding the bag on a multi-million dollar fine or penalty when their vendor...

Internal audit has established some great traditions over the years. As Tevye, the character from Fiddler on the Roof said: "Traditions, traditions. Without our traditions our lives would be as shaky as... as a fiddler on the roof!" Later; however, Tevye realizes, "our old ways were once new, weren't they?" We have to be willing to change with the times and create new traditions that provide more...

In this week's #jammingwithjason #internalauditpodcast I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Many of you are playing the game of your career without much help. The problem is, others in your organization are getting help, which means you are playing at a big disadvantage. I'm not talking about a lack of resources or struggling to get budget and support. It's about getting yourself the traini...

#Independence is a term may in #internalaudit like to push the boundaries on, but when we do we can come off as arrogant or self-righteous to others in the organization. In this week's #jammingwithjason #internalaudit podcast I discuss the difference between independence and objectivity, why objectivity is more important than independence, and you are not really as independent as you may think. As...

Internal audit reports have been written the same for decades, and honestly are usually very boring and don't meet our organization's needs. In this episode I talk with Tracie Marquart about action oriented recommendations, improving report writing to consider the end of the value chain, seeing the big picture, linking our work to assurance over key objectives, and how to make our reporting more c...

Moving to an agile internal audit approach is a big shift in mindset. It is not just performing audits in a more nimble or lean way. It is about using agile methodologies to transform the whole audit process. This method produces a more collaborative approach with the audit client, a more self-managed team mentality, and scheduling the audits in time box work cycles (sprints). This fundamentally c...

In this week's #jammingwithjason episode I speak with Sohail Saleem about lessons he learned from being a CAE. We discuss various topics including: investing time and money into your career development (and yes that even means out of your own pocket), having a vision, determining what you need to get to the next level, seeing the big picture, developing your soft-skills, and thinking outside of th...

Many professionals get caught in a CPE mindset when it comes to professional development. A CPE mindset will not get you promotions or new positions. In the knowledge revolution, we have to become lifelong learners - those concerned with learning and growing each day, week, and month - not just completing hours of random CPE each year. Find out how to switch mindsets, increase your likelihood of h...

In this special episode of #jammingwithjason #internalauditpodcast I talk with Trent Russell the host of "The Audit Podcast" about the profession of internal auditing and some "soap box" issues we both feel strongly about to help improve internal audit in organizations. It's a dual interview style, so you get to hear questions and answers from both of us. Double bonus :)   If you haven't already s...

As auditors we tend to be a very serious group of people. In our attempt to appear competent and professional we often switch over into the boring, robot-like realm ... a place that gives rise to much of the auditor stereotypes. In this episode we discuss how humor and creativity can actually make us better auditors and more effective in our job, plus we have a lot more fun doing the work. I'm joi...

For the times, they are a changing in the internal audit profession. You can choose to stick your head in the ground and ignore what's going on, but you may end up like some CAEs who just got let go from their positions for sticking with a traditional internal audit mindset. In this week's podcast I share why Traditional Internal Audit is dying. We've been seeing this for years, but I share with y...

Seems like everyone and their dog is now offering online training saying the equivalent of "We got everything you want honey, We are the people that can find whatever you may need. If you got the money, honey we got your disease." I've been in the online space now for about 10 years, and I know all the different words people use may be a little confusing to know exactly what you are getting. In th...

A lot of people are advocating auditing culture. Problem is, it's very swishy and difficult to objectively audit. A much more practical approach is to utilize some newer research around Personality System Interaction (PSI) patterns and utilize the Organizational Personality Framework which provides new, innovative levers for change, based on analyzing the organization's preferred personality syste...

In this #jammingwithjason #internalauditpodcast I'm talking about relevance and relationships with the one and only Hal Garyn. If you don't already know Hal, you should. For many years #internalaudit has been losing its relevance in some organizations, and if you were having trouble with your relevance before, after what we've experienced in early 2020, your job just got harder. But fear not, in t...

I've had the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young song "Teach Your Children" in my head this week, which made me ponder about how we need to also "lead our team well." "You who are on the road, must have a code that you can live by" which I believe is servant leadership. We don't often talk about leadership, or have leadership training opportunities for ourselves or our team in internal audit, but these...

Imagine you are in your BED and just don't want to get out. You might feel a little fear, depression or shame. You want to pull up the covers and stay exactly where you are, but it's time to flip off the covers, jump in your canoe and start paddling with your OAR and go from playing the role of a victim to becoming the victor. I'm joined by my dear friend Marty Stanley on this #jammingwithjason #i...

I hear some Chief Audit Executives complaining they "don't get no respect" like a Rodney Dangerfield comedy skit. When Dangerfield said it, it was funny. Not so if you find your self saying that in real life. In this week's #jammingwithjason #internalauditpodcast I discuss RESPECT for internal audit. You see, respect is a two way street. There are some things we need to do as individuals and as a...

If I could save time in a bottle, ahhh those beautiful words from Jim Croce. Problem is you can't. The one thing all humans have an equal amount of is time ... the challenge for most of us it just keeps slipping, slipping away and we wake up years later in exactly the same place. The quality of your life depends on the choices you make and how you "take" time. It's time to quit complaining or thin...

In order to really learn we need knowledge, skills, abilities and experience. Abilities come from taking knowledge and skills we acquire and through reflection and application figuring out how to apply them to our situation and circumstance for our benefit. We then fully learn through repetition and experience actually doing those things. In this #jammingwithjason #internalauditpodcast episode I d...

Normally I'm on the side of the table asking questions and interviewing guest, but in this very special #internalauditpodcast episode of #jammingwithjason you get to experience Silvia Puhani interviewing me. Silvia recently interviewed me for her podcast: Interne Revision, and graciously gave me access to the recording so I could also share it with you. We discussed: - my career - the differences...