Trust Your Team: Rely on Top Talent With “HI, NICE BIZ”
How to Scale from Consultant to Agency Owner
Part 3 of 3
This is the final article in a three-part series about how to attract, retain, and rely on top talent using the principles of Applied Decolonization. We’re unpacking the acronym “HI NICE BIZ.” Each letter represents a tool you can apply in your own business.
First, a very brief summary of applied decolonization:
It is the notion that we can run wildly successful businesses without being extractive or contributing to trauma. For the full details, read this blog post.
If you’ve read parts 1 & 2, you know how to attract and retain top talent using the principles of applied decolonization. Now let's talk about relying on your talent. This can be one of the harder pieces for entrepreneurs. When you’re used to being in control (and responsible) for everything happening in your business, relying on employees can feel very tricky. I can’t lie, there's a lot of risk involved. If anything goes wrong, you are the one who pays for it. Also, lots of people have control issues (which is fine, so do I), so let’s unpack the BIZ acronym so you can learn how to rely on your talented team.
The “B” stands for Backing it up.
We back up our phones, computers, passwords… but when do we ever back up our brains? Almost never! You’ve got to get all the processes, procedures, tips, and nuances for how you want things done in your business out of your head, backed up and documented. If you want someone to do a job you gave them accurately, you have to document it – you can write it down, record a voice note, record a video or screenshare, or include a meeting transcription. Job descriptions are essential, too. To have any chance of being successful outsourcing, delegating, and relying on your team, you’ve got to back that big beautiful brain of yours up.
Regardless of how difficult learning to delegate can be, it makes economic sense to do it. For example, if you are able to earn $100+ an hour for your skills, it doesn’t make sense for you to be performing tasks that could be completed for $30/hr. If you're looking to grow or scale your business, please remember this.
The “I” is for the Illusion of communication.
Intent and impact are not the same. There’s never been a better time than now to practice emotional intelligence, non-violent communication, and a decolonized mindset. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is that you are accountable for yourself and the impact that you have in the world – regardless of your intention – especially if you are in a position of power and privilege like myself. As a white woman, I know that simply being present in some rooms can have a negative impact, so it’s up to me to work to mitigate that. This is especially true when working with marginalized identities, which is a big part of what I do.
The illusion of communication means: even if you think you're being crystal clear, there will be miscommunications that occur. That's a given. If we can get our communication 80% clear 80% of the time, that's a reasonable expectation.
The “Z” is my hat tip to Gen Z.
Many Gen Z-ers have excellent awareness around boundaries and mental wellness. Remember the idea of having a human-first workplace that prioritizes people before profits? And how to support people to grow in their careers rather than extracting from them? Along with those, consider having policies in place to support people with mental and physical health needs. At my company, we have an easy way to check-in with our team daily about their capacity: We use a stoplight system in Slack: all team members include a red, yellow, or green emoji in their Slack status to display how much capacity they have on any given day. We have another policy that I love, for mental health days and sick days. It’s a “send a barf emoji to get 48 hours off no questions asked” policy. Trusting people to govern themselves accordingly goes a really long way when it comes to keeping top talent.
So, there you have it: how to attract, retain and rely on top talent using applied decolonization. Your organization deserves to have a good reputation for being an excellent employer.
The “HI, NICE BIZ” acronym reminds us how to make it happen.
HI - H is for supporting your team as Humans first, I is for sharing your Impact to attract motivated people who want to join you in doing good in our world.
NICE - N is for Non-violent communication, I is for Investing in your people, C is for Consent, and E is for Expectation versus agreement.
BIZ - B is for Backing up your brain, I is for the Illusion of communication, and Z is a hat tip to Gen Z for informing the framework of caring for people as humans by supporting and acknowledging their mental wellness and boundaries.
The tools described in this three-part series have helped my company double in size over the past year. We went from less than a dozen team members to over 20, and our turnover rates are the lowest they’ve ever been. Team members regularly share that they love to work with us, and I credit using the tools outlined in “HI NICE BIZ”.
My philosophy is to foster a workplace that is supportive, ethical and genuinely good. This has really paid off for us, and I know it will for you and your organization too.
Reach out when you start implementing some of the tools I shared in this blog series. I’d love to know how it goes for you. Find me online at laurelannestark.com.
(In case you missed them, here are links to part 1 and part 2.)