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Business should be simple. And fun. |
Hey Reader
Years ago, when I was still figuring out how I wanted my business to run (and what kind of team I even wanted), I hired a social media manager.
At the time, I was also in a group coaching program, and during one session about delegating, someone shared a little story that stuck with me:
“If I tell someone to make a graphic with orange, and the orange isn’t exactly the shade I would’ve chosen—am I really going to make a big deal about it, or am I just going to move on because I’ve got bigger things to worry about?”
That hit me.
Like, okay—don’t sweat the small stuff. Just roll with it.
So I adopted a “good enough, keep it moving” approach.
Which in reality meant:
- I bottled up the small things I would’ve done differently.
- I didn’t give feedback on them.
- And over time, I started feeling like my SMM just didn’t get me.
- Eventually, I stopped delegating content altogether.
Then—because apparently I like learning lessons twice—I made the same mistake a year later.
When my operations manager joined my team, I told myself, “Everyone has their own way of doing things. Don’t nitpick the orange, Samantha.”
Plus, my ops manager was my mom.
And giving feedback to your mom? That’s an art form. (Luckily, she’s humble and gracious—thanks, Mom.)
Still, she’d do little things differently, and even when it made me uneasy, I stayed quiet.
Because, you know, I wanted to be the cool boss.
Except… the cool boss is also the one who starts feeling like things are drifting off course.
Like you’re losing control of your brand and processes.
Like you have to step back in where you swore you wouldn’t.
Yeah—way to go, Sam.
It took a few trip-ups to realize that as much as I wanted to be a “long-leash” leader, I also had high standards. And pretending otherwise didn’t serve anyone.
I had to learn how to give feedback in a way that was encouraging and collaborative—while still holding the bar high.
I share this because I see it in so many of our clients, too.
And to remind you: if I can learn to give nitpicky feedback to my own mom without turning into a cringey, orange-picking micromanager… you can absolutely do the same with your team.