Quoted by 37signals on May 4 2011:
What’s more, delegating isn’t easy for me. Even though the paperwork and other chores were piling up, I still had a hard time letting go. I have a feeling I’m not alone in this. It’s tough for the person who started the business to begin to let go. For more than a decade, I’ve been involved in every decision at this company, from which hosting company to use to what brand of paper towel goes in the kitchen. When you’re that used to having every decision run through you, it can be a bit unnerving to surrender control. I understand that it’s silly to believe that every small decision needs to run through you. But it’s such a primal instinct when your business is your baby.
Got a web design project in mind? Find a web designer on Sortfolio. Browse by visual style, portfolio, budget, and geographic location.
Over 1 million people use 37signals' simple web-based software to collaborate on projects, track contacts, and organize their business with an intranet.
8 comments so far
Anonymous Coward 04 May 11
That’s a loooong article that never actually answers the question the article was set out to answer, that being … “How to hire an assistant”.
(The article makes it sound like they just magically found Andrea, and doesn’t describe HOW they found her)
JF 04 May 11
AC: I agree. I don’t like the title of the article. I don’t get to write the titles – that’s the editor’s job. It should have been “Why I hired an assistant” or “When to hire an assistant”.
bill 04 May 11
I used to work for a relatively large privately held company called Cook Medical. Mr. Cook was the founder and owner of the company and had been for 40+ years.
He was partly retired by the time I worked there, but he was intimately involved in everything he and the company did.
I remember my boss coming to me one day and telling me the new logo we had put on the website a mere 1 hour before needed changed “immediately” because Mr. Cook didn’t like a part of it.
He had been trying to get out of daily decisions I suspect which is why the logo went live before he noticed, but he still had a strong opinion about how the company was run and how it represented itself to customers.
Mr. Cook recently passed away and the viewing was held in the lobby of the company headquarters. The viewing went on all day and it was estimated 5000 people paid their respects that day.
I didn’t work there long, but have many friends that were long time employees and knew Mr. Cook personally and he knew them, it was probably the best company I have ever worked for.
There are many stories about Mr. Cook from those friends about how involved he was. When I was a kid and in the Drum and Bugle Corps he helped found and sponsor, he used to visit us on tour and helped drive the bus, help in the kitchen, and work with the staff. It was exciting to have him around giving us advice and taking a keen interest in what we were doing.
Anonymous Coward 04 May 11
@JF
You’re two prosed titles would have been perfect.
(though, in all fairness – I probably would have been less likely to have read the article with those titles).
Brandon 04 May 11
I have a very small company, and I even feel that pain. I really need the help that I can get, but there is just something in me that hates to surrender my decision making and my control. But, if I want to be productive, to grow my business, I must learn to surrender a bit more. Great article, and great insight! Thanks!
Killian Tobin 04 May 11
I have found that having an executive who shows a tight handle on day-to-day operations is a positive indicator of the quality I can expect from that company.
David O. 04 May 11
Markus 05 May 11
Would be interested to hear Andrea’s side of the story. What’s her motivation to go for a job with limited carrer options? And why did she leave a job she liked? Maybe worth a blog post as well, if the question isn’t to “private” for her to answer.
Comments are closed