Crunch time is right around the corner. Are you ready?
In your preparation for tax season, think beyond having your physical systems in place. Just like you make sure you have all your software and materials in order, plan out how to inspire your team to do their best work. Inspiration comes through purposeful, intentional planning of internal communication.
How can you inspire your team to be ready for crunch time?
Here are some internal communication ideas to get you started:
- Be encouraging. Instead of saying “brace yourself for the avalanche of work,” say “now is our chance to show off how well we do our job!” You can communicate this attitude in writing through a simple phrase that you include in your email signature. You could hang up a banner, too, as a constant reminder.
- Publicly recognize specific wins of team members. Wins are not about the numbers and the bottom line. They are about the stories of specific ways in which your team was able to help a client or troubleshoot a problem. Share the story of how a team member persevered, a note of appreciation received from a client, or a problem solved. Hearing stories of a win encourages the whole team to rise up and be the hero.
- Remind them of the bigger goal. We aren’t just filing taxes. We are helping clients. We are giving tax solutions. We are making sense of something that is complicated and scary, and reassuring our clients that “we have their backs.” Let them know their work matters for serving your clients. We are not just clocking in and clocking out.
- Create some traditions to show your gratitude. Provide lunch or dinner when the hours get long. Not sandwich platters or pizza- your team has already eaten all the fast food they can stomach during tax season! Don’t just stick the food in the break room. Talk with your accountants and bookkeepers during the meal and tell them how much you appreciate their hard work and dedication. (Remember, everyone needs a break!) Just this small act can communicate your appreciation in a big way.
- Let your team members know that you understand how hard it is to put life on hold. Help your team get things done. Hire someone to change the oil in their cars, take care of the dry cleaning, or grocery shop and meal plan.
Plan out how you can inspire the team this year. What inspiration ideas have you used in the past? What new ideas will you implement this year?
All year long as a leader in your firm, you are the one who can set the tone for an encouraging, productive, above-and-beyond working atmosphere. For more insight into how you can bump your firm up to the next level, contact Carla Caldwell for your personal consultation appointment.
