I saw a question in my Facebook Feed if this year asking if “we plan to work more or harder?”
I answered with “work smarter”.
Ever since Alla and I launched I Need a Michee (INAM) last 2016, one cannot deny that during these times we’ve worked harder and worked more than we ever did.
When INAM grew bigger, we worked harder.
Good thing was, before we went crazy with being overworked, we started to build our team and delegate.
But somehow, drama ensued.
No matter how big our team grew, everyone was getting burnt out - including us. Towards the end of 2017, we had people quit and a couple of clients that moved on to a different direction.
It was during this moment that Alla and I realized, getting more clients and getting more team members does not equal growth. All we did was work harder and harder but at what cost?
So we went back to why we’re here and what we’re about.
We changed the way we hired.
We were stricter with applications.
We were more intentional with each question.
No compromises.
We will take our time.
Soon, we found an amazing team.
We also realized that we have to be as brutal as we are with hiring, when accepting clients. Gone are the days when we compromise with the clients that we accept. From the get go, from the exploratory call to on boarding, if something does not feel right, we will address it or let it go.
We will become more meticulous with who we bring on, whether it’s a team or a client. After all, both must be a culture fit.
So here we are. We re-grouped our team, our priorities and our goals. We now know that working hard is not enough.
We’ve got to work smart.
