As a business owner, your Virtual Assistant’s performance will have a direct impact to your business. If your VA is demotivated and performs poorly, your business will feel the blow. On the other hand, if your VA feels empowered and performs excellently, they become an engine propelling your business to success.

When Kelvin and I started empowering our team, we have seen massive changes in their performance. They started taking ownership of their roles. They became more proactive in accomplishing tasks. They looked after customers better.

Indeed, empowerment is a key ingredient in successfully managing teams, including Virtual Assistants. So how do I do it? Here are a few tips for you:

Listen intently. People feel valued when they are heard. Create an environment where they feel safe to share their ideas and provide their feedback without being judged. When we listen, we actually learn more about our VAs and helps us build better working relationships with them.

Appreciate their effort. A research conducted by Bersin by Deloitte found that organisations that regularly give thanks to their employees far outperform those that don’t. Appreciation doesn’t always come in the form of incentives. It can be a simple ‘thank you’ email or you can take time to recognise the person in front of his or her peers. When people feel appreciated, they will always do more than what is expected of them. Motivated VAs mean increased business productivity.

Set a good example. One of the powerful ways to empower your VA is to set a good example and be the living and breathing example of your business culture. If your business values time and punctuality, you need to be the first to show this value. If you value communication, you need to communicate openly with your team. It will be easier for your VA to also adapt to your business’ culture, rules and procedures if you are leading them by example.

Encourage them to become problem-solvers. When your VA comes to you with a challenge, instead of offering them a solution straight away, ask them a question instead. Some of my favorite questions are, “What do you think can we do to solve this challenge?” or “What do you think can we do differently?” Asking questions provides them a sense of responsibility and a sense of involvement in problem-solving.

Be an inspiration. This may sound the hardest but inspiration is the most powerful way to empower someone. When I started sharing our stories with the team, how we started in business, our failures and successes, a lot of them came back to me feeling inspired and motivated to do their part. They understand the business more and why we are doing what we do.

It all boils down to this: an empowered Virtual Assistant is an asset to any business. They will not only do the work, but they will also go the extra mile to help your business succeed.