Leadership Advice and Effective Habits with Forvis Mazars’ Kristen Wannenmacher Bright

With more than 19 years in the assurance department at Forvis Mazars, Kristen Wannenmacher Bright has gained valuable insights into leadership and the consistent habits needed to succeed.

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Wannenmacher Bright emphasizes that first and foremost, leaders are team members. “Sometimes I feel like I am a little bit of a quarterback—a connector—and linking the right team members to the right clients, the right team members to work together on a project,” Wannenmacher Bright says. She describes this as a “team-based” leadership style. As a leader, she encourages her team to generate ideas while she provides guidance and advice. 

Biz 417 spoke to Wannenmacher Bright about the qualities of a strong leader and the essential habits to develop along the way.

Biz 417: What are some key traits or skills you believe are essential for effective leadership?
Kristen Wannenmacher Bright: Being a good leader is leading by example, but when the setting is right and you’re working with your team members, it’s important to share your story. We talk a lot about that at Forvis Mazars with our female leaders. As females, we like to learn about each other and we like to learn through stories, so I think it is really important to share that story and lean into it—even the parts that were hard and ugly and that a lot of sacrifice came. People learn from that and they appreciate that. You’ll find that you can take 100 female leaders and have 100 different stories. 

Biz: What habits are most important to you as a leader?
K.W.B.: The first thing and the most important habit is as simple as doing what you say you are going to do, even if it is just responding back to an email timely. We meet with clients, and if I say our team can do something, I need to follow up and get the client connected with the right team member. Doing what you say you’re going to do is the number one consistent habit that will yield those big wins. It gains the trust and respect of your client and your team members. 

Biz: Are there any tools you use to help track or reinforce your habits?
K.W.B.: In my world, a lot of my communication still comes through email, so I set aside 20 minutes at the beginning and 20 minutes at the end of my day for email cleanup. I make sure I respond to every email, whether it’s from an internal team member or a client, within 24 hours. I also do time blocking on my calendar, which ensures those to-dos and tasks aren’t getting lost on a paper to-do list or another tracking mechanism. 

Biz: What is one habit you wish you’d started earlier in your career?
K.W.B.: The dedicated 20 minutes in the morning and evening for email cleanup—I wish I had started that earlier in my career because it creates discipline. Also, guarding my schedule more. Early in my career, I thought being a good team member and a good leader meant being available for everyone anytime they needed me. That worked against me quite a bit because I was very selfless with my schedule and wasn’t getting my projects done. I was not managing my own clients as effectively as I should have been. I learned these skills later out of necessity, but I wish I had created more of that discipline early on.

Biz: What advice would you give to aspiring female leaders?
K.W.B.: My first advice is to listen and observe. My second advice is to really focus on your team. It is not what you need as a leader—it is what your team needs out of you as a leader for success.