Leadership and a Confident Communicator
In my previous BLOG, Empower the Leader Inside YOU! The Core of the Matter, there are businesses that undervalue the tool of communication and its importance in the true health of the organization. So what do I mean by a tool of communication? One communication tool is called business processes.
It was my pleasure to talk with Jenny Ling, who is the face of Seattle Estate Planning, Business, and Real Estate – The Law Offices of Jenny Ling, PLLC (jennylinglaw.com). She has a growing and thriving practice, an ability to put you right at ease in the conversation, and the drive to grow her business while growing the individuals on her staff. As an Estate Planning business, and Real Estate Attorney Jenny relies on communication processes to give her clients the best experience and her staff the empowerment needed to do their jobs.
Communication Processes
A communication process is generally a written document that tells a group how they will operate as an organization in the day-to-day business. It is systematic, action-oriented, and has a goal. In this law firm’s caseload, 50% of what they do is customer service. It is what they do to move clients through their experience. As a result, their processes are activated from the moment a potential client calls, and it continues until the final handshake when the business transaction is finished. In my nine years in the corporate world, processes were important. I worked with many computer systems that would send data from one place to the other; however, it was the written process and how it was implemented that got business done.
One thing to remember in this process is that people are the ones doing the action in the process. This means that just like the software system you use to do your work, both people and systems can break down. When your software is broken, you call in help or do an update. It is the same with processes; it’s time to update the process when something goes wrong. This requires a specific set of communication skills to make it effective and one that Jenny’s team has mastered.
Jenny sets clear expectations of staff; she has created a space for creativity and innovation that compliments a leadership communication style that is open to input. Through weekly face-to-face meetings, a two-week look ahead helps her team focus on the actions needed, and they reflect on the past for any changes in the process that needs to be made. This works well because together, they can mitigate any breaks in communication by understanding the WHY and taking actionable steps to examine the disconnect, make suggestions for corrections, and move forward. As a result, communication in her office expectations are clear, and learning is key in this business environment.
Using good communication can produce amazing results. It gets the job done, and it can empower others to do their best! It is clear that Jenny and her staff have just that, and they are using the communication tool of process to better their business and the clients they serve.
How are your processes in your organization holding up?
Are they working for you or against you?
Let’s talk. Go to my website at www.cultivateconsultants.com and set up a free discovery call and strategy session with me.
