A Wolters Kluwer TeamMate survey of more than 2,400 internal audit professionals indicates that many departments may be missing opportunities to develop future leaders.
Nearly 86% of respondents said their audit teams include at least one person whose capabilities are not being fully utilised.
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The findings were collected from four live audience polls held during a Wolters Kluwer TeamMate webinar on 14 July 2026 titled ‘From Quiet Potential to Bold Impact: Unlocking Leadership in Internal Audit’.
The session examined how internal audit functions can uncover leadership potential at different levels, tackle structural barriers to advancement, and build cultures that strengthen influence, judgement, coaching and stakeholder-focused thinking.
A central theme was that high capability does not always sit with the most visible or outspoken employees.
When asked how many team members with untapped potential they had, 14.2% of respondents said none.
A further 43% reported having one or two such individuals, 32.8% said they had several and 9.9% felt they had too many.
The survey also highlighted a significant perception gap around recognition.
When respondents were asked which type of team member tends to receive the most recognition, 51.5% chose “the charismatic extrovert”.
Another 16.7% picked “the visionary strategist”, 13.8% selected “the diplomatic mediator”, 9.7% pointed to an “analytical introvert” and 8.4% identified “the process perfectionist”.
On the question of what most restricts growth within their audit function, respondents did not primarily point to a lack of skills or technical expertise.
Instead, 34.7% cited undefined leadership expectations as a key barrier.
Another 24.4% pointed to visibility bias, while 14.4% highlighted hero-leader dependency. Around 14% mentioned risk aversion and 12.5% identified technical over-rotation.
Taken together, the results portray a profession that recognises potential within existing teams but may lack the structures and practices required to fully develop that talent.
Wolters Kluwer TeamMate product manager lead Jim Pelletier said: “The findings suggest most audit leaders believe future talent already exists within their teams.
“The challenge is creating the expectations, coaching and development opportunities needed to help those individuals grow and contribute at a higher level.”
