I am writing this post today on a topic other than beauty. Today it’s going to be on INSPECTING WHAT YOU EXPECT. This philosophy is good for all businesses including bloggers. Unfortunately yesterday, I learned the hard way that my values and integrity of my company is not the same as those around me. Seems like common sense, I know, but even that can get the best of you with a hectic schedule. Therefore, today I wanted to share some great tips on The Importance Of Inspecting What You Expect, with all of my fellow bloggers and other readers who may own a small business, so this doesn’t happen to you!
With a growing blog or other business, opportunities arise and as you get bigger. Hence requiring you to consider help with VA's, interns, etc. This type of delectation is important so you can grow and become larger. Bloggers, the same as small business owners, have usually built their business from the ground up. Because of this, ensuring your credibility is ever so valuable for the success. Like with any other companies, policies need to be set in place, and these policies should be communicated with your potential partnerships, interns and or employees. With polices come training, you need to train these individual(s) on your polices and explain to them what you expect. More importantly, why you have these in place, so they can get behind and support you. You need the “buy in” so they understand the why and the importance of your policies.
Don't be DUMB be SMART. Meaning, you have to set SMART goals and objectives. What are SMART goals? I learned this from Forbes, but it's business 101 and if you can't do this, then the only one you can blame, is yourself. SMART GOALS are goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. While all are important, specific & time-bound are essential to succeed, if delegating. You must always set specific days and times, PERIOD! Saying I need this ASAP, or I need you to do this, is not good enough. You MUST set the parameters and share them. Otherwise, it will fail because of YOU! Remember others time frame is not the same as anyone else, plus people are not mind readers!
Inspecting:
This is
crucial, one to keep them on their toes but also because your employees and interns are a reflection of your company & brand. What they do, approved or not, is the perception
others have you. And remember others perception
is their reality whether true or not. One thing I’ve heard over the years is
people do what you inspect not what you expect; sadly this is true most of the
time. Bottom line if you are going to
delegate you don’t want to make assumptions, all people involved, big or small need to see and
understand your vision!
Something’s to keep in mind if you want to delegate responsibilities
to others:
- Know their character: No one cares as much about your business as you do, so when delegating tasks you want to make sure the person is competent and trustworthy.
- Communication: This is key, everyone needs to be on the same page.
-
Remember time is money. So the excuse, I don’t have time I’ll just do it myself COSTS you money. Yes, in the beginning, it may take a bit of your time. But once, someone else has the hang of it, the dividends will pay off.
- Checklist:
- Have you explained your expectations?
- Do they understand your values?
-
Are there certain rules, ethics, laws that must be abided?
- Have your supplied them with what they need to succeed (time, materials, money, etc.)
- Do they know what to do if something goes wrong?
- Repeat the above IF YOU WANT TO THRIVE & SUCCEED. Without these, you will fail.
In conclusion, you want to make sure that there is a clear
window of communication. You need to be detailed in what you need during the entire process, with
the how and why of the tasks. Ensure
that everyone clearly knows what you want. The
best way to do this is to have them repeat it back. Otherwise, someone may just say yes to say yes. If they know
what you’re hoping for, why it’s important you, what you inspect, then you’ll get the buy in and
will succeed.
