Give Them Someplace to Grow

You’ve been the chief cook and bottle-washer for too long, and the frustration finally got to you. You took the step you resisted and became an employer. You ran the gauntlet of interviewing and hiring. Your staffer is gaining traction, and you are reaping the fruits of your decision.

For one thing, you’re better positioned to accept referrals, especially the ones with last-minute deadlines. And you finally have time to cultivate those referral sources you always wanted to talk to.

So, what’s the problem? None. Yet.

For the first year – or maybe even two or three – your staffer grows and takes on increasing responsibility. If you are lucky enough to hire someone with relevant experience, you might be handing off as much work as she can handle. The better she is, the happier you are about filling her plate and being even more productive.

Sooner or later, she’ll notice that her learning curve has flattened. She may ask to take on parts of your role that you’re not prepared to give up. Worse, she may suppress her frustration until it explodes. In either case, an ounce of prevention can help you avoid the pain of losing her – and starting over.

• Hire with headroom. You hired an experienced professional because you had no time to train. Maybe you went for someone with enough experience to immediately take over big chunks of your role. By definition, that person will have less room to grow and be quickest to be frustrated. Compromise by making sure your staffer has headroom.
• Take her along. Young professionals lack a grasp of the ‘big picture.’ Expose them too early, and you will confuse them. There will come a time when it makes sense to take your staff to meet with clients and attorneys. Not on every engagement, of course, or your staff would never get any work done. Select engagements, coupled with dialog about what the staffer just observed, can add depth to her experience and value to her work.
• Hire below and push upward. It could be that the only way to let your staff take on more of your role is to bring someone on board to support her. You take a big step toward building loyalty by involving her in hiring and supervising the next person.

Hiring an experienced staffer isn’t the answer for every small shop. When it makes sense for you, ensure you’re giving that staffer someplace to grow.