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HR Consulting Services for Creative Entrepreneurs

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8 Lessons I Learned at The Reset Conference

 

In June 2017, I received an email from the talented team behind The Reset Conference notifying me that I had been chosen to speak at their 2018 conference.

I was thrilled and humbled and nervous and excited for the chance to speak at my first big creative conference.

During my decade of climbing the corporate ladder, I had spoken many times at different events. I’ve been in front of groups ranging in size from 2 to 2,000.

I spoke at events full of hourly employees and others where I was the sole presenter to a group of Senior VPs and leaders of the Fortune 25 company I worked for at the time.

But there was something different about this moment. About this conference. About this particular group of people that sent the butterflies flitting about in my stomach.

The heart and mission behind this conference are what really sets it apart. Kellie Penn, owner of Across the Miles Photography, and Rebekah Albaugh, owner of Rebekah Albaugh, started this conference to:

  • Create a community of like-minded and like-heart creative professionals
  • Provide training and learning opportunities that would help attendees use their talents for good and help them thrive financially
  • Push the reset button on life and business, so these creative professionals could capture life and live it first, instead of living in the constant hustle of business

I was honored to be speaking alongside a truly humbling list of savvy and successful business professionals who are fueled by heart and passion and serving others.

As a speaker, I also got the opportunity to attend speaker sessions (there were over 50 speakers and breakout sessions this year!) alongside conference attendees. What an absolute privilege to learn from some of the best of the best.

Me and Joey Vitale geeking out over our speaker poster!

Today, I’d love to share some of my biggest takeaways with you from the conference.

Experience is the most memorable part of our business.

Doug Weittenhiller of Twig + Olive Photography shared with us that the experience we give our clients matters from start to finish. It’s what can set us apart and it’s what keeps our clients coming back time and again and referring us to their friends.

Persistence is vital.

Cinnamon Wolfe of Cinnamon Wolfe Photography, Cinnamon Wolfe, and the Focus(ed) Podcast reminded us that sometimes things don’t happen as quickly as we want them to, but persistence is vital for getting the results you desire, regardless of what that might be – from blogging to improving our craft and more.

Share your story, not the superficial.

Stacey Greene of Stacey Greene Brand Storytelling & Calligraphy talked with us about how we so often only share the superficial things with others when meeting for the first time. She helped us learn how to go deeper with our telling our story to connect with people more authentically throughout our brand – from our website to social media, in our newsletters and beyond.

Personalization is more than just a name.

Dannie Fountain of Dannie Fountain, Marketing Strategist, Author, Speaker, taught us that personalizing your email newsletter is more than just learning how to use the first name mail merge function. To truly personalize your content, you need to get to the core of the human experience and connect with people on their journey.

Don’t try to be a fish if you’re a bird.

Elisa Watson of ShowIt beautifully demonstrated how ridiculous it is for us to try to be something or someone that we’re not. When we try to be someone else, we end up drowning… and dead. Focus on your own unique talents, skills, and abilities in order to soar. And stop trying to be someone you’re not.

Use your creativity to get you INTO situations.

Jeff Rojas of Jeff Rojas New York Portrait & Fashion Photographer explained to us that we often use our creativity to get us out of situations. (Example: Don’t have enough rent money this month? You get creative to make the money you need and get out of this bad situation.) He encouraged us to flip this type of creativity on its head and use it to get into our ideal or dream scenarios. What else can you do to make those big dreams happen?

Your mentality fuels your business.

Joey Vitale of Indie Law taught us about the importance of LLCs and when to become one in our businesses. But he also taught us about fueling our business with our mentality. That sometimes it takes a “results or die” mindset to give us that extra push to make big things happen.

Remember your truth.

Emily Moore of One Moore Emily and Moore Media Group reminded us to separate ourselves from our work. That we are so much more than just this one small part of our identity. When times are rough and we’re feeling defeated in business, we should remember our truth and don’t let this emotional low in one area of our life dictate everything about who we are.

I feel truly honored to have been able to present alongside these speakers about preparing your small business for hiring a team and encouraging the attendees of my session along on their journeys.

To learn more about The Reset Conference visit them online at www.theresetconference.com and follow them on Facebook and Instagram. Check out this great behind-the-scenes video of all the fun and learning that took place at this year’s event. Stay tuned to register for next year’s event taking place on March 22nd- 24th in Lexington, KY!

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5 Important Benefits of Quality Job Descriptions

Job description. The phrase itself just seems so “corporate-y,” right? You might feel like it’s a worn out, old document or a big company practice that just doesn’t fit your small, creative business. But you’re underestimating it’s mighty power if you think this way!

I happen to love job descriptions – like L-O-V-E them! 😍

Job descriptions can save you countless hours of precious time, loads of sanity, and time spent questioning yourself and can back you up in the future in cases of legal troubles. Job descriptions are all that and a bag of chips, my friend! #ilovethe90s

But the key here is that I love QUALITY job descriptions.

Quality Job Descriptions are Key

“Whadaya mean by ‘quality job descriptions,’ Ashley?” I mean that your job description needs to be full of the specific details of the job – and not just a bunch of fluff!

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for making work fun and infusing our businesses with tons of personality, which is one of the reasons I love being my own boss! But that doesn’t mean we have to sacrifice quality for character.

Avoid The Fluff!

Let’s take a look at a few things I’ve read in actual job descriptions that have made me cringe (and that you should avoid at all costs!):

  • Must love cupcakes (or puppy snuggles, pizza, the color pink, etc.)

These things have absolutely nothing to do with the job you’re hiring for and could actually cause you to discriminate against highly qualified candidates (yikes!). Unless you’re hiring someone to work as a taste tester for a cupcake shop, leave these types of fluff statements out.

  • Able to help me with ALL THE THINGS

What exactly are ‘all the things?’ And how do you know when you’ve found the person who can do those things? Not only is this impossible to hire for, it’s also confusing and demeaning to applicants. Just don’t!

  • Needed: Social Media Guru (or Rockstar, Ninja, Genius, etc.)

These terms are fun to use in jest, but again, they don’t really explain anything. Have you ever thought about this? One person’s guru might be another person’s average employee. #thingsthatmakeyougohmmm

When you’re specific about what you’re looking for, you’ll find the right person for the job. Flattery is not the way to go about finding them, though.

  • Must have a great personality – I can teach you the rest!

I agree that attitude is a big deal, but the person you will hire also needs to have at least some skills. Attitude is hard to gauge when someone’s on their best behavior (aka – in an interview with you). And do you really have time to “teach them the rest” since you’re hiring help? Probably not! Hire someone who’s better than you at the job you’re hiring for and then let them do it. 😉

Need some one-on-one help when strategizing for your small business? Hop on a 90-minute strategy call with me!

 5 Important Benefits of Quality Job Descriptions

Now that we’ve gone over what not to include in your job description, let’s talk about what a QUALITY job description can do for you!

Attract the Right Candidates

When you include specific, detailed, and relevant information in your job description, you’ll attract better candidates who know what you expect of the person you hire for this position. They’ll be able to better understand whether or not they can meet those expectations and you’ll get a better pool of qualified candidates to consider!

Ask the Right Questions

A high-quality job description will help you create interview questions that guide you to hire the right person for your team. If you’ve included something like “help me with all the things,” that will be hard to articulate into an interview question “So, Sarah, tell me about how you can help me do all the things.” What?! That’s completely unhelpful! (Need more help with asking the right questions? Check out this blog post that I wrote all about How to Interview with Confidence and Heart!)

Set Clear Expectations

Once you hire your new team member, you’ll be able to use the job description to go over the position, tasks, and responsibilities with your new team member and help them learn what’s expected of them in their new role. No more guessing or trying to figure it out as you go! Plus, they can use the job description as a guide for when they have questions or aren’t sure what to do next. Total win-win.

Create Goals that Matter

Creating a quality job description also allows you to help your team members set goals that matter and that are in alignment with the overall goals of your business. This will help your team feel connected to your business, see how they’re making significant contributions to your team, and have a clear understanding that what they do really does matter.

Hold Your Team Accountable

When things get off the rails (and they will if you work with a team of people long enough), a job description can easily help you get your team back on track. No more, “don’t you remember that conversation we had 7 months ago?” Now you can simply refer back to the job description as a reminder and do it with confidence and heart! (Still get the heebie-jeebies when you think about having those hard conversations with your team? Learn why it’s important to share tough love with your team and my favorite no-fail method in this two-part series here and here!)

There you have it! The five important benefits of quality job descriptions. Whether you’re getting ready to hire for the first time or you have a team in place already, it’s never too late to get a quality job description in place! I work with clients all the time who want help creating this important tool for their business, so they can be better leaders.

If you need a job description for your business, you can grab the same template I use when I work with clients in the sproutHR Template Shop! Want a little more one-on-one help? Grab a free spot on my calendar today!

Happy Sprouting! 🌱

Ashley

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The #1 Reason Why Hiring a Team Isn’t Right for Everyone

hiring a team

You hear it all the time – people are shouting from the Internet rooftops to:

  • “Outsource ALL the things!”
  • “Just hire a team already.”
  • “Work only in your zone of genius and delegate the rest.”

And on and on it goes.

Over time, you might start thinking to yourself, “In order to be successful, I have to hire a team.”

There are many myths out there about hiring a team and you might just start to feel pulled into believing one or two of them.

Your dreams slowly start to merge with the voices on the Internet, and soon you can’t tell where your voice begins and their voices end.

You start to feel nervous and maybe a bit overwhelmed.

“Do I really want to hire and lead a team?” you think to yourself.

If you stop and ask yourself this question, you might find your answer surprising.

Already know that you’re ready to hire a team and want some help with strategizing to make it happen? Hop on a 90-minute strategy session call with me!

I come across small business owners almost weekly who think they’re ready to hire a team. After talking to them for a bit, we realize they haven’t stopped to think about whether or not that’s what they really want.

And that can be a dangerous and slippery slope.

Running a small business is stressful enough in and of itself. Hiring and leading a team can take that feeling to a whole new level.

The #1 reason why hiring a team isn’t right for everyone is because it’s a HUGE responsibility!

As the manager and leader of your team, you’ll be responsible for your people from top to bottom, left to right, and everywhere in between. Everything begins and ends with you.

Many small business owners have never been in a management or leadership position before. So, it makes sense that they might not know exactly what to expect as a new leader.

If you don’t have much (or any!) management experience, let me help you get a strategy in place!

It’s important that you know exactly what you’re getting into when hiring a team. The Internet voices can make it seem simple and easy. But it’s a bit more complex than they might lead you to believe.

Here are just a few of the tasks you’ll get to add to your plate when hiring a team:

  • Ensuring your team is paid consistently, accurately, and timely
  • Following required federal and state employment laws
  • Sharing the big vision for your company and the why behind decisions you make
  • Helping your team set and reach business goals
  • Task delegation and management
  • Setting and maintaining clear and fair expectations
  • Holding your team accountable for doing their jobs correctly and on time
  • Ensuring a safe and legally compliant workplace
  • Rewarding and recognizing your team for their efforts
  • Handling team conflict and/or complaints
  • Providing regular feedback (positive and constructive) with each team member
  • Leading your team through change and adversity
  • Ensuring your team is being heard and feels respected

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, my friend! Before diving in head first, make sure you understand your new role and you’ll save yourself a lot of headaches.

Yes, hiring a team is a huge responsibility and one you shouldn’t take lightly. Once you’ve determined that you truly do want to hire a team, then you may start to experience a lot of fear.

I can help you quell some of that anxiety! Book a 90-minute strategy call with me and we can talk through the process.

Just like anything else we do in business, hiring and leading a team has a learning curve. Find out how to overcome the 5 most common fears about hiring in this guest blog post I wrote for Lauren Carns to help ease some of those worries and help you reach your goals.

Hiring and leading a team can be (and is!) a hugely rewarding experience. You should fully understand and commit to your new responsibilities before hiring your first team member.

Your future team will thank you for taking the time to step back, reflect and prepare for this important new role in your business!

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10 Simple (and Free!) Ways to Show Your Team You Appreciate Them

Close your eyes for a minute – no really, close your eyes – and think about the best boss you’ve ever worked for. Did this person do a great job at showing they appreciate you and your team? I would bet that he or she did.

Okay, you can open your eyes now.

Leading a team is about more than having an extra set of hands to help with the work, dishing out orders, and keeping the team on track.

It’s about building relationships based on mutual trust, respect, and rapport. And one of the best ways to do this is by showing your appreciation for all that your team does.

Did you know?

When asked what leaders could do more of to improve engagement, 58% of respondents replied, “Give recognition.” (source)

People crave recognition for a job well done. Leaders often fall into the trap of thinking that their team members only care about money. But time and time again, studies show that people want to be recognized and appreciated for their efforts. And guess what? It’s not that hard to do!

Did you know?

69% of employees would work harder if they felt their efforts were better appreciated. (source)

Wanna know the secret of getting your team’s best effort every day? Try thanking them for a job well done or treating them to a fun surprise. When people feel recognized and appreciated, they’re more loyal, more motivated, and will go above and beyond for you.

A little recognition can go a long way – both for your team and for the overall success of your business. If you’re not sure where to start, I’m here to lend you a hand! Today, I’m sharing 10 simple ways to show your team that you appreciate them (like, really appreciate them) without spending a cent!

1. Say “thank you” and mean it.

This is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to show appreciation is often overlooked. Saying thank you – and meaning it – is a great way to show your team that you see the great work they’re doing and you’re grateful. And don’t forget the little details that will take that thank you to the next level!

2. Give a handwritten note.

Never underestimate the power of a handwritten note. I still remember (and have) the handwritten card I received from a Senior Vice President at Kroger (where I worked for 11 years) thanking me for my work on a project. That card, written in his own handwriting and with specific details of why he appreciated my work, meant more to me than just about anything else he could have sent or done. Handwritten notes connect us as humans and are far more personal than a quick email fired off in the afternoon (although emails have their place, too). They take extra thought and care.

3. Shout your team out on social media.

Another super simple, quick, and free way to show your team appreciation is to shout them out on social media! A quick mention in an Instagram Story, some praise shared on your next Facebook post, or a quick tweet are all great ways to show your team some love. And, bonus – your audience will love this, too!

4. Praise them in front of the whole team.

Team meetings are a great time to show individual team members a little extra recognition. Being recognized by your boss in front of your peers is a pretty intoxicating feeling. And I guarantee they’re going to be even more jazzed to get back to work after the meeting’s over!

5. Reward a job well done with some extra free time.

Did a team member do an exceptional job on a client report? Were they able to troubleshoot a tech issue that you’ve been struggling with for a long time? Why not reward them with a little extra free time – on you! Maybe they can sleep in and start the workday a bit later. Perhaps they can take two hours for lunch instead of just one. Or how about letting them wrap up their week a bit early? What a fun way to show your team you care and boost that “work-life balance” culture you’ve been trying to implement.

6. Encourage peer praise.

Guess what? You’re not the only one who can (or should) give praise. Encourage your whole team to get in on the fun! This is an awesome way to build trust and respect between your team members – and for them to feel appreciated amongst one another. Consider setting up a “praise” list in Asana or a channel in Slack or a whiteboard in your office or breakroom where team members can leave a little love for their coworkers. Watch your team flourish as they recognize one another for that extra bit of help or for a job well done!

7. Implement a team trophy (physical or virtual).

This one may seem a bit cheesy at first but hang with me for a sec. Choose an item, any item – a series of 10 unicorn emojis placed by your team member’s name, a large foam wedge of cheese for their desk, or a dancing GIF that’s been tagged to a team member in Asana, etc. – to represent greatness in your company. Every Monday, award the “trophy” to the team member who went above and beyond the previous week. Your team will definitely give you the side eye in the beginning, but there’s something magical about a big wedge of cheese being on your desk that will change your team’s mind – and they’ll all be wondering where it will land next!

8. Highlight team members in your weekly newsletter.

Another great way to shout out your team members and give them a little public praise is to share about them in your weekly newsletter. You’ll not only make your team feel great, but your clients will love hearing about how awesome your whole team is and will be even more excited to work with you.

9. Provide opportunities to learn or do different things.

I know what you might be thinking here: “You want me to reward great work with more work?! Doesn’t that seem a little crazy?” Yes and no, respectively. Yes, I want you to give your team members opportunities to learn, try, and do new things because they’ve done an exceptional job for you. This will help destroy any silos that might be building up in your business, will give you a fresh perspective in different areas, and will keep your team members excited, learning, and growing. If you don’t have many opportunities for people to move up in their careers with you, this is a great way to continue challenging and rewarding them, while also avoiding boredom and burnout.

10. Talk to your team members about their big dreams and goals.

How often do you sit down with your team members and talk to them about their big dreams and goals for their lives and careers? I’ll bet the answer is probably, “Not often enough.” This shouldn’t be saved for a once-a-year performance conversation. These types of conversations should be taking place all year long. Goals change as people grow and learn new things about themselves and their opportunities. Take some time to grab a coffee (in person or virtually) with your team members and give them the floor to talk about their dreams – it’s a wonderful way to show them you care and are invested in their futures.

No matter how big or small your team is, or whether they work with you in-person or virtually, you can take a few minutes each week to implement some recognition into your culture.

I challenge you to commit to implementing one idea from the list above (or another idea you might have come up with while reading this post) with your team this week. Don’t overthink this – just choose what feels good to you and then make it happen.

The key to a thriving, energetic, creative, and engaged team is to show your appreciation for them every single day.

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5 Training Tips to Maximize Your Team’s Success

Training is something that a lot of businesses – big or small – struggle with. There are certain things you can do to maximize your efforts – and your team’s success. This week, I’m sharing 5 training tips to help you do just that!

1. Set Up Systems + Processes

Setting up clear systems and processes in your business is crucial. You should make sure to have these in place before hiring, when possible, and keep them up-to-date regularly.

Systems and processes help us run our business more efficiently and take the guesswork out of how to handle various daily tasks.

They also help us train our new team members more effectively. They are the road maps that our whole team can follow to arrive at the same destination most efficiently.

Systems and processes should be written down and easily accessible to all appropriate team members – which we’ll talk about next!

2. Create an Operations Manual

Where in the world should you keep all of these systems and processes? In an operations manual (or team playbook), of course!

This ops manual (for short) can easily be stored on and accessed in a shared folder or drive, like Google Drive.

Your ops manual is one of the best tools you can have for not only training your team, but empowering them to find answers to their questions on their own first. Which means they’ll be coming to you less often.

People generally like to be self-sufficient (yes, I know there are some who don’t – but that’s a different topic for another day). Most people would much rather be able to get the answers to their questions on their own – without bothering their boss.  

With an ops manual, it’s a win-win for both you and your team!

Now, this does not have to be a difficult process. Here’s my simple suggestion: Every time you perform a task, record the steps in a document. You can have someone make it look nice later on! The important part is that you get those steps written down and recorded in one easy-to-access location.

3. Have a Plan

There’s a lot to say about being prepared. When you have a plan for how you’re going to train your newest team members, you’ll feel more confident and they’ll feel like an important addition to the team.

Your plan doesn’t have to be elaborate or complicated. But, when you’re training your team, you need to have a plan. Things can quickly go off the rails, people can get sidetracked, and focus can be lost without a plan. All of which costs you time and money.

A basic outline or agenda of things you want to cover or share with your team is a good place to start. It allows you to cover everything you need to cover and can also be used to mark off completed items with your team members.

Having a solid plan in place ensures that all important topics have been covered and makes for a more efficient and streamlined process. This means your team gets up to speed more quickly and wastes less time.

Need to train your team members and still have questions or need more help? Let’s grab a quick call to figure out your next steps!

4. Time for Learning

Learning a new skill or process will take some time and there is almost always a learning curve. Be sure to build in time to all of your training plans for your team members to learn and build their skill proficiency.

The more complicated the task, the more time you should allow in your plan for your team to learn and consistently execute the new process or skill.

The less complicated the task, the less time you will need to add.

Many times, when people are under pressure and tight deadlines, they’re so busy focusing on getting in trouble for not performing or meeting the deadline that they’re not able to concentrate on learning the new skill. This leads to sloppy execution and lower retention of information. Neither of which are good for your business!

Letting your team know that there will be time allowed for them to learn and develop their new skills will give them a sense of ease and will increase their chances of performing the new task successfully – and more quickly!

5. Ask for Feedback

This is a big one that so many leaders miss. Asking for your team members’ feedback on their training (and about business in general) is absolutely essential.

We can learn so much from our teams on what we can do better or what they need from us as leaders. Maybe there wasn’t enough information provided during the training, or they didn’t feel like they could ask questions, or perhaps they didn’t have enough time to learn the skill.

On the flip side, we can learn what we did well and what they appreciated. You might hear a new team member say that they felt welcomed by all their new coworkers or they really loved the training process because they now fully understand and feel confident in their new role.

In either case, we should always be asking for feedback from our team members – whether they’re just getting started with us or have been with us for a while.

Your team members will feel important, heard, and included in the process when you ask for their input. This is a great way to build rapport, trust, and mutual respect with your team. Which ultimately leads to happier, more productive, long-term team members.

Final Thoughts

I hope these 5 quick tips help you develop a strong training experience with and for your team.

Training is all about sharing information, communicating clearly with your team, allowing them time to learn and practice their new skills, and listening to their feedback.

When done properly, you can develop long-lasting, positive relationships with your team members built on mutual respect and appreciation.

Need to train your team members and still have questions or need more help? Let’s grab a quick call to figure out your next steps!