DON’T MAKE ASSUMPTIONS

As you gain experience with the Votta Exercise and see it start to produce positive results in your own life and career, you may wish to share it with others, whether it be family, friends, or members of your team.
Whether you’ve recently left corporate America to start your own business, or you have always worked as anentrepreneur, it’s easy to assume other people see things the same way you see them. I do that all the time.

As a leader, you must do the work to create a specific agreement about what something means to you and the person you are working with—whether it’s an employee, a colleague, or a client—which means putting it in writing and gathering signatures. Do everything it takes to avoid potential hassles and frustration down the road. If you happen to be doing business with family, you might think this isn’t necessary. Do it anyway.

If you don’t work to create a plan with specific actions and structures, put it in writing, and agree to the terms, you will regret it. The integrity of your business depends on it. As a coach, I don’t often say people have to do something—I let them come to real- izations on their own. But when working with a family member, you have to create a written agreement. In my book, it’s not optional.

​Learn more about helping others through The Votta Exercise in my book "Controlling the Pause"!