So many founders have started their agency because they’re really good at something. I began my first agency because I knew all about search.
It took me a long time to realize that the job of an agency leader is not to make happy clients, but to create teams and systems that create happy clients. If your team isn’t getting the job done or if they’re not doing the things you wish they would, you have to ask yourself, “Have I done everything that I need to do in order to give them the resources to accomplish the goal? Do we have the right people? Do we have a process for everything? Are we clear in our definitions of success, done, complete, and ready to show the client?”
If your team isn’t doing the things you wish they were doing, it’s not their fault. It’s yours because you haven’t truly understood your role in the company. Your role is not to be the subject matter expert and make happy clients. Your role is to define the goals and outcomes you desire and build a system and a collection of people that deliver on that. It’s not the team’s fault. It’s your fault because you didn’t give them a clear enough destination, or the right number of resources, or the right process.
The way you help your team accomplish the goals you set is to be clear about them, be clear about what defines complete, be clear about the processes, and be clear that you have the right people with the right skill sets to execute those processes. If your team isn’t getting the job done, it’s on you. I know that sucks, but when you put the “C” in your title, it comes with the territory.
