By Jackie Stapleton

Pushback happens in almost every audit or consulting engagement.

You ask a question.

You ask for a record.

You start exploring a process.

And suddenly the energy in the room changes.

Arms fold.

Explanations get defensive.

Someone says, “We’ve always done it this way.”

Most ISO management system professionals respond the same way.

They start explaining the standard.

Clause numbers come out.

Requirements get quoted.

The conversation turns into a debate.

But the person in front of you usually isn’t arguing about the standard.

They’re protecting something else.

Their time.

Their workload.

Their competence.

So instead of explaining the standard, try shifting the conversation. Three sentences can change the dynamic very quickly.

Sentence No. 1: “I’m not here to catch anyone out.”

This lowers the temperature immediately.

People stop feeling like they’re being interrogated.

Sentence No. 2: “I’m trying to understand how the system supports your work.”

Now the focus moves away from compliance and back to the purpose of the system.

Sentence No. 3: “If the system is making your job harder, I’d like to understand that.”

That sentence changes everything.

Instead of defending the system, people start talking about what actually works and what doesn’t.

And that’s where the real insight usually appears.

Because the goal of an audit isn’t to win an argument about the standard, it’s to understand how the system works in practice.

And sometimes the fastest way to get there is simply choosing the right sentence at the right moment.

That’s how you Lead the Standard!

About the author

Jackie Stapleton is the director of Auditor Training Online and holds multiple Exemplar Global certifications.

A version of this article first appeared on Jackie Stapleton’s website and is published here with permission.