My family loves to ride our bikes. We do it daily for exercise and also to hang out and spend time together.
A while back, my daughter, Addie, and I were riding our bikes as usual and came to an area with a broken trail. I went ahead to cross that section but saw my daughter getting off her bike ready to walk it off in fear she couldn’t make it through on her bike.
I didn’t mind that, but I also knew that if she doesn’t do it now, she’ll just get off her bike and walk every single time she’s in the same situation.
I nudged her with some encouragement. She also knows that I won’t push her to do anything that I know she couldn’t do. And more importantly, that I was there for her when she does it. That made her get back on her bike to try… failing and crashing, only to get back up, crashing, and trying again. She crashed at least 4 times, but that didn’t stop her. And she managed to ride through. It was a feat. It was a good day.
Thinking about it now, I realized that this may be a common scenario for some employers with their OFS. When the OFS encounter a problem, there are instances where they either stop trying (and disappear) or they take the easy way like asking us what exactly they should do next. And that’s not a bad thing.
But I don’t want my VAs to stop trying, let alone not try at all. No employer wants that. But it’s also our job as the employer to be the support system for them when they’re stuck. You want to trust them just as much as they trust you to maintain a relationship. And when you do that, they become more loyal and go beyond expectations.
All my current OFS know that they have access to me when they really need support. I look at their daily reports. I don’t always respond, but I often do. I provide feedback on their work. I nudge them to do better and try new things.
If you want my help finding an OFS, look at http://www.OneVAAway.com
John