Why Things Fall Apart with Your Distant Assistant
Having a distant assistant for your business has its share of benefits. You have more time to focus on other priorities, add value to your business, and enjoy a couple more perks. But despite all the good things it provides, working with a DA can still have some downtimes. Why things fall apart with your distant assistant? Here are some thoughts to consider:
Understanding the Situation
Working with a distant or virtual assistant is just like any other type of relationship. The start can go really well. It is during the first few meetings that you get to know each other—your schedules, your personality types, your expectations.
After some time of working together, you get to know each other better. It could be the first time when you discover each other’s habits, weaknesses, and strengths. There is so much to learn with just one person.
Trust comes in the process.
“Trust gives you the permission to give people direction, get everyone aligned, and give them the energy to go get the job done. As you execute with excellence and deliver on your commitments, trust becomes easier to inspire, creating a flywheel of performance.” -Douglas Conant
But keeping on in the relationship does not necessarily mean there will be no downtimes. It does not necessarily mean that there will be rough roads along the way. Like they say, being in a relationship is a journey.
When things fall apart, you can take a step back and see where you might have gone wrong. Check to see what you may have missed or lost in the journey.
From being the punctual, creative individual that your distant assistant used to be, he might have turned into a tardy, uninspired worker. There could be a number of reasons behind it.
Possible Reasons Why Things are Falling Apart
1. Lack of Human Leadership
Online you can find a variety of distant assistant stories, which are often called DA nightmares. One very popular topic among the stories is about getting berated by a client.
If you get to talk with some of the distant assistants, you will find that among the most challenging part of their career is having a place to start. It is no easy feat to find a job.
They could go through all kinds of job boards and talent agencies only to find themselves either unqualified or have a lot of competitors.
When they get the job they applied for, happiness can shoot a million times in the sky like glorious fireworks. That is just how it is when you unlock an achievement. And getting a job is an achievement.
That’s when your journey together begins. That’s when you start getting to know about the real individuals and workers masked behind the screen.
When Kavit Haria fired his four virtual assistants, he eventually realized his mistake. According to him, he only communicated to his DAs when he needed them to complete something.
“I did not show the kind of care and concern I ought to which may have made myself appear to not be interested in their own livelihood.” -Kavit Haria
Work online is indeed a distant assistant’s livelihood. While you may see hiring a distant assistant as an additional expense, the DA sees working for you as an opportunity to have a better life.
Distant assistants themselves are human beings who breathe the same air and thrive in the same universe as you do.
Just imagine the impact it would have on them if you berate them on impulse. What would you feel were you in their shoes? This is also among the reasons why distant assistants suddenly don’t show up.
What you can do is spend some time to get to know them. In the process, they will trust you when you trust them.
Given that you exist as the business owner, another thing you can do is to set deadlines just like Kavit did with his new team. Or, you can simply let the distant assistant know about what you expect for him to fulfill.
With just enough feedback, you can avoid making them feel like mere working machines.
2. Traffic Roadblocks
—Not literally. When the town has a big event, roadblocks are often placed to control the traffic. Many times the road is jam packed with vehicles that it requires the help of more traffic enforcers.
The same can be said about a working relationship.
When you are up to something big or when your business is simply growing, the tendency is you get to be filled with more projects than when you first started. Unfortunately, sometimes you only realize it’s the case when you could no longer fulfill the amount of effort that the tasks require you.
That presents an open door for things to fall apart.
While it is true that you hired a distant assistant to help you out, the DA himself can be overwhelmed with a number of tasks waiting eagerly for him. His creativity may die down and his energy plummet.
Well, both you and the distant assistant also need to look after your physical, emotional, and mental health. Both of you have priorities outside of the business you belong.
When you begin to see things fall apart with your distant assistant, you can call to mind the agreement you had at the start. Try to assess whether you are still safe within the agreement or whether you are already stepping out of the bounds.
Sometimes you can use some time off to ponder on your business’ situation. It might be growing so fast already that you fail to see through some of its needs, including those of your DA. Take a time to slow down.
Just as roadblocks tell you to drive slowly and be aware of what’s happening, workloads tell you to take some time off to clear your mind and evaluate the busyness of your business. You never know, it might already be time to bring in another distant assistant—or replace the one you have at present.
Time to Evaluate
Whether you are missing your goals, lacking effective results, missing your distant assistant when you need him—whatever the situation, it is always worthwhile to step back from time to time and assess what’s happening. Have the courage and time to discover the root cause especially when things fall apart with your DA.
Sometimes the answers are just lying around waiting to be seen. They are just waving at you and saying, “Hey there! I’m here!” You could be so caught up in the act of producing, producing, and producing more results that you overlook particular areas in the process.
“There are only three measurements that tell you nearly everything you need to know about your organization’s overall performance: employee engagement, customer satisfaction, and cash flow. It goes without saying that no company, small or large, can win over the long run without energized employees who believe in the mission and understand how to achieve it.” -Jack Welch
How is your working relationship with your distant assistant?
When things start to fall apart, you make sure that you have everything you need to keep up with your business. Reacting with full blast emotions just might not be helpful.
What You Can Do
There is a saying that goes, “He who does not know how to look back to where he came from will not reach his target destination.”
Running a business involves a number of tasks that will test your patience and endurance. You can look back to the time when you decided to hire a distant assistant. Look back to the time before things started to fall apart.
What qualities did you admire in the distant assistant? What made you decide in the first place to hire him? Sometimes you have to be reminded of those things that sparked your journey together.
Did he meet the expectations you agreed? From the time he started working, have there been any recurring behaviors that got off the limits. If yes, how often did your distant assistant do them?
Mistakes can be excused sometimes especially when they do not create a huge negative impact on your business.
But the thing is…
When you hire somebody to help you in your business, among the responsibilities you share is the responsibility of taking care of your brand. The experience that you provide to your customers matters. So when the person you hire keeps on creating negative consequences for your business, you risk not just your identity but also the authority you have in your community.
When things fall apart with your DA, be humble enough to admit it. Have the courage to know the possible reasons, talk with the people involved, and try to settle it in the best way possible. In the end, you don’t want to lose every good thing that you so diligently worked for.
Check Out These Relevant Articles:
- The Right Time to Hire a Distant Assistant
- The Key Benefits of Hiring a Distant Assistant
- 10 Tools for Managing Remote Workers
What do you think about Why Things Fall Apart with Your Distant Assistant? Visit us on Facebook and Twitter. Feel free to leave us a rating and review. We would love to hear from you!
About Jaime Jay
Meet Jaime Jay – a man who wears many hats, and wears them all admirably. He's a master connector, an entrepreneur extraordinaire, and a published author who knows how to get things done.
Before he found his way to the business world, Jaime served his country as a brave paratrooper in the U.S. Army. But that's just the beginning of his many accomplishments.
He's the founder of the renowned Bottleneck Distant Assistant Services firm, and his book "Quit Repeating Yourself" has become a must-read for entrepreneurs everywhere.
When he's not busy building his empire, you can find him on his beloved Harley Davidson, cruising through the countryside and taking in the invigorating effects of Uitwaaien – a Dutch practice that involves facing the wind to boost health and relieve stress.
He enjoys spending his free time outside building stuff with his wife, Nikita the dog and their two kittens (for now at least) Tommy and Tater.
He is ‘over-the-moon’ happily married to his wonderful wife Sara, his amazing daughter, Jessica, who is serving our country as a United States Army soldier. Jaime and Sara are the proud grand parents of two beautiful little girls.
Get Your Book Now!
Quit Repeating Yourself provides guidance for entrepreneurs, business leaders, and managers to help prevent unknown challenges from ruining their business.
