Leading and Managing a Staff of Subcontractors and Freelancers
For the past several years I’ve been a solopreneur. That is, I’m a company of one. Initially I offered consultancy services. Then I added periodical publishing to the mix and phased out the consulting work.
I later added commercial freelance writing, while authoring and publishing books. My latest iteration focuses entirely on books.
When you oversee a company of one, many assume that leadership and management become a non-issue. But I assure you, this is not true.
Lead and Manage Yourself
Though it may at first seem strange to say, it’s critical to lead and manage yourself. This is even more important as a solopreneur than as an entrepreneur or businessperson.
Working on your own requires self-discipline. It demands sacrifice. There’s the ever-present reality that if I don’t do it, it doesn’t happen.
And if I procrastinate, I won’t complete my work on time. And when disaster strikes, I—and I alone—am responsible to handle it. There’s no one else to help. Therefore, it’s critical to lead ourselves well and manage our work with excellence.
This idea of leading and managing self, however, doesn’t just apply to the solopreneur. Wise leaders and managers realize the need to lead and manage themselves too. This is regardless of the size of the organization or the role they’re in.
No one will take care of ourselves like we can. That’s why it’s critical to do just that. With intention, we must lead and manage ourselves every day.
Lead and Manage Subcontractors
Though a solopreneur has no employees, they tap into array of independent specialists, freelancers, and subcontractors. For the sake of simplicity, we’ll call them all subcontractors.
As a solopreneur, I’ve always relied on a group of carefully vetted subcontractors to handle areas I’m not skilled at or don’t have time to complete.
This has varied over the years but, at any given time, I’ve always had about a half dozen subcontractors providing services for me that I can’t do myself. They hail from around the world, often working when I’m not. For many, English is a secondary language, which requires careful communication to avoid misunderstandings.
Though some have worked on single projects and others for a season, most perform ongoing tasks. Once I accepted the idea of tapping subcontractors as opposed to hiring staff, I readily embraced the idea.
When a 40-hour-a-week employee leaves, you’re suddenly confronted with forty hours of work you need to figure out how to deal with. The solutions vary between hiring a replacement, delegating aspects of the job to other employees, or doing the work yourself.
Occasionally you realize that some of that former employee’s work is nonessential and not needed for the ongoing viability of the business. Therefore, it’s safe to discontinue some of that person’s work.
In contrast, when the subcontractor leaves, it’s one defined task to deal with. It’s usually a straightforward process to find another subcontractor with that skill set.
Yet to be effective, you must lead and manage these subcontractors. In some ways, leading and managing dispersed workers who are not on the payroll is harder than managing those who are.
I only ever met one of my subcontractors in person. And only a few have I interacted with through video conferencing. Most exist by name only behind the veil of an email or app.
It might be easy to dismiss subcontractors as a commodity and treat them poorly because they’re easy to replace. But this is a shortsighted perspective.
Treat them with respect, and they’ll be more apt to respect you. Give them your loyalty, and they’ll be more disposed to be loyal to you. Be fair to them, and they’ll be more prone to be fair to you. Do more than expected for them, and they’ll often do more than expected for you.
Just as it’s easy to end a relationship with a subcontractor, it’s also easy for a subcontractor to end their work with you. This is especially true if their skills are in demand. When this is the case, they replace demanding or low-paying clients with those who are easier to work with or pay better.
Because of this, I work to foster good working relationships with all my subcontractors. I strive to be understanding, patient, and accommodating—sometimes to a fault—so they can realize a better work-life balance and achieve their goals.
Though I have had to let some virtual assistants go because of performance issues, I’ve never ended a work relationship with any of my other subcontractors. Our work arrangement ends by their choice when their focus, priorities, or needs change. As far as I know, we’ve always parted on good terms.
Though I’ve always strived to have good working relationships with employees, it’s also important to lead and manage subcontractors well.
Leadership and Management Success Tip
Don’t overlook caring for your subcontractors—or yourself. Success depends on it.
Read more in Peter Lyle DeHaan’s book Sticky Leadership and Management, featuring his compelling story-driven insights and tips.
Peter Lyle DeHaan is an entrepreneur and businessman who has managed, owned, and started multiple businesses over his career. Common themes at every turn have included customer service, sales and marketing, and leadership and management.
Peter shares his lifetime of business experience and personal insights through his books to encourage, inspire, and occasionally entertain.