The Examiner – Insights on Fighting Financial Fraud

Part 3 of 3 in the Protecting Your Castle series.

Engagement is the last, but certainly not the least, of the three areas that are required to maintain a strong internal control structure—the others being building strong internal controls and training employees. An organization may have the best internal controls, but because the controls rely on individuals to be implemented, this creates an unavoidable weakness. Employees may intentionally bypass the controls or simply make a mistake. In last week’s blog related to training, I discussed how giving your employees a sense of purpose is critical to keeping them engaged. Engagement is the final step to enhancing your control environment.

Part 2 of 3 in the Protecting Your Castle series.

It is foolish to ignore training. No leader wants an untrained army protecting their castle. After reading this blog, take a few minutes to consider whether your employees truly understand the importance of internal controls. Have they been properly trained?

Part 1 of 3 in the Protecting Your Castle series

A castle’s treasure is worth protecting. The lives, resources, and gold are critical to sustaining the kingdom’s long-term viability. But, are the castle walls strong enough to hold off an enemy attack? Strong walls are a critical component to protecting a castle, just as proper internal controls play a huge role in protecting an organization’s information, data, and profits—its assets. An organization’s leaders must build strong internal controls as a safeguard.

We moved into our new home several weeks ago. As we prepared to move, I knew we had a lot of work ahead of us, and we sure did, with more to come. However, of all things, I thought the new yard would be the least of my worries. The fact that the entire yard was already sodded would make that part of my life easier. Think again.

Most everyone knows the story of David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17). The fight was between two men. David, the youngest of eight sons, had no training or experience in battle and only a few stones and a sling. Goliath was a huge man in heavy armor who was the champion of his nation. He was hardened by battle and showed no mercy to any man who decided to face him. 

Friends are special people and good ones are always there when you need them. They provide support and guidance. Friends can also be helpful when you want to pull a prank on someone.

When I was young, my grandfather bought me a dog. I named him Cecil T. McCoy. He really enjoyed running in the woods and chasing rabbits. He was a beagle, after all, and hunting rabbits was in his blood.

As I have aged, living healthier has become more important to me. Exercising and eating well gives me more energy and, I pray, will add years to my life. I don’t usually have a problem with the exercise part; I work out or run 3 to 5 times a week depending on my schedule. Eating well, however, is a different story.

Fighting weeds is a full time job in my backyard because when we moved in almost 10 years ago, the builder did not sod the backyard. Rather than spend the money, I chose to do it myself and battled the dirt and mud until the weeds took over. After I grew weary of constantly fighting the weeds, I tried planting grass seed, but the seeds were washed away or eaten by the birds. Finally, I transplanted strips of grass from my front yard and now have grass covering almost the entire yard. It only took eight years or so. I missed the boat by not doing the right thing (sodding the backyard) as soon as we moved in. Investing the time and money on the front end would have saved me (and the weeds) lots of hassle in the end.

I thoroughly enjoy cutting my grass on the weekend. It allows me to get exercise after sitting behind a desk most of the week. Once complete, I feel a sense of accomplishment because I can sit back and enjoy the green evenly cut grass. Sod is the foundation for most pretty yards with lush grass and is almost required to get a yard started off right. One day dirt and weeds, the next day pretty green grass, but it requires an investment of time and money. Sod must be installed properly or problems will quickly emerge. Additionally, it must be watered frequently or it will die — especially in the beginning. Once the sod is firmly rooted, it still must be maintained through fertilizing and weed prevention if you want to continue to enjoy your soft, green living carpet.