CMBA CEO Brian Crichton returns to the podcast to discuss the critical leadership discipline of clarity. In this episode, Brian shares how transparency, or "saying the quiet part out loud," reduces confusion and builds trust across the firm. He walks through the crucial steps of translating big strategy into daily, actionable tasks, and how to set firm expectations without resorting to micromanagement. Brian also offers insights on achieving alignment across multi-office locations and ensuring communication truly lands with every team member, even during challenging moments.

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Episode Transcript

(Skyler): Welcome back, everybody, to another episode of the Laying the Foundation podcast. My name is Skyler, and once again, we are joining you for another one of our wonderful Building Culture with Brian episodes. We have Brian himself here.

(Brian): That is me.

(Skyler): Yes, we don't have another Brian coming in, at least not yet. That would be a fun way to throw off the audience: bringing in a different Brian.

(Brian): I’m the only Brian in this company.

(Skyler): We’ve got a few Jims and a few Mikes or Michaels, but…

(Brian): We’ve only got one Brian. The one and only.

(Skyler): That’s right. Well, you’re here to give us some insight into leading with clarity. Obviously, as the CEO here at CMBA, leading is a big part of what you do every day.

(Brian): It is.

(Skyler): Some might say it's the main part. Clarity is often synonymous with transparency. We are trying to lead in such a way that everyone understands what we are trying to get across. When we discussed this previously, you mentioned that "saying the quiet part out loud" was a key concept. What does that mean in this context?

(Brian): Historically, leadership levels probably tend to hold information back from team members.

(Skyler): A "need to know" basis?

(Brian): To some extent. You don’t want to overwhelm people with information they might not fully understand without context. However, if you don't provide that context, employees start to create their own scenarios in their minds. I think it’s a disservice to employees to assume they won’t understand the situation. I’d rather be transparent, even with difficult information.

Ultimately, we are a business. We design awesome buildings and work for great clients, but we have to operate by collecting fees to pay our employees and expenses. Sometimes, owners don't want everyone to know when things are a little slow or cash is low. But if you hold that back, employees might wonder if the company is being managed well. They start to tell stories that aren't necessarily true.

(Skyler): And then it’s harder for a leader to get back in front of that conversation.

(Brian): Exactly. That’s why I try to be proactive with things like our monthly "Chat with the Chief". You have to be selective enough not to lose people in the details, so I try to stay succinct but clear. Saying uncomfortable things out loud is challenging, but it’s necessary for accepting negative scenarios in our business. If we make a mistake on a project, it’s okay to acknowledge it, explain how we fixed it, and ensure we don’t make that same mistake again. It’s an opportunity for learning, not "calling someone to the carpet".

(Skyler): So, now that we’ve defined clarity, how do we ensure we’re achieving it? You mentioned a three-step process: Vision - Priorities - Action. As a mid-sized firm, how do we translate a long-term vision into daily or weekly focus?

(Brian): I think you have to look at it through a "backwards lens". If I have a five-year vision, what does it take to get there? You have to prioritize the step-by-step actions every day, month, and quarter to reach that five-year point.

For example, if we want our revenue to be at $30 million, we have to look at what extra 10% or 20% we need this year to get on that path. If I don't have that cadence in my daily work, I’ll never reach the goal. It also means pushing ourselves outside of our comfort zone to pursue larger projects.

(Skyler): Is there a balance between pursuing realistic goals and pushing ourselves further?

(Brian): People need to see "wins" along the way for internal validation. If it’s just a constant middle-of-the-road grind, the end goal feels unachievable. It’s like weightlifting, I might want to bench 600 pounds, but I have to start by progressively overloading from where I am today. You can't eat an elephant all at once; you have to eat it one bite at a time.

You’ve probably heard Kirsten from HR talk about SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Realistic, and Time-bound. Wins build confidence in our process and service delivery, which feeds the desire for the next win.

(Skyler): Once we have those actionable steps, how do we choose the right priorities to stay focused?

(Brian): That’s a tough one. It comes back to having regular conversations. If we don’t check in, we never get there. Sometimes goals need to be adjusted because the business changes, maybe new software increases our capacity by 30%, or we add a new service. If you stay on a static line, you miss opportunities. We have to be nimble. I might get distracted by a "shiny penny" occasionally, but if I’m not looking outside our specific lane, I might miss a necessary shift in strategy.

(Skyler): How are we putting this into practice at every level, from Principal to intern?

(Brian): We have the monthly "Chat with the Chief" and a monthly leadership call. We also have "sanity checks" on Monday mornings in the office. We rely on office managers and Principals to trickle that messaging down so that everyone hears a consistent story. To me, success is hearing one of our youngest employees talking about a goal we established six months ago.

(Skyler): I noticed you scheduled the leadership meetings right before the Monday morning meetings.

(Brian): We standardized that so information from the office meetings flows directly into our Principal scheduling meetings. We ask everyone, "What’s on your plate?" and take that to the project manager level to look at the workload overall. We used to have these meetings at different times in different offices, but we streamlined it to create clarity.

(Skyler): With six locations, how do we keep everyone focused on the same "North Star"?

(Brian): We reiterate where we are headed in multiple ways, email, text, Teams, Quad, and social media. We actually have a document that clarifies which channel should be used for what information. I also rely on office managers to be the "champions" in their specific locations. I make an effort to visit each office once a quarter to be physically present and visible.

(Skyler): How do we maintain clarity during tough moments, like workload distribution, client issues, or performance reviews?

(Brian): Those are the toughest conversations. You want to be constructive without being personal. I use the phrase, "Help me understand". I want to know the context behind a decision. If I come at someone negatively, asking "Why the heck did you do this?" it creates an adversarial relationship. If I ask them to explain their process, they often realize themselves where a better decision could have been made.

(Skyler): And on the flip side, how do we communicate successes?

(Brian): We use "shout outs" during meetings for verbal and physical recognition. We also use the Quad to highlight successful project teams or positive client feedback. We try to share positive things at every "all-staff" meeting. People deserve to hear that.

(Skyler): Well, Brian, thank you for sharing your expertise. If you're a leader struggling to communicate with your staff, this is the episode for you.

(Brian): I appreciate it, Skyler. I’m still learning every day.