Having the Hard Conversation

One of the hardest conversations practice owners avoid is the KPI conversation.

Not because your team doesn’t want expectations.

That’s not why it’s hard.

It’s hard because of what’s happening in your head.

They’re not going to like this.

They’re going to push back.

What if they leave?

They’re going to say, “This wasn’t the case before.”

Or, “We never had to do this before.”

Or, “Why are we having to do this now?”

So instead of sitting in the leadership role,

you start managing your anxiety about their response.

Here’s the thing.

You can’t control how someone reacts.

But you can control what the expectations are.

Communicating KPIs is not about dropping a document in someone’s inbox

and calling it the new rules of engagement.

It’s about having a clear conversation.

This is what success looks like in your role.

This is why it matters.

This is how we’re measuring it.

And this is what happens when those expectations are met.

When those conversations don’t happen,

people fill in the gaps themselves.

You’re thinking:

“They should know this.”

They’re thinking:

“No one ever told me this was the expectation.”

And now you’re frustrated.

Resentful.

Questioning whether someone should even be on the team.

Meanwhile, they’re confused.

Unhappy.

And quietly looking for a new place to work.

No one is on the same page.

Clear expectations don’t create tension.

They reduce it.

Because now it’s clear what each party is responsible for.

And there’s one more important piece here.

Communicating KPIs is also about communicating how you are going to support them.

This is not a one-way conversation.

It’s a two-way street.

They need to know what to prioritize.

They need to know your role.

And they need to understand how their work connects to the bigger picture.

That’s how buy-in happens.

And that’s how KPIs become a tool for alignment,

not fear.