FROM GLAZED EYES TO FOCUSED MINDS
How to Get Your Team to Embrace Your Vision
The Power of Refusing to Take ‘No’ for an Answer TOPH’S TAX TRIUMPH
Running a successful business can seem impossible if your employees aren’t listening or giving you their full attention. Have you ever talked with a team member, providing vital instructions for a task, only for them to respond with a slow nod and a glazed-over expression? They likely didn’t ask follow-up questions or assert they understood your directions. They simply heard what you said and will take it from there, creating a frustrating disconnect. So, what’s the secret to getting your team to listen to you intently? Here are three strategies you should implement to improve your team’s response. Get your team to buy into your business and core values. Ask yourself the following questions. Why does your business exist? Why do you need a team? Why are you asking your team to perform a specific task? These shouldn’t be difficult questions for you to answer, but your employees won’t likely consider them during their daily shifts. You must explore the answers to these questions and then share them with your team. By doing so, you’re giving them a purpose behind any request. When you have the right players, sharing this information helps them get on board and emotionally connect to the business. Trust goes both ways. If you want your team to trust you and what you say, you need to reciprocate it. This is a slow process and will take time
When dealing with the IRS, it sometimes pays to refuse to lose.
That was the case with one recent client, a self-employed mental health counselor who came to us in 2022 after failing to pay taxes for more than six years. She had just emerged from a messy divorce from an ex-spouse who had addiction problems. In previous years, she had filed either jointly with him or as a married person filing separately. In all, she owed nearly $200,000. As always, our first step was ensuring she filed her most recent tax returns and resumed paying current taxes. One of the first things the IRS looks for when considering a proposed settlement is whether the taxpayer is current on their most recent taxes, and fortunately, we were able to help this client get back on track. Once that was accomplished, we submitted an offer to settle her past tax debt for $3,600. When the IRS rejected our offer about a year later, we immediately appealed the decision. This complicated process took almost another year. At first, IRS officials weren’t properly addressing the arguments I was making on behalf of my client. We escalated our appeal a couple of times, and a new manager got involved to oversee the process. Finally, the IRS came back to us with two reasonable options. The first was to let my client settle her entire debt by paying about $19,000 within six months. The second option was to settle for $34,618, paid over a longer period of 24 months. My client wasn’t able to come up with $19,000 quickly enough to take the first option, she accepted the agency’s offer to pay the higher amount over 24 months. That amounted to about 17% of the $200,000 she originally owed. We considered that a good outcome.
to build. Don’t micromanage your team unless you must. You hired them to do a job and take on
specific responsibilities, so let them. If you find this challenging, start small.
Delegate smaller tasks to your team until they’ve fully earned your trust. Then, you can pass off more significant responsibilities. Be clear with your expectations. Sometimes, your
employees won’t know exactly what they must do to accomplish your goals. When necessary, walk them through specific tasks and explain the result. Once
We invested a lot of effort in pressing for a reasonable settlement, which is why our clients get good results. I don’t give up easily. And fortunately, thanks to the IRS concessions we won on appeal, our client was thrilled with the outcome!
your team understands what they need to do and why it’s crucial to the business’s overall success, they’ll be more likely to get it right and continue to build trust.
–Toph Sheldon
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