Just so you know, it’s not possible for your team to read your mind — especially the first time they ever work with you.
As silly as that phrase sounds and as much as it might make you laugh, I have even caught myself on occasion expecting my team to do that very thing. We often have much more on our plate than is humanly possible as an entrepreneur and we have so many experiences and information that we’ve gathered from all the events we’ve attended and people that we spoke to, that we may just think that everyone knows what to do when it comes to how often to send out emails, or how many tweets a day, or what color you want your background of your website page to be.
Being specific when you’re first working with your team about what you want saves hours of frustration and cost, and it helps your team to get to know what you want.
I’ve found, working with an overseas team especially, that if you state the preferences you have on certain areas they will continue to meet your expectations. For example, if you want them to email you back within 24 hours of when you email them to let you know that they started on a project or give you an update, it’s important that you let them know that. Not every person is aware of what you prefer and some may give you updates constantly and others may not unless you ask. Don’t get frustrated and feel that “this person is just not working out”.
Team members will often want you to direct them. Send them a list that states — I expect you to . . . and then give them a list of your expectations. This will be very helpful to them and save you. My team members always know when I expect a job to be completed by and how much my budget or my client’s budget is.
You can see why hiring team members before your business gets too busy is a smart idea. Have them get to know you and before you know it, you’ll feel like they’re reading your mind!
