The X-Factor in Audit & Risk Teams that no one talks about
If you’ve ever experienced tension with a boss or a team member—the kind where you just can’t seem to get on the same page—there’s a good chance this is the missing piece.
I’ve seen this countless times in audit and risk teams, and I’m thankful to my first executive coach who helped me identify this early in my career.
Conflict happens in teams, but not always for the reasons you think.
Sure there’s all the Myers-Briggs and persona profiles from psych school, but there’s also leadership traits based on appetite for innovation that are also in play.
If you’re had:
- conflict with a team member or boss,
- absolute harmony with them
- one of those unhelpful recurring conversations about generational differences, without a solution
then this may be the leadership X-factor you need to know about.
And it’s now more important and pervasive than ever.
Audit & Risk Leadership: The 4 Core Styles
Every audit and risk team has leaders who naturally lean into one of four styles:
- The Builder – Creates and scales new functions from scratch.
- The Stabiliser – Strengthens core processes and makes things work smoothly.
- The Transformer – Pushes boundaries, innovates, and drives major shifts.
- The Maintainer – Protects stability, ensuring consistency and control and gets the work done.
None of these are inherently good or bad. And no one is purely one or the other.
We are all shaped by our background and our current context. For leaders we all shift to what the companies need of us. Great leaders can play all roles and adapt as required.
The problem?
Team members have these traits too. And they are showing up earlier and earlier.
When they clash between team layers, it can get ugly.
Right now, we’re seeing this more than ever. It needs action.
The new leadership tension no one prepared for
Historically, leadership was a linear and earned pathway. You had to “pay your dues” before you got to change things. You spent years in the trenches before stepping into a leadership role.
Traditionally leaders were focused on execution and painting within the lines during a period of stability. It’s what the role required.
But today? Transformers show up earlier. They have grown up on change and have adopted 3 impossible ideas before breakfast.
They have access to global ideas, AI tools, best practices, and high-speed learning cycles. They see what’s possible, and act on it fast.
They possibly have more raw computing power sitting in their pocket than the whole department had two years ago.
Their personal life their tech stack might be 1-2 years ahead of what the company might be deploying today. Often it’s more.
They’re rapid idea adopters, doing a personal dot release every other day.
And here’s the rub.
For Gen X-ers and Boomers, there was probably only one Doogie Howser in the office who was a prodigy, a pain, or both. Now you’ve got a room full of them with access to more ideas and tech than ever before.
And that’s where things get messy.
If one type reports to another and this dynamic isn’t understood or managed, things can get tense.
Here’s why:
- The Maintainer leader thinks the Transformer team member is reckless, impulsive and high maintenance. They seem to be distracted and not focused on what’s important.
- The Transformer team member thinks the boss is shutting them down and doesn’t understand why. It’s crushing, they’re stressed, confused or longingly eyeing the exits.
Without understanding this dynamic and harnessing it effectively, they’ll drive each other insane, and productivity will crash through the floor. Turnover of one of them is also on the cards.
Why Transformers and Maintainers Clash (And how to fix it)
When a Transformer Leads a Team of Maintainers
The Transformer Leader thinks:
“We’re heading over that mountain. It’s so clear and attainable that I can almost smell it”.
The Maintainer team member thinks: “What is this mountain? Why do we need to go there? Where’s the map? Where’s the path? What’s the first step? And then what? Do we have enough supplies? What happens to everything else while we’re away? I just can’t see it. Why are we doing this – I’m already so busy!”
A Transformer leader sees the future before it’s clear to anyone else. That’s their superpower.
The destination so clear for them that they can almost feel it.
The path is often intuitive, so much so that it’s not always easy to explain to others.
But unless they translate the vision into a roadmap, the team will go into full FUD mode (Fear Uncertainty Doubt) and stall or resist.
How to fix it:
The role of the Transformer is to show them the stepping stones or help them build the bridge.
If they don’t have the skills or capability internally to communicate and get the team onboard they’ll get some help. This is a role that we would normally play.
When a Maintainer Leads a Transformer
The Maintainer Leader thinks:
“We need to keep things tight. There is no appetite to paint outside the lines and we’re way too busy to get distracted with shiny new things.”
The Transformer team member thinks:
“This is so HARD! My BYOD device in my pocket has more firepower than I have at work. Why are we doing things the old way when ideas are abundant and more accessible than ever. Let’s get it done.”
A Maintainer leader brings stability, but if they shut down a Transformer’s ideas outright, they’re missing a huge opportunity, and demoralising the transformer along the way. And missing a huge opportunity to empower and leverage this enthusiastic group.
How to fix it:
Give Transformers a sandbox to play in—a place where innovation happens within defined guardrails.
And really clear guidance where innovation fits within the current context.
This is what an internal audit strategy does if done properly. We’ve got a playbook on this. Get in touch if you need help.
The Strategy That Aligns Every Leadership Type
You don’t fix this by forcing one side to change or by doing team surveys. You fix it by creating a framework that allows everyone self-align.
In the same way that a great mission statement, company strategy and risk appetite allow people to filter ideas in and out and self-organise around what matters, that’s where a clear Internal Audit Strategy comes in.
For Transformer Leaders:
It grounds their big ideas in reality and an achievable roadmap in a way that their team can buy in. It gives them what they need for stability and success.
For transformers who report to a maintainer:
It helps them understand context and where great ideas do or do not fit. It allows them to self initiate, self organise and bring the right (filtered) ideas to the table.
For Maintainer Leaders:
You can focus your team members on a small number of transformative initiatives. Maybe one per quarter and watch as they transform things while also getting the essential work done without distraction or noise. And watch your engagement scores jump dramatically.
For a maintainer who reports to a transformer:
It creates safe space for change without destabilising what works.
And they can join any change that it is structured, measured and well anchored.
A great strategy does the hard work so you don’t have to micromanage or constantly course-correct.
If you’re constantly redirecting, firefighting, or arguing over priorities, the real issue isn’t the people, it’s the missing playbook.
You don’t need more personality tests. You need a strategy.
Put it into action
If you’ve ever felt tension – like you and your team are speaking different languages – the different leadership profiles might be why.
If you’re feeling friction in your team, think about what profile you are and share this article with someone who is a different profile. Have a chat about it and how you can help give each other what the other one needs. It might shed new insights and productivity.
If you’re a leader, think about how you harness this new generation of transformers.
Maybe it’s a dedicated sandbox or skunkworks, or quarterly continuous improvement initiatives. But it needs focus and it needs a strategy.
Every team needs a strategy that enables high performance and excellence for all team members.
We’ve got a roadmap for that focused on excellence as defined by your stakeholders and in your context.
When you’re ready to achieve big things with stability, focus and momentum for the entire team, book a discovery call.