Most Important Skills for an Internal Audit Manager at Compass Diversified
Barbara, a Manager - IA at Compass Diversified, emphasizes the crucial need for multitasking and flexibility, stating that "things change…schedules change," requiring adaptability to shifting priorities and team dynamics. This necessitates strong interpersonal skills to effectively communicate and extract information from diverse individuals, ranging from "warehouse manager[s]…to the CFO and CEO," across numerous companies.
Multitasking, Flexibility, Communication, Adaptability, Prioritization
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Barbara Anderson
Manager - IA
Compass Diversified
Makerere University Kampala
Makerere University Kampala, BSc Agri-Business Management
Business & Related
Finance (Banking, Fintech, Investing)
Finance
Scholarship Recipient, Immigrant
Video Highlights
1. The ability to multitask and prioritize is crucial due to the constantly shifting demands and multiple projects involved.
2. Flexibility and adaptability are essential as plans and priorities can change rapidly.
3. Strong interpersonal skills are necessary for effective communication and collaboration with diverse individuals across various roles and levels within different companies or departments
Transcript
What skills are most important for a job like yours?
I would say the most important skill, at least as far as I'm concerned, is being able to multitask. At any point in time, you are working and balancing a number of subsidiary companies, or if you're working for a public company, a number of different clients. It's very rare that you'll be able to finish a task in the time you've scheduled.
A lot of things roll across the schedule. So you have to be able to switch from one subsidiary to another. You have to answer questions about one while working on another. It's that ability to multitask and do many different things at the same time without getting overwhelmed.
I think that's very important because there are times when everything just comes at you, and you have to be able to sit down and figure out what the priority is and how you're going to get it all done in a timely manner. I think you have to be flexible, because again, things change. Schedules change.
Just this week, we had a plan for what was going to happen this year, and my mind was set on this is what I'm working on. But then my boss came up and said, "All right, things have changed. This person's not going to be on our team anymore. She's moving to a different department." So we're like, "Whoa, we've got to figure out who's going to take over those roles."
It's a moving piece; there are always moving pieces on board. So you have to be able to just switch from one thing to another, have flexibility, know that changes are going to happen, and be able to roll with it. You can't be very stuck in one direction. You have to be able to move as things change.
The other thing that's important is that it's a very client-facing type of profession. You are always dealing with people. You are working with people from different walks of life, different companies, different personalities, and different roles. At any part of the audit in a year, you're going to be talking to someone from a warehouse manager straight to the CFO and CEO.
You have to be able to adapt to the situation, get the information you need, and ask the questions you want to get from all these people. You need to get them to speak up and ask your questions in a way that they're going to respond. So I think those are some of the key skills that you have to be able to have to navigate the job.
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