Who Is in Control of Your Company?
Ask a business owner or CEO who controls the company, and the answer may come immediately: “I am.”
But is that the whole answer?
Every day, people throughout an organization make decisions that can protect the business—or expose it to loss, errors, fraud, compliance failures, and damaged relationships. The person processing an invoice, maintaining customer records, approving a transaction, or responding to a complaint may be far removed from the executive suite. Yet their actions can significantly affect the organization’s success.
After 45 years in accounting, financial management, audit, internal controls, compliance, and organizational improvement, I have learned that an organization’s control environment—the policies, processes, expectations, and practices that help safeguard its operations and manage risk—is only as strong as the processes it establishes and the people who carry them out.
The Control Cannot Depend on One Individual
I have seen organizations rely on employees who carried essential procedures in their heads. Their knowledge was valuable, but the organization was vulnerable. When those employees were unavailable, others struggled to understand how the work was performed, where information was stored, or which steps were necessary.
A process that works only because one person knows how to perform it isn't sustainable. It is a dependency.
Documentation, appropriate approvals, segregation of duties, cross-training, and periodic review are not simply administrative exercises. They help ensure critical activities continue consistently, even when people change roles, take leave, or leave the organization altogether. Technology can support these practices, but technology alone does not replace sound process design.
Controls Belong to Processes. Responsibility Belongs to People
Internal control is often treated as the responsibility of Accounting, Internal Audit, Compliance, or senior management. While these functions play important roles, they are not solely responsible for internal controls. Everyone in the organization is responsible for internal controls, regardless of position or title.
Build controls into repeatable processes rather than relying on one person’s memory or goodwill. Yet people must understand and follow that process. They must also recognize when something is wrong and know that they can raise a concern.
Senior leadership sets expectations and establishes accountability. Managers and supervisors translate those expectations into daily operations, ensuring employees understand their responsibilities and consistently follow established controls. Employees at every level help determine whether those controls work in practice.
Does Your Employee Know Why?
Consider an employee who has been taught to obtain a second approval before releasing a payment. The employee knows the step—but does that person understand why it exists?
Does the employee fully grasp the risks of unauthorized payments, the importance of segregating responsibilities, and the possible consequences of cutting corners on required approvals for speed?
Teaching someone to follow a procedure is necessary. Helping that person comprehend its purpose strengthens judgment and accountability. An employee who understands the “why” is better equipped to recognize exceptions, ask questions, and offer ideas for improvement.
Your Lowest-Paid Employee May Control a Critical Moment
An organizational chart shows reporting relationships. It doesn't show every point where the organization’s reputation, assets, information, or customer trust may be at risk.
A frontline employee may be the first to notice an unusual transaction. A customer service representative may decide whether to escalate a problem or resolve it. A staff member entering data may affect the accuracy of information that leaders use to make decisions.
These roles may not carry senior titles, but the decisions made within them matter. Employees need to know their contribution matters—and leaders need to show they understand its value.
Training Is Not the Same as Investing in People
Training tells employees how to complete a task. Investing in people goes further. It helps them understand how their work connects to the organization’s objectives, provides coaching and mentoring to strengthen their skills and judgment, encourages them to share their observations and ideas, and creates opportunities for continued growth.
Employees closest to a process frequently know where delays, workarounds, and recurring problems occur. When leaders and managers listen, they gain information that may never appear in a management report. When they dismiss these observations, the organization may overlook both risk and opportunity.
People. Processes. Performance.
Strong organizational performance comes not from policies alone, nor from good intentions alone. It requires processes that are clear, controlled, and sustainable—and people who understand their roles, responsibilities, and value.
So, who controls your company?
Look beyond the organizational chart. Examine the processes. Ask whether the controls will hold when key employees are absent. And ask whether the people performing the work understand why it matters.
Controls belong to processes. Responsibility belongs to people. Organizational performance depends on both.
About the Author
Carolyn Brooks-Collins is the founder of M. Carolyn Brooks-Collins, LLC, and a keynote speaker, organizational performance strategist, and transformational coach. She brings approximately 45 years of experience in accounting, financial management, internal audit, compliance, risk management, and organizational improvement. A former CPA, Certified Fraud Examiner, and Chartered Global Management Accountant, she offers a unique perspective on how people, processes, and organizational performance connect.
Through her speaking, coaching, and consulting work, Carolyn helps organizations strengthen performance by investing in their people and improving processes. She is equally passionate about empowering women to reclaim their voice, build confidence, recognize their value, and create fulfilling next chapters on their own terms.