In the past few posts, we’ve been talking about the various elements that all delegation should possess in order to make for a successful project. Providing a vision of the business so the Virtual Assistant knows how their small project fits into the big picture was the first MUST HAVE. Providing clear instructions was the second MUST HAVE. Providing success factors (measurable if possible) was the third MUST HAVE. There’s a fourth element that all successful delegation should have.
Feedback
In an employer/employee setting, feedback is often a formalized event - say, a quarterly review. These are planned occasions when an employer prepares a document that has outlines the employee’s performance based on a series of factors (success factors!!!) and then goes over the document with the employee.
That works in situations like the employer/employee relationship because the employee performs ongoing work. It’s not project based and it’s simply not practical for the employer to review the employee after every specific accomplishment.
However, in the entrepreneur/VA relationship, a post-project review is more helpful and more realistic. This is because the relationship is project based. Of course, the review does not have to be as lengthy or formalized as the quarterly employee review! However, every project should end with a brief review. At the very least, even something like “great job!” or “well done!” lets your Virtual Assistant know that you received the project and that it looks good and the project can be crossed off their list.
That’s the most basic of reviews and is often sufficient, especially when the VA has an ongoing project that they perform.
But on newer projects or larger projects, a slightly more detailed feedback is helpful. In this case, here is how to create the most productive feedback possible:
- First, list what your VA did well. Outline the positive elements of the work and thank him for his work.
- Second, list how the project could have been done differently. In some cases, it might not be worth changing anything, so telling them how it could be done differently is purely information for the next time the project comes up. But in other cases, it might be exactly what the VA will use as a “to do list” to go back and work on the project again.
Let’s look at an example of great feedback so you can model your feedback after it:
“Rambo,
Thanks for completing the social media marketing plan. I like that you incorporated all the different elements that I asked for and I appreciate that you even included a couple of additional social networks I hadn’t considered. That’s great!
Could you revisit the project for me to revise two things? I’d like to change the name of my business listed in Facebook. You’ve listed my incorporated business but I’d rather just use my own name. Also, can you check on the Twitter bio? I think the grammar is incorrect.”
See how that followed the positive/make-changes format and yet still came out as a very constructive feedback? It’s that simple. Outline what you liked and what you would like changed. In an upcoming post we’ll talk about what you can do if the project goes really wrong.
Homework
Go through your recently received delegated projects and see if you can provide feedback in the format above.
Remember
Your VA won’t know unless you tell them… both the work that’s good and the work that needs improvement.