Business Professionals, to be Truly Effective and Advance in their Careers, Must Master their People-Centric Skills.

People-Centric Skills: Interpersonal and Communication Skills for Auditors and Business Professionals is a comprehensive guide to the “soft skills” that make technical professionals more effective. People-Centric Skills aim to improve all aspects of personal interactions, relationship development, and communication. These skills are as essential to success as are technical capabilities. This is the story of a leading internal audit department taking that next step to becoming a world-class audit organization in a fictional company. The foundation of that next step is developing their People-Centric Skills. The book demonstrates the impact that interpersonal and communication skills – whether good or bad – have on an auditor's effectiveness, job, and career. Readers will be able to empathize with the characters, and relate to the real-life situations in which they find themselves. Each chapter features a summary of key People-Centric points and guidelines that will help readers apply what they've learned to their own projects and departments.

In a 2013 study sponsored by the Institute of Internal Auditors («IIA”), the seven key attribute areas identified to be a successful auditor include relationship building, partnering, communications, teamwork, diversity, continuous learning and integrity. Unfortunately, most professionals never obtain these skills as part of their college degrees, certifications and other ongoing training. They are left to their own devices when it comes to developing these talents. The book follows an easy-to-read fictional narrative to highlight areas for improvement, and uses common scenarios to illustrate how to apply the lessons. People-Centric Skills: Interpersonal and Communication Skills for Auditors and Business Professionals focuses on many of these critical attributes. Topics include:

Conflict Management Coaching and Mentoring Building an Effective Team and Team Dynamics Team Leadership Partnering and Relationship Building Effective Meeting Practices Brainstorming and Multivoting Assessing Corporate Culture Active Listening Non-verbal Communications Consensus Building

These skills apply not only to internal auditors but also transfer across a broad range of business professions and industries, and from professional to personal life. They open doors, establish effective relationships, improve effectiveness, and can turn a “no” into a “yes.” They are the true differentiator in advancing a career. For an auditor to be truly effective, great people skills are one of the most important tools in the box. People-Centric Skills: Interpersonal and Communication Skills for Auditors and Business Professionals is a straightforward guide to getting along, getting what you want in a constructive manner, and becoming a world-class professional.

Manny Rosenfeld