At first glance it may seem that my areas of expertise as an executive coach — soft-skill training and interpersonal communication — have little in common with the engineering and finance backgrounds of IT students. Turns out, however, they are highly complementary.
At Temple University’s Fox School Department of Management Information Systems (MIS), administrators hold the innovative idea that increasing social awareness, the ability to self-regulate impulses and enhancing communication skills, will produce better IT auditors—those who are certified to examine IT operations and to safeguard corporate assets. As a result, I am currently teaching a class in a newly formed IT auditing master’s degree program.
Typically, I work with organizations that want to increase the success of their executives, and in turn, business revenue. This usually involves developing emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills among business leaders. I am applying many of these same techniques to my IT students whose jobs it will be to identify holes in IT security and management for their future employers.
The Fox School of Business’s MS program in IT Auditing and Cybersecurity— one of only three such programs in the country — is based on ISACA, a global association of information systems professionals. Students take the Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) exam at the end of their studies, which allows them to perform information systems audits and help a client analyze risk, security and business continuity.
Based in Philadelphia, the school in general and my class specifically is an amazing place filled with students from all over the world who come here to study and learn. One of my goals is to culturally prepare and acclimate students for the business world, including the interpersonal skills an auditor needs to be successful. The classes include individual personality assessments and real-world feedback about what makes a successful auditor from the head of audit of a major financial institution.. We also practice interviewing skills, what good audit negotiation looks like, and discuss how emotional intelligence plays a major role in working with clients and stakeholders.
Learning Subtle Skills
Obviously, the first measure of success as an IT auditor requires excellence in the technical side of the job. But changing the behavior of those who are being audited is also important and involves much more subtle communication and negotiation. How we say what we say, how much we listen to the verbal and the nonverbal language around us, and how comfortable we are asking and disseminating difficult information often determines the outcome of any meeting — and any career.
Students learn that an IT audit meeting, which often involves much nuance and potentially negative consequences, is difficult under any circumstances — no business wants to learn it is unprepared for a disaster or a security breach. Therefore, knowing how and what to communicate, adding value to the conversation and trying to be as objective as possible will also determine the success of the IT auditors’ outcomes.
Teaching this wonderful, dedicated group of students is a unique and fulfilling experience and it reinforces to me that executive business skills coaching is valuable in many settings.