Should Virtual Assistants Take Responsibility?
An interesting topic came up recently when I was speaking with a business owner - she had just recently started her very first relationship with a Virtual Assistant. Sadly, it was somewhat of a negative experience … this business owner now had a sour taste in her mouth about working with a VA.
It seems the main issue behind this business owner’s frustration was the lack of responsibility the VA took on items that she completed incorrectly. The VA simply dismissed these items, gave excuses or avoided responding to them all together.
The end result was that the business owner could no longer trust the VA and the relationship fell apart. The business owner felt that the VA had not honoured their relationship. Had the VA simply stood up and said, “I’m sorry, I messed up”, the business owner would have considered the issues as mistakes and learning lessons that each person could learn and become better from.
This made me think back to the *few* times that I’ve messed up. One time in particular that I remember hitting my head against the wall was when I sent out an ezine on behalf of my client but included the incorrect link throughout the copy. I was so upset at myself but I knew I had to come clean so I phoned my client immediately and told him what happened. His calm response shocked me … he said, “Well, these things happen. Don’t worry about it. If you can send an email out right away to make everyone has the right link, that would be great.”
When I called to confess I was expecting the worst. I mentioned my surprise and my client laughed - of course he wasn’t happy with the mistake but the fact that I came forward and took full responsibility for the error is what made the difference.
We’re all human and we’re all going to make mistakes or have things happen beyond our control that may result in an uncomfortable situation, however it IS our responsibility, not just as Virtual Assistants, but as people, professionals and partners to our clients to come clean and take ownership for things that we have done incorrectly.
Next time you make a mistake, be sure to take ownership and claim responsibility - it may not be comfortable but it will likely turn in to a positive lesson learned rather than a negative ending to a client relationship.
September 7th, 2008 at September 7, 2008 - 1:11 pm
Hi,
I hate when I read stories about business owners that have a bad experience with a VA. I don’t like how it always seems like it’s the VA’s fault. I think in these situations there is always some blame that needs to be attached to the business owners. I’m not defending any VA that can’t do their job properly but the business owner needs to take responsibility for the relationship between them and their VA. They need to make sure, especially in a new relationship, that expectations are spelled out.
I think business owners also need to understand that all VAs are not equal. If they have a bad experience with one VA it doesn’t mean that all VAs are going to be the same. They should be grateful. They have now learned something valuable that they can then apply to finding their next VA who will better serve their needs. Or if the relationship did not end, they can redefine to their VA what would be better for their business.
That being said I do not disagree with your statements about taking responsibility when you’ve made a mistake. In fact I wholly agree. I’ve found that it’s easier to be upfront and admit when you’ve done something wrong and to do it right away. If you procrastinate it becomes harder and harder to do.
Haley
November 10th, 2008 at November 10, 2008 - 9:34 pm
Haley … thanks for your comments. You are absolutely correct - ‘bad experiences’ are certainly not always the fault of the VA.
I too have found it easier to be upront and admit my error instead of trying to let it slide. The same goes for our clients or anyone at all …