By working basically alone in the digital space for the first year or so, it was a tough transition for me when we formed our company and it started to grow so quickly. Previously I just did everything myself. So there was no delegating of tasks and no communicating with others to get things done. As we hired our first few people, I had to force myself to allow others to perform tasks I was used to doing myself. The biggest problem I had was trust, after all, my daddy scorched into my brain the phrase, “If you want something done right, you must do it yourself!”

However, I was part of the hiring process, and it soon came to me that if I did not start to trust the people I worked with, than that meant I did not trust my own skills in finding the right people! So I dug deep and started to let go of this foolish wall, and it was one of the best things I have ever done! Now our team is flowing like a mighty river and we are growing and moving faster than I could have ever imagined!

I would like to take a moment and share with you 5 things that really helped me become a better project manager. Follow this advice, and watch your production soar!

1. Share your vision clearly: This one can be very tough, especially working in a fast paced and creative field like digital media. However, the more clear you can make your vision, the better you will understand it yourself. Sometimes our creativity can trap us into thinking we are moving forward and that the idea flow is productive. However, everybody has ideas, but it is the execution that breeds success. What helped me initially was creating an elevator pitch for any vision I had. Then I would bust out a whiteboard and post up numbers from 1-10. Then I would fill in the action steps needed to reach my end goal next to those numbers. If it took more than 10 steps, I knew the idea was too complex and must be broken down for others to understand. Bottom line, keep it simple.
2. Communicate: Again, in a fast moving and creative environment, communication is everything. Things change on a dime, and your entire team needs to be ready for it. (Google + anybody?) Send out an email with a basic checklist clearly defining what needs to be done for that day/week, and have the team send it back to you when completed. Make sure that you are accessible to the team for quesitons as well, but don’t mico-manage. If you feel the need to micro-manage then you might have either hired the wrong team, or you are the wrong person for the job.
3. Execute with the Team: Just because I stated not to micro-manage does not mean to be hands off. After all, people are only human and you are ultimately responsible for their production. The best way to build an amazing team is to be in the trenches with them. Make sure that you are not just barking orders, but helping out with the execution. This will not only build comradery, but help you understand any of the challenges that pop up so you can help create better solutions.
4. Build Trust: If you have created a clear vision, are communicating effectively, and in the trenches with you team, then you have successfully created an environment conducive to building trust. A team that is built on trust will always be more productive than a paranoid bunch always looking over their shoulder.
5. Say Thank You:  I used to work with a guy who honestly believed thanking someone was handing them a paycheck. Personally, I found it demeaning and simply out of date thinking. A simple “Thank you for all of your hard work!’ can go a long way, especially when team building and working hard to make projects successful. A project is not only about the end result, but the entire journey that it takes to get there.

These 5 things really helped me, and I hope they help you too! If you have any feedback, a different way to do business, or would like to add even more tips to help others, please feel free to add them into the comment section below.

LOVE IT!

Harrison Painter