Auditing Leadership: The Professional and Leadership Skills You Need

"Brian's book takes you beyond the technical skills of auditing to help you become both a professional and a leader. The scope of topics covered is impressive, from e-mail communications to accountability to planning your future. The book includes sound, actionable advice that will benefit auditors at all stages of their careers, from staff to partner."

—Louise M. Peabody, CPA, Member, Watkins Meegan, LL 

Auditors review companies' financial records including taxes, receipts and purchase orders. They scrutinize financial statements to make sure all the information is accurate and complies with federal law.  For many auditors the job has become one of ever greater demands. In addition to increasing paperwork, they must retain client relationships, build new business, and develop their personal brands all while flawlessly executing their core job.  With high levels of stress and falling job satisfaction, today’s auditors are in search of both professional and leadership skills. AUDITING LEADERSHIP: THE PROFESSIONAL AND LEADERSHIP SKILLS YOU NEED (John Wiley & Sons; August 2009; $50.00) provides a comprehensive list and discussion on an individual auditor's leadership and organizational skills.  It includes practical tips, ideas, and insights on becoming a better leader in the audit profession.

The skills discussed in this book are centered on the career of auditing, but they can be leveraged in many aspects of life. Author and audit professional, Brian Kush believes becoming a better leader does not pertain only to circumstances of leading a team; it pertains to everything from “leading” a family to working alone or working with a large group of people. As technical guidance dominates the average auditor's library, this is the first book created for auditors that solely focuses on the "soft-skills" needed to excel in planning and completing audits, and becoming a leader in the audit profession.  AUDITING LEADERSHIP shows readers how to become a better leader and the practical skills to excel in auditing, including:

 The foundation for being a leader comes from uncovering who you are and what you stand for in life, both inside and outside the office walls. AUDITING LEADERSHIP is about being intentional, reflective, and proactive about the development of leadership skills. It is about never forgetting the big plan and always being able to forget the little plans. Executives, partners, managers, and staff will all benefit from reading this book.

 ADVANCED PRAISE FOR AUDITING LEADERSHIP:

"From networking to e-mail, from team-building to selling yourself, Brian shows how to create a well-organized and effective working life. Although aimed at auditors, the countless ideas put forth in this book can be used by individuals in every field to grow and become more successful in their chosen careers. In fact, one particular assertion summed up the entire thesis for me: 'success is a mind-set, not a finish line.' Kush offers a multitude of unique and creative suggestions for establishing that mind-set."

—Joe Hoyle, Associate Professor of Accounting, University of Richmond, and cofounder, www.CPAreviewforFREE.com

 "Auditing Leadership is a must-read for new graduates and a solid resource for seasoned professionals. Brian Kush has taken a wide range of best practice advice and distilled it into a fantastic handbook for the auditing profession."

—Andrew Prather, CPA, Shareholder, Clark Nuber PS

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Brian D. Kush , CPA, CISA, former vice president of AuditWatch and a former auditor at Ernst & Young, is President of Moxie Partners, a professional coaching company that helps accountants and other professionals achieve in self-defined and measurable ways. His clients include accounting firms, internal auditors, entrepreneurs, and other leaders across the country. In his career, he has worked with over 100 CPA firms and provided consulting and/or live instruction to thousands of auditors on best practices, audit technology tools, and audit process reengineering.

 AUDITING LEADERSHIP

The Professional and Leadership Skills You Need
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Publication date: August 17, 2009

$50.00; Hardcover; 238 pages; ISBN: 978-0-470-45001-7