How to clarify success before hiring

Today, I want to dive into a common pitfall in business: hiring before clarifying success.

I've seen this time and again, and the results can be frustrating.

Imagine this: You hire a social media manager, excited about the potential boost to your brand's online presence. Two months later, you're disappointed and considering letting them go.

Sound familiar? I’m sure you’ve been there.

More often than not, this stems from not having a clear definition of what success looks like rather than their ability to execute.

You can start avoiding this pitfall by answering the following questions:

Are you hiring them to take on a never-ending, ongoing responsibility?

If so, you’re delegating an accountability and you have to be very clear on expectations.

Are you hiring them to achieve a one-time goal?

If so, you’re delegating a project (which could turn into an accountability later on).

Both scenarios require you to define what done or success looks like, but accountabilities require additional clarity if they’re going to be completed correctly for an indefinite period.

Project vs. Accountability

If it's something new, like launching Facebook ads, that's a project. For ongoing roles, like bookkeeping, those are accountabilities.

Remember, everything in your business falls into one of these two categories. To read more about this, Click Here.

Defining Project Success

Start with a brain dump and list out everything that would be required to make this a success. Timeline, budget, and any other criteria items.

To check out my simple project template, Click Here.

Clarifying Accountabilities

When delegating an ongoing responsibility, you need to make sure you’ve answered three questions below if you hope for the new hire to succeed:

1. What — What exactly are they responsible for?
2. When — How often must these responsibilities be fulfilled?
3. Done — What does Done look like in the simplest terms, and can they submit their work?

For a practical example of how I turned customer support into a defined accountability, Click Here.

The Importance of Systems and Clarity

When we feel let down by someone's performance, it’s almost always because they lack the proper systems and expectations.

Before making your next hire, take the time to clarify if you’re delegating a project or accountability, and define success accordingly.

This isn’t just a roadmap for them but also a way for you to measure their impact.

Go ahead and try it:

1. Clarify if you’re looking to delegate a project or accountability
2. Define what done/success looks like for the project or accountability
3. Create a simple submission system for the team to submit work on an ongoing basis

See you all next Thursday 👋

PS. Whenever you're ready... Here are three ways I can help you systemize & automate operations:

1. Learn how to find, hire, and manage virtual assistants → Free Access
2. Manage projects, meetings, and resources from a single place → Learn More
3. Let me help you automate operations and exit the day-to-day grind → Work With Me

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