Norman Marks on Governance, Risk Management, and Internal Audit

I have published quite a few books now, with perhaps one more to come in 2023.

It is always refreshing to get feedback, especially when it seems I have made a difference and influenced others on their journeys as practitioners.

Here are a few that I very much appreciate. Thanks!

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Risk Management for Success

5.0 out of 5 stars Practically useful and conceptually valuable

Recently finished the book. Thanks to Norman that he pushes the Risk Management practice to the proper position in companies. This is book is essential, who wants to get the value from risk management. The approach of strategic risk management and practical aspects are useful to implement this approach. Not just suggest but even want every risk practitioner read this book.

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World-Class Risk Management 

5.0 out of 5 stars Favorite book on risk management I’ve read so far

Great book that goes in depth about risk management from what I would consider a more holistic approach. This is not “How to run a risk management department” but instead “why it’s imperative that risk management be a central competency throughout the enterprise.”

The author is obviously really familiar with the standards, quotes from them at length, compares them but also offers his take when he thinks one (or all) of the available standards is lacking. Excellent book if you’re interested in improving your company’s risk management. Definitely targeted more at enterprises than medium or small businesses, although I think even a small business owner could learn a lot.

5.0 out of 5 stars Packed with a lot of good insights and force us to re-examine the way we …

A very refreshing view of how risk management should be. Packed with a lot of good insights and force us to re-examine the way we think of risk management, its value to an organisation and to be relevant to the organisation objectives.

 

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Risk Management in Plain English: A Guide for Executives: Enabling Success through Intelligent and Informed Risk-Taking

5.0 out of 5 stars Short and sweet!

Provides easily digestible and highly effective concepts of “success” management. The key points made provide enough details to generate actionable thinking and implementation.

5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars

Excellent read as always from Norman Marks. Simple, clear and thought leadership.

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Auditing at the Speed of Risk with an Agile, Continuous Audit Plan

5.0 out of 5 stars Auditing at the speed of risk

Auditing at the Speed of Risk with an Agile, Continuous Audit Plan is a good book to have if you are an auditor

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World-Class Internal Audit: Tales from my Journey

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read -Entertaining and Relateable

I thoroughly enjoyed Norman’s book. My one regret is not buying it in hard copy, so I could tab it, highlight it, scribble in the margins, etc. It’s the type of book I keep on my desk, available for quick reference or inspiration when the need arises. In his Introduction, Norman states his hope in writing World-Class Internal Audit is that it “…will amuse as well as provide some insights…” and that he wrote the book to “…stimulate some thinking…” I believe he succeeded on all three points.

World-Class Internal Audit is not a textbook or reference book containing audit programs or other details which can be used verbatim; there are many great resources available for this purpose. What I liked most about Norman’s book is that the story of his personal career journey highly is relatable, despite being nothing like my own. He presents short stories about specific moments in his career with brutal introspection, explaining how he adapted or evolved his thinking along the way. His stories are relatable because they’re not a load of hooey coming from on-high from an “all-knowing” internal-audit God; he is fallable, admits mistakes and mis-steps, and offers his lessons-learned. These stories lay the foundation for his view of World-Class Internal Audit and explain how he came to have this view.

I particularly liked Norman’s views which are unconventional or contrary to “…the ways things have always been done” such as over-documented work papers, concise audit reporting, and the position that external auditors are not trained to think.

4.0 out of 5 stars Got passion? Read this book!

Norman, well Done!

Anyone that is passionate, motivated, and enthusiastic about the internal audit and enterprise risk management profession should read this book!

It will inspire you further to strive for continuous improvement, professional development, greater quality of the services you perform, and finally, it will infuse you with greater enthusiasm and determination in the pursuit of a world class internal audit organization.

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Auditing that matters

5.0 out of 5 stars Driving greater impact

This book is packed with helpful nuggets to drive a more impactful audit scope. I look forward to implementing these insights!

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for all auditors!

I have really enjoyed reading this book. As a young auditor it is great to see the progression through Norman’s career and the lessons learned along the way. I have a laundry list of meaningful changes I plan on bringing forward to my CAE based on best practices outlined in this book.

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Is your internal audit world-class? A maturity model for internal audit

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent

Great book for Internal Auditors