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“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.” –Andrew Carnegie
No matter how business savvy, smart or talented you are, your success as a business owner depends on your ability to mobilise and motivate a team. Your clients know that you have integrity and can always get the work done according to their requirements, but what about your team? Do they share the same traits?
That’s the concern of many entrepreneurs when they consider hiring their first assistant. After all, they’ll be working remotely with someone they may never have met, how do they know that they can trust a virtual assistant?
Although this question doesn’t have a full proof answer, there are ways that business owners can build trust with Virtual Assistants and work well together toward a common vision. In this blog, we will explore four main ways.
Start small
Build trust slowly by starting with a single task first. Starting small allows both of you to understand how each of you works and is a good way to decide if you’ll be able to work well together. You can also work together for an established period or trial period. This will eliminate the anxiety you are feeling and help you to build a relationship with minimal risk.
Communicate
One way to connect with your Virtual Assistant is to communicate regularly. By communication, I don’t mean the 10-minute meetings where you go through her schedule. Communication means having a ‘huddle’ to understand each other and align goals. There are many communication tools available to you such as messenger, video calling and SMS. Make sure you both agree on which method would suit you best. Then, be deliberate about making these meetings happen. A lot of entrepreneurs cancel these meetings due to their busy schedules. Doing so doesn’t build trust with your VA.
Develop a work agreement/contract
Whether it’s a small or big task, it’s always better to spell out job requirements, tasks and other expectations. This helps to minimise misunderstandings and sets the bar for the working relationship going forward.
Work with a reputable agency
We cannot emphasise this enough. You can find a Virtual Assistant anywhere, but to find the right one, you should consider working with a reputable agency. Looking for a VA by yourself results in a 50/50 chance that you will match. However, if you go through an agency, your chances of landing the right person increases dramatically.
