How to Have Difficult Conversations

woman looking away from man in office

Four points to consider.

By Matt Rampe

A common stumbling block for partner groups is poor execution or complete avoidance of hard conversations. We can have all the best goals and systems in place, but if constructive candor is absent, we will likely go off course.

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What Is a “Difficult” Conversation?

While you may not look forward to talking with your dentist about a cavity or listening to the endless terms and conditions when you sign up for a mortgage, those are not what we mean by “difficult” conversations.

A difficult conversation has these elements:
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Keep Your Strategic Plan Moving

Businesswoman sitting on table while talking with four coworkers

What’s your mindset for implementation?

By Matt Rampe

Now that your strategic planning event is completed, it’s time to roll up your sleeves. With almost two-thirds of CPA firms reporting that execution fails after their planning event, implementation becomes a critical factor in your success.

FORTUNA ACCOUNTING CHECK-IN

As Bill sat in his office, the typical hum at Fortuna Accounting had resumed. The partners had made a splashy announcement about the new vision and their strategic priorities at the All Hands meeting last week, but now things seemed quiet. As Bill stared at his growing inbox of urgent requests, he began to wonder if anything new really could get done before this time next year rolled around. The thought was immediately pushed from his mind as the phone rang loudly and his biggest client showed up on his caller ID.

 

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Core Question of the Implement Stage (Post-Event)

The Implement stage continues, and is perhaps most important, after your strategic planning event concludes. This article will cover the post-event part of this stage.
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Who Will Do What by When?

six people around work table

How to implement your firm’s strategic plan.

By Matt Rampe

After laying out major strategic priorities for how the firm can move toward its vision, the natural next step is to refine and define those plans. This is the beginning of the Implement stage, perhaps the most important stage of all.

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FORTUNA ACCOUNTING CHECK-IN

Sal had been at Fortuna Accounting since the beginning, and Bill knew he wasn’t great at accountability. It wasn’t that Sal didn’t want things to be better; it just seemed like he would do a lot of talking without a lot of acting on the things expected of him. With all the work and hopes that had been invested into their strategic planning so far, Bill wanted to make sure it didn’t all go to waste in the execution phase.

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Innovate to Create Your Firm’s Vision

flip chart with sticky notes on it; people in background

Break out the sticky notes.

By Matt Rampe

The satisfaction of a robust shared vision is often short-lived.

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I often know it’s time to move to the next stage when a partner anxiously asks, “How are we going to do all that?” To answer that question, we move into the Innovate stage, where we will lay out the major strategies that need to happen to make our dreams into reality.
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Concrete Steps to Imagining Your Firm’s Future

What is a vision you’d be proud of?

By Matt Rampe

You’re building momentum! If you were in an airplane, you’d be at about 10,000 feet and climbing rapidly toward your highest altitude. In the Imagine stage, we’ll take it all the way to 30,000 feet, where the big picture emerges clearly for all to see.

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If the Identify stage is about who we are and why we exist as a firm, Imagine is the exciting part where we create alignment around where we want to go together.
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