theinnerauditor

I readily confess I would not have won any awards for effective delegation during my early years as a fraud examiner/information systems audit professional. To my mind the buck stopped with the guy in the mirror I saw shaving every morning. I prided myself on being personally capable of performing every routine task of every assignment involved in whatever function I was managing at the time. What finally weaned me from the practice of doing it all myself was the threat of burn-out and the seemingly ever-increasing demands of a typical work week of seventy hours.

The demands of managing in an assurance environment featuring risk assessments, regulatory compliance, fraud investigations, corporate governance, and engagement quality control can be crushing for any new (or not so new) manager but especially so for those unwilling or who simply lack the skills to adequately delegate; those skills usually only come with experience.

While some new to assurance or investigative management may think delegating simply means passing off work to subordinates, the lines of delegation also can occur laterally to peers and upward to superiors. The distinction is important, because in delegating to subordinates, one of the goals is to achieve long term investigative team development. This goal comes with a shift in emphasis from managing to leading. Managing is about getting the work done, whereas leading fosters learning, growth, and a greater sense of responsibility among individual members of the your team.

According to the ACFE, the first step to successful delegation within examination work is recognizing when to let go rather than trying to do too much. For CFEs new to leadership responsibilities, a willingness to delegate can be challenging. CFEs typically advance to management positions as a result of their individual achievements and performance. This advancement fosters a sense that the person best suited to accomplish a given task is the one whose already done it satisfactorily, but that is not the way leaders should think. Even though an assurance professional has advanced to a management position based on past accomplishments, he or she needs to take a broader view of what is in the long term interest of her function group and/or organization. A conscious commitment to delegation can enable the individual manager to not only increase their personal productivity but also (and here I speak from personal experience) gain better control of their lives and, hence, prevent burnout.

An honest self-examination is a precursor to delegation. CFEs and other assurance professionals in a management position need to understand their capabilities and role(s) within the organization. One way to do this is by considering their vision for and the needs of the organization. Then, what are the assurance function’s immediate and long-term goals, including capabilities and developmental needs? Realizing that trusting others, not just one self, to do a high quality job is a personal decision and there can be many barriers to it. What is the nature of your own personal career goals and your priorities for work-life balance? A periodic, wholly candid assessment of these and similar issues can give any manager a better perspective on his or her motives in relation to delegating.

Delegating is more than just shoving work on someone who possesses the skill set to fit the task. Rather, delegating is an opportunity to cultivate members of the investigative team by increasing the number of people who are capable of taking on a bigger role, which can help strengthen the team and create a succession plan in the event of unexpected personnel turnover. How often have we all been witness to the chaos which can ensure when a key staff member leaves and no-one has been groomed to fill her place?

To the extent possible, an new staff CFE should be matched strategically with an assignment that is a bit above his or her head as a way of providing a positive learning experience. Delegating with career development in mind means managers will need to resist playing the role of lifeguard. Subordinates will struggle at times, but managers shouldn’t be too quick to act as helicopter parents and come to the rescue. Instead, managers should remain confident in the basic capabilities of their staff and allow reasonable time for learning and growth, which enables the team to gain experience and add more value to the organization.

Knowing whether a particular assignment is within an examiner’s potential capabilities and can enable him or her to grow professionally, however, is often not an easy task. As managers delegate assignments, they should consider not limiting assignments only to those areas in which an investigator has had prior experience. Also, managers need to avoid the tendency toward primarily delegating interesting or important assignments to the most favored team members; managers should groom everyone on the team not just the superstars; it’s the superstars who are, let’s face it, the most desirable targets for external recruiters. The same is true for undesirable assignments; managers also should spread those among the whole team, which can demonstrate that everyone is treated fairly. A thoughtful delegating process helps keep the assurance team challenged and motivated, thereby reducing the likelihood of losing promising but insufficiently challenged staff members.

Initial parameters need to be established to prevent misunderstandings, deficient productivity, or delays in the timely completion of examinations. All parties involved should have a clear understanding of the delegated assignment and of expectations. However, managers should refrain from giving excessively detailed instructions. Successful delegating does not mean micromanaging anyone. Instead, managers should consider focusing on discussing the objectives, scope, and outcomes of the assignment. When examiners are allowed the flexibility and freedom to perform their work, they not only learn more but also may show considerable ingenuity. Managing CFEs can foster an environment of participative management by encouraging input from subordinates toward refining the plans, expectations, and deadlines, as well as emphasize how the present investigation fits into the larger scheme. When a team member sees the whole process rather than only a part, he or she is less likely to miss a critical matter and may become more motivated to deliver a quality product.

The ACFE recommends that the CFE engagement manager should give his or her subordinates authority to operationally pursue their assignment and to make decisions as they see fit. Delegating the authority is no less important than assigning the responsibility for a task. In the absence of conferring an appropriate level of authority, the team member’s performance could be undercut. Also, examination managers should keep an open mind by welcoming new ideas, innovative suggestions, and alternative proposals from others. Nothing is more motivating for a subordinate than to realize that he or she has a significant ownership stake in the results. This is another reason why managers should delegate as much of an entire assignment, rather than a small portion, as possible. Doing so can help instill a sense of importance and self-esteem for the staff investigator no matter what the number of years of their experience.

Communication is an essential element of successful delegating, and regular updates about progress, results, and deadlines should occur weekly, or sometimes daily, depending on the staff member’s level of experience and the type of assignment. Meetings can be conducted face-to-face, by phone, or through videoconferencing and do not always have to be long to be effective.

As managers check on progress, they should be supportive rather than intrusive and avoid putting a subordinate on the defensive by being too critical. Managers also should allow for communication flexibility by encouraging more immediate contact between progress meetings in the event a matter requiring urgent attention unexpectedly develops.

Any significant delegated assignment should culminate with a constructive evaluation of the subordinate’s performance. Often, there is a tendency to view the simple act of delegation itself as work done. As an old colleague of mine used to say, “A task delegated is a task completed.” Even in a case where the smaller scope of a subordinate’s assignment does not merit an exit session, it is still a boost for team morale to give recognition and show gratitude for the work done.

I have never met an experienced (and successful) CFE investigation team leader who did not embrace the role and significance of delegating. However, the ability to delegate depends on trust, communication, and encouragement. When delegating, assurance managers need to accept the risk that mistakes can and will occur and remember that professionals can learn from their mistakes. Not only is valuable experience gained by the investigative team, but the manager’s time also is freed up for more critical tasks and projects. In the long run, a commitment to delegation serves to strengthen any team of investigators as well as benefit our client organization, whatever and wherever that might be.