In the course of my life and job as an Auditor, the realization of how highly placed I am in the eyes of not just auditees, but family and friends are amazing. There’s just this assumption that I am knowledgeable. Auditees ask questions believing I have the answers. Family and friends ask questions also believing I have the answers. I have become a body of knowledge – so they think.
With this in mind, it only tells me one thing. I must be vast in every branch of learning. In this case, it’s not just job-based but also general knowledge. None is alien to the other. Take, for instance, knowledge about the different Distribution Companies (DISCOs) and their coverage areas. How does this apply to my job as an auditor? My knowledge of this will enable me to detect at first glance if an electric utility bill or documentation has been falsified.
One can never be too knowledgeable. You can only be less knowledgeable and that’s not a good place to be. Knowledge creates opportunities and opens doors. A little about music, football, fashion, art, movies…etc. will give you instant access and an audience. The ability to sustain the opportunities will then require different skills. A quote by Peter Drucker which states “Knowledge has power. It controls access to opportunity and advancement”, drives home my point.
Being knowledgeable is the stepping stone to being
s I write this, the popular saying, know a little about everything and everything about a little,
comes to mind.
skilled and confident – two important qualities of an Auditor. Confidence that comes from knowledge, exudes authority. Knowledge is a tool and a weapon. It differentiates the ordinary from the extraordinary, the expert from the novice. Knowledge, they say is power.
As with life generally, continuous learning is key. A popular saying that you start dying when you stop learning is as true as my fingerprints. Knowledge is not static. It keeps changing and to be relevant, one must keep learning.
How then can an Auditor remain relevant through adequate knowledge?
1) Education 2) Experience 3) Research 4) Reading
5) Observation
6) Experimentation
In our quest for knowledge and relevance, this quote by George Bernard Shaw should be a guide; “Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”
