How to Properly Manage your Virtual Team
Managing a business can be hard, but managing a team can be even HARDER. For the first 1-2 years, you start your small business, you're typically running it alone. You wear the multiple hats that are required of you to run the day-to-day operations of your business, but then after a while, you start to get super busy and realize you can no longer do everything in your business alone, you need some help!
You have an idea of what tasks you want to delegate to this new team member but have never had to manage anyone or you may have some corporate experience in managing employees, but you already know what want them to do so that's okay! So, you pay the invoice, sign the contract, and voila! You've got your first team member! Congratulations!
Here are a few things you can do to properly manage your team member(s) to respect their boundaries as well as your own and build a solid partnership:
Set realistic deadlines for tasks and projects. This will allow you and your new team member to have clear expectations of one another. Keep in mind the hours your new team member typically works so that you can set deadlines accordingly. With this new team member being a business owner themselves or an independent contractor, you should not expect them to be accessible to you at all times, but instead during their normal hours of operation.
Have a Project Management Software set up. Most independent contractors or business owners you'll meet will have their own and sometimes they may use the exact same software for you to use, but it is your job to have your own so that you can delegate accordingly. It's okay for you to use theirs if their software is different from yours, you just have to be sure that you're checking it every so often to see if they have any questions or need to follow up with you on a task. Be as detailed as possible when delegating your tasks and projects in this software to avoid room for error or confusion.
Put your trust in your team member(s). You can do this by delegating a task or project to them and allowing them to complete it first, before stopping them mid-way or halfway to make drastic changes. No one likes to be micromanaged. It's part of the reason why a lot of us because entrepreneurs and business owners. They may not complete the task or project how you would've, but the main goal is for it to be completed correctly, without you having to be so hands-on.
Communicate with your team members. Your team members will need your feedback on any task or project that they complete for you. It is your job to go through and look at what they've done so far, thoroughly communicate any changes you want to be made, and ask them how soon they can make the changes so that you'll know how much longer you'll have to wait. It is also good to set some time aside to meet with your team member and go over any upcoming events, tasks, or projects you'll need their help with. Start off with weekly meetings, then as you work together longer, you can scale back on how often you want to meet (bi-weekly, monthly, etc.). You will also need a communication software you'll want to use with them throughout the week to keep your conversations organized and recorded. I highly recommend Slack, it helps to keep everyone on track and allows you to add as many channels or team members are you'd like!
Address issues head-on, and preferably in a meeting so that things stay professional, and so that you can show compassion towards your team member. Depending on the tasks or assignments you give can cause things to get a little busy and overwhelming at times for your team member and that’s understandable, the larger the workload, the higher the stress. The best way to be sure you're not adding too much to their plate is by asking them if they need you to explain anything to them in more detail or take the time out to go over it with them. Another way would be to genuinely ask how they're doing and if there's anything that you can do to help. Remember, this is your team member, you have to consider their circumstances as well as the current state we're in amongst this pandemic, and cut them some slack. Being supportive and compassionate towards your team member will set you aside from the cooperate world where things move quickly and emotions are non-existent. Let's break that cycle.
Be prepared to pay more for extra services. If you hire a team member to do ABC and then later ask if they can do DEF (which are larger projects that take more time), expect to be charged for additional services. Just because that team member may know how to do those tasks or projects, doesn't mean they shouldn't be compensated for the amount of work that it takes to complete those tasks along with the original tasks you signed up for.
Avoid making last-minute requests or changes. This goes especially for those of you who may be perfectionists and want to make drastic changes towards the middle or end of a project or task because it didn't come out the way you wanted to. The best way to avoid making these kinds of changes is by clearly stating what you want done and how you want it done, from the very beginning. Check-in with your team member a couple of days afterward to be sure that what they're doing is accurate or answer any questions they may have on how you want it done.
Understand the difference between an Independent Contractor and an Employee. I cannot stress this enough! An independent contractor has their own hours, pay their own taxes, and have other clients and projects to manage. An employee is accessible to you and your business and only you and your business for a longer span of time, you pay their taxes and other employee benefits, your clients are their clients. Keeping this in mind will prevent the "I'm your boss" attitude and instead imply the "I'm your partner" attitude. Your team member is an expert at what they do, that's why you hired them, treat them as you would any other business owner.
Don't bite off more than you can chew. This goes for your tasks and projects. Set only one or two things for you to do in that project or task before you delegate it to someone. Also, keep in mind that the tasks you want to be done may require two or more team members to carry out. You won't want one person on your team doing everything because they'll end up getting burnt out or tied down with the tasks you yourself were struggling with.
Set your expectations and make them known to your team members, don’t assume. This goes hand-in-hand with communication. If you don’t make your expectations known to your team, you may always find yourself disappointed. Not everyone will deliver the way you want them to and that’s okay as long as they get the task or project done properly, but the more you communicate with them about your expectations, the less room there is for errors and mistakes to happen.
Lastly, be open to ideas that each one of your team members brings to the table. Your team members are experts, after all, that’s the reason why you hired them right? Allow them to share their ideas that they have for your business, you never know. That idea just maybe what you need for your business to flourish even more!
If you feel like you don't have the time to do the above it may be time to hire an Online Business Manager to manage your team for you. Especially if this is something you struggle with on a regular basis when hiring a virtual contractor. No worries though, I can help. Book your free 20-minute Discovery Call with me by clicking here.
