“I don’t have the time to train people”
Don’t! Teach them as you go and document every step of the way.
Every time I did a task for the first time, I opened a google doc called “Team Training” and documented the process. I also used Loom to make videos of my screen doing these tasks.
Let them train themselves
My policy is “Google First. Ask Second.” It’s my status on Slack, so my team is constantly reminded not to ask me things they can find on the internet. I also encourage collaboration between team members - that’s what slack is for. I’ve grouped members of the team according to their role, so they have a dedicated channel to “talk shop”. I also ask them to document all their steps in our internal company files so that, whether they forget, or we hire someone else to join the team, the knowledge exists beyond someone’s brain.
Explain the vision.
This isn’t some airy-fairy mission statement. Explain to them why you’re building this business, the impact you want to have and how their role fits in the greater picture. This not only gets them excited, it also gives them ideas to support the realization of that vision.
Here’s the vision I’ve shared with our team:
At PressFixer, we make it possible for people with big ideas to change the world by removing items from their to do list. Our goal is to provide a service so valuable, our clients feel like they’re ripping us off.
Now that the excuses are gone. Let me show you how it’s done...