#273: How to Build a Self-Managed Team with Theresa Loe

I never imagined myself having the team I do now. I also can’t imagine subscribing to the old idea of what it means to be a “boss”. I've learned a lot about what works and what doesn't when it comes to working with a team, especially with all of the hiring we've been doing over the past few months. That's why I was so excited to sit down with Team Building and Leadership Coach, Theresa Loe to talk about building a self-managed team. I truly believe that building a team that’s aligned with your values is one of the secrets to not just building more revenue or success, but to enjoying the process. If you’re thinking “Amy, I’m so not even close to ready to build a team” — hey, that’s okay! But when you are ready (and trust me, one day you will be and it might come sooner than you think) this is the kind of insight I want you to have so you can save yourself from making painful hiring mistakes (trust me, I’ve been there). Theresa has cracked the code on how to find, grow, and lead a self-managed team, and she is sharing her best insights today: [11:17] Having a self-managed team means putting yourself in the CEO position and having people under you who are all responsible for their own projects. When you have a great idea the team can execute and make it happen. [13:58] Mindset is the number one strategy for building a self-managed team. Think about what you want your day to look like, and then slowly reverse engineer how to take everything else off of your plate. [18:01] Hire based on attributes. Make sure they are aligned with you, your vision, and your core values. People can be trained on tools but not on character. Write down the attributes that you want then put up a gauntlet to see if applicants have these attributes. [26:43] Hand off responsibilities, not tasks. Make everything a project. Instead of a one-off blog post, make them responsible for content management including scheduling, analytics, and reporting. [29:39] Communication is key. Have a clear description of what "done" means. Be very clear about expectations but nurture your team to make decisions for themselves. [33:18] You can create a feedback loop by recording any changes that you had to make to a project. Empower your team with resources. [35:20] You can start small and hire someone for a few hours a week. You need to look at those freed up hours as gold and use them for money-making activities to free up cash to add more free hours. This episode is sponsored by my Free Masterclass all about kick-starting your list building efforts. You need to grow your email list every day to have a healthy business. All of the social media posts in the world can't do for you what a viable email list can.