At some point in an audit career, technical excellence stops being the differentiator.

The work is accurate.
The testing is complete.
The conclusions are defensible.

And yet — influence stalls.

In this episode of SparkPoint Pro, Matt Wood explores why the auditors who advance fastest aren’t the ones who follow checklists better — they’re the ones who develop judgment.

Drawing on real-world audit leadership experience, this episode unpacks:

• Why senior leaders care more about how you think than what you test

• The difference between “passing controls” and understanding residual risk

• How judgment shows up in conversations, not just reports

• What mid-career auditors must unlearn to move into trusted advisor roles

If you’ve ever felt that doing everything “right” still isn’t moving your career forward, this episode will help you see what actually changes at higher levels.