Whether you realise it or not, when you work with a Virtual Assistant or an Online Business Manager, you need to practice good leadership with respect.
It’s easy to forget that those who are helping you to be the best that you can be, are actually trying to be the best they can be for you.
You run your own business, right? You have clients of your own, and I’m sure you would have a very clear set of ground rules by which you run your business. When you hire a contractor to help you, it’s important to remember, that contractor is also a business person. Like you they have a set of ground rules that apply to them and their business. The strangest thing is though, not everyone appreciates this fact. After all, if I contract a Virtual Assistant, he/she is my employee, right? No…
Master communicator and peoples architect, Rohan Dredge provides some amazing resources to help leaders lead well. It’s never too late to work on your own personal development.
From an Online Business Manager perspective below are several points that will help you gain the respect and allow you to work better with those you choose to work with remotely.
What happens when you don’t lead with respect?
When you work remotely, it can be like all your senses go into overdrive, you can feel like your hands a tied, your always waiting, you want it now; these are all pretty normal emotions when we feel we don’t have control. So, you’ve hired a contractor to work with you, you’ve provided them with the information they need to do the tasks you need completing and then often the following will happen:
Over communication
You send a lot (and I mean a lot) of What’s App messages consisting of short sentences, “Did you get the email?” “Just sent another email.” “Let me know when you’ve actioned the email.” And ten minutes later, “Have you actioned the email yet?” Sound familiar?
You’re not the only one
I hate to break it to you, but when you hire a Virtual Assistant or Online Business Manager the chances are very high, that you’re not their only client. Having the phone number of the person who is helping you doesn’t mean you should call them several times a day to check in or to unload your thoughts. Believe it or not, clients will often ‘get it off their plate’ because if they don’t, they will forget about it and then disaster…
Leading badly
Impatience and lack of knowledge tend to help us lead badly and when we lead badly we say and do things that we shouldn’t and often are regretted soon after. Some examples of this are:
- Badly worded emails
- Badly worded text messages
- Yelling at your contractor
- Pushy to the point of tipping over
6 Things you can do to lead with respect
- Lead as you want to be lead – I don’t need to say any more with this one.
- Plan and prepare – Just as you plan for your clients’ plan for the work you need your remote team to help you with.
- Be patient – Give your team space to do the job you expect them to do. Rushing leads to pressure and pressure to mistakes.
- Don’t be an employer – Unless you’re paying sick leave, superannuation, and payroll tax to mention a few, you’re not an employer.
- Trust and be trusted – You’ve let someone into your business world, trust yourself that you made the right choice and trust them to do the job.
- Don’t let frustration in – Think twice act once. Stand back and evaluate before making a move to avoid any misunderstandings.
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