Building a team has forced me to step up.

8 Oct

Over the last few months, I've brought two Associates on board with the The Pocket Strategist . I've shifted from being one plus a Virtual Assistant, to having two very talented Associates who can support our clients.

What's been surprising is how long it's taken me to adapt and transition into my new leadership role. I've managed big teams in my career, but bringing people into your own business is different. Very different.

Here's what's been interesting…

It's taken me a while to find my groove (And I'm still not quite there yet)

For the last five and a half years, I've worked on my own in the business (well, alongside a Virtual Assistant), and naively I hadn't considered the switch in mindset I'd need when taking on Associates. That I needed to shift my role back into leadership from doer. That I hadn't even realised I was in the 'doer' space!

I also knew I needed to step up business development activities to help build more work, and I had a plan (of course) but I hadn't considered the mental shift to actually action that plan. That it needed shifts in my thinking and pushing my comfort zone.

Where I'm having to step up

More intentional business development - I've always done BD, but now I need to be much more systematic about it. It's not just about keeping myself busy anymore - I need to create enough opportunities for three of us. That means being more strategic about partnerships, more consistent with networking, and actually following through on the plan I made months ago.

Speaking and workshops (gulp) - We need to do more talks and workshops to grow our brand and reach people who don't know about us yet. My Associates are brilliant at this and actually enjoy it. Me? Not so much. But I'm going to have to get over myself and just do it.

So if you know of any communities or events we should be approaching, let me know!

Systems that work for other people, not just me - My business was reasonably systemised - but for me. I knew where everything lived, how processes worked, what emails to send and when. But if I want us to work in the same way, I need to build the systems for the team to support that. Not an overhaul, but tweaking what I have to make it better.

The irony isn't lost on me

It's actually quite funny that all the things I work on with my clients - stepping into leadership, building systems that work for teams, being more intentional about business development - I'm now going through myself.

I'm having to make the exact mindset and leadership shifts I help my clients navigate. The difference between being a skilled doer and being someone who leads others to do skilled work. The discipline of planning ahead instead of winging it. The confidence to put yourself out there even when it's not your favourite thing.

It's fascinating experiencing it first-hand. And it means I can support my clients even better because I'm living through these challenges myself, not just theorising about them.

What's shifting

The accountability is different now. When it was just me, I could be a bit ad hoc with planning. Wing things when I needed to. But when you've got people depending on you for work and clear direction, you can't do that anymore.

I have to think further ahead. Be clearer about what we're doing and why. Make decisions more quickly instead of letting things sit in my head for weeks.

And actually? I'm finding it energising rather than stressful. There's something about building this with people who care as much as I do that makes all the stepping up feel worthwhile.

We're creating something none of us could build alone.

It's all part of The Long Game.

Katherine - Founder of The Pocket Strategist