You’ve all heard the stereotype about IT professionals, I’m sure. Masters of hardware, software, and all things tech, yet when it comes to chitchat and stakeholder schmoozing, they’re rumored to be a bit more… binary.

And you can often say the same thing about auditors, I’m afraid! Renowned for their brown cardigans and leather elbow patches, their ability to recite clause numbers and ISO requirements, they are sometimes playfully accused of being more at home with Standards, systems and procedures than with fun banter and building rapport.

I didn’t actually know what I wanted to ‘be when I grew up’ until I was about 40. I had to live life, and have many experiences, personally and professionally, before I landed squarely where I belonged – ISO Management Systems! This is what my life had been preparing me for all along, even when I didn’t know ISO existed.

I’m sure you will all agree that in our line of work – be it quality, safety, environment, or any other standards-related fields, there’s this unspoken rule about how we should look. You know the drill: the classic ‘professional’ get-up, think brown cardigans, elbow patches, and maybe a bowtie. It’s like we’re trying to fit this mold of what a serious professional is supposed to look like.

There was a young female consultant, let’s call her Courage, who was supporting her client during a recent certification audit. Courage the Consultant has a fantastic relationship with her client, and together they had invested not only a lot of time but also passion into building the Integrated Management System.

In July 2019 I received a phone call from a young woman, Kristen who had completed her Lead Auditor Integrated Management Systems training with a competitor through classroom training. She told me that she had come away with some knowledge after the training however she now felt that she was on her own when it came to Implementing what she had learnt. There was no ongoing support or network for her to ask questions on her continuing journey.

From 1998 to 2008 I worked for a software development company. I had a mix of roles, from support, training and finally quality manager. When I came on as the quality manager, I had the benefit of working within the business as an employee in different roles and despite the cutting-edge product that we offered our clients I knew that behind the scenes there was a significant challenge that needed to be overcome; a siloed work culture that hindered collaboration and hindered their progress.