Clear = Kind

Hey 👋 - Brandon here.

Happy Saturday to 1,433 growth-minded accountants.

Here’s one growth tip for you and your firm.

Today’s issue takes less than 7 minutes to read.

Today, I’m going to help you set clear expectations.

As I’ve grown my leadership skills, I’ve come to learn that being clear is the kindest thing you can do for someone.

This is true professional and personally.

We have a bad habit of beating around the bush when attempting to hold difficult conversations. We feel being too direct will hurt the receiver’s feelings, so we hedge by using words that carry little meaning.

But know this:

In business, lack of clarity is a death sentence to a high performing team.

You must get comfortable with communicating clearly.

Here’s are three questions to ask your staff to know if you are being clear enough:

What does success look like?

This question forces your direct report to envision the end of the month, quarter, or year and define parameters around what winning and losing looks like.

A good answer will include goals that are specific and measurable.

You can ask this question at the beginning of tax season, when you are launching a new project, or when you are setting goals for the year.

And if your direct reports don’t give you the answer you are looking for, know it’s a YOU problem - you didn’t set clear enough expectations - and now you have the opportunity to reset.

Can you repeat it back to me?

Whenever you set an expectation, it’s smart to ask direct reports to repeat it back to you.

Did they hear you clearly?

Did the understand what you were saying?

This question will help you understand where you need to communicate more effectively and add context.

What will you do if you are off track?

Inevitably, people will miss expectations.

Helping them think through a plan of action before it ever happens will ensure a less emotional response..

People with a plan will feel equipped to tackle the problem and get back on track.

Here’s how an example conversation might go:

Me - okay now that we have agreed on the expectations, let’s talk about what we should do if you find yourself off track or missing expectations. What actions will you take if “% complete” is behind?

Them - I will investigate statuses that have longer “time in status” to remove blockers. I will also analyze production per team member to spend more resources supporting our top performers.

You - Great, and where would you need me to provide you with support?

Them - It would be great if you could help me pull data on how often our team is communicating with clients so that I can ensure we are doing what we can to move projects forward.

That's all for this Saturday. See you next week.

Whenever you're ready, here's how I can help you.

→ Work with me 1:1 to grow your firm (now accepting waitlist coaching applications)

See you again next week.

Cheers,

Brandon

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