Instead of providing a granular to-do list, hand your team member or contractor a desired outcome. This shifts them from being a task-doer you must manage to an owner who is responsible for the result, freeing you to focus on higher-level work.
To accelerate autonomy, have new employees run their own recurring check-in meetings. This inverted structure forces them to proactively seek answers and report on progress against their goals, rather than passively receiving instructions from you as the manager.
Amy Porterfield shares actual revenue and profit figures, not just percentages, with her team. Counter to the common fear of resentment, she finds this transparency, paired with incentives, motivates employees to act like owners and focus on the company's financial health.
How people leave your company is as critical as how they join. By treating departing employees with respect, you build an alumni network that can become a source of future talent, as seen with a former director returning as a highly effective coach.
While one or two acrimonious departures can happen, a recurring pattern of employees leaving on bad terms points to a systemic issue. This is a critical red flag that often reflects a problem with the founder's leadership, not just the departing employees.
You don't need a large team to implement strategic planning. For a solopreneur with a contractor, scale down a quarterly meeting to 15 minutes. Use it to share the business's main focus and define the specific outcome you need that contractor to own.