One notable exception to the norm is that the audit team purposefully and proactively created excellent working relationships with operations teams. The extra meetings and check-ins were built into our culture from the top-down. The result? Collaboration and transparency. Business units and data centers came to us with problems. We became an avenue for them to get funding. They benefited from working with us and we made sure it was as positive an experience as possible. A dream? Yes. However, this practice also resulted in attracting top talent from the operations teams asking to rotate through audit for the exposure to the business. The cross-functional experience benefited everyone and created a respected organization with truly excellent outcomes.