Working With Me (Updated: Jan 2025)
This document is designed to help you understand how we work together effectively and ensure we’re aligned on expectations. It outlines key practices, preferences, and processes that I believe are essential for our success as a team. Think of it as a guide to how I operate and how we can best collaborate.
Here’s what to keep in mind as you review it:
- Purpose: This is a living document that provides clarity on communication, preparation, and accountability. It’s not about micromanaging, but about setting everyone up for success by being proactive and clear.
- Structure: Each section focuses on a specific area—like communication methods, meeting preparation, handling mistakes, or career growth. These reflect my priorities and the expectations I have for myself and for the team.
- Flexibility: If anything is unclear or feels like it could work better, let’s discuss it. This document isn’t set in stone; it’s here to evolve with us.
Feel free to read it thoroughly and ask me if you have any questions. It’s not meant to be overwhelming but rather a tool to ensure our work is organized, effective, and enjoyable. Let’s use it as a foundation for collaboration!
Take Ownership Of The Results Of Your Projects
I also do my very best to help you and give you those same things, but keep in mind I typically get around 200 - 300 inbound messages, pings, Slack messages, Basecamp posts, and LinkedIn notifications daily. I may also have anywhere from 3-6 meetings per day, so if I miss something, it's likely not on purpose.
Follow Up Proactively With Me
I try to stay on top of things, but please do not wait on me to respond or follow up if you need my response in order to proceed — reach out and explain that my input is needed. If I’ve asked you to work on something, see to it that the project is completed very well, on time, and on budget. Please do not assume that if you’ve asked me a question or need my input that this responsibility has passed back to me — you are on the hook until the work is done.
My preferred methods of follow-up are:
- Best: Basecamp todo with the assigned due date of when you need something by (or even the day before is OK). Share context: screenshots, notes, links to other Basecamp tasks, ect. Assume I can only view the information in that Basecamp todo to answer your question.
- OK: A ping or direct message on Basecamp—this is also the best option if you truly need a quick response, especially if you tag me. However do note I am often in 3 or 4 back to back meetings daily so sometimes a half-day delay can happen. If something is crazy urgent, iMessage texts catch my eye a ton better. For example: two step codes going to my phone.
- Worst option: An email or any other system notification.
Prep For Client Meetings
This applies mostly to our Client Success Manager team, but can also be relevant for any and all team members who are interfacing with a client on a call or meeting to review the account performance.
I do expect that you will prepare for client meetings on the BuildUp Bookings side to the best of your ability. Preparation includes:
- Reviewing Basecamp for outstanding todos, client comments, and other threads — even if you are not tagged on that thread.
- Reviewing Google Analytics data or any other performance data that is relevant.
- For monthly calls, reviewing prior month data and comparing it YoY (Year over Year) and MoM (Month over Month) for trends and results.
If you see a "red flag," try to bring this up the day before, not an hour before a call, so I have time to review things if needed. Proceed as though I will not do anything to prepare unless you initiate it, and also that I want all of us to be very well prepared for the call.
Client Email Style
Any written work product that will be sent to clients should have a high degree of polish. Build in sufficient time so that you can come back to the document with fresh eyes and do a serious edit. Brevity is valued. Read Strunk and White’s Elements of Style and Point Made for tips on good writing.
Client Status Updates
Every time a client calls or emails asking for a status update on a matter, we’ve failed to provide great service; it is our job to proactively inform the client before they start wondering. This means we need to give timing direction at the outset, and deliver or communicate at the promised time; and, for open-ended matters, provide updates weekly.
Feedback
If I mess up and don’t give you feedback where you feel feedback is needed, please bring that to my attention. I try to be good about giving assignments and good about giving feedback, but I’m not perfect. Please just ask or schedule 30 minutes on my calendar on the VIP link.
Scheduling
I try to keep my calendar up to date for scheduling purposes. Generally, you are free to schedule any open times for client purposes if needed from 9am - 4pm EST time. I dislike but will tolerate a meeting over 12-1pm timeframe if there are no other options that day, but if that leads to 7 straight meetings in that day, I'll probably be less-than-happy about it.
However, if a client need can be addressed quicker by you have a direct 1-1 chat, do that first and involve me only if you are stuck or a larger issue has popped up. If you have scheduling questions, ping me.
Billing & Hours
We do not track hours per team member or per project generally speaking unless I have given clear instruction to do so (less than 10% of our clients are billed hourly). However, reviewing the contract in Basecamp will let you understand roughly based on billings the amount of time a client should take (assume $100 per hour for simplicity sake).
For example, a client with a $2,000 retainer should get roughly a total of 20 hours per month of work of the entire team's time.
If you sense a client with a small retainer ($1k for example) is taking a LOT of team time, or some clients take WAY more time than others (more than 50% more than a typical client for an extended period of time), let's review this during our 1pm Friday CSM call.
Limits On Availability
I prioritize excellence and timeliness in our work. If you feel for some reason —whether other work demands, illness, family, whatever — that you will not be able to execute an assignment excellently and on time, just let me know. It’s all good! We have an amazing team and someone else can step in most likely or I can backfill for you in many cases. Sometimes you might figure this out “too late,” in which case I still suggest you tell me so that we can adjust.
Dealing With Mistakes
Everyone makes mistakes. I mean it — there is no way you’ll get through any one year of your time at BuildUp Bookings without screwing something up.
Try to minimize them, but understand they will happen regardless. Almost everything can be fixed—but many things can only be fixed if we move quickly.
So if you discover you’ve messed up, please bring it to my attention immediately. We’ll fix it together and, in all likelihood, everything will be okay.
Promotion To Next Level
One of my goals is that everyone who wants to grow at BuildUp Bookings can do so. If you feel like there is something else I can do to support your career growth and development, please tell me.
Communicate With Our Clients Often
I want to give you plenty of space to work and I do not want to crowd you. That being said, our clients like communication and want to be aware of what is going on at all times. This helps me stay out of your way.
Feel free to tag me if you think I need to see something in Basecamp, but if there truly is "no action needed" from my end, it's OK to skip the notification for me. Thank you :)
Managing Up
I value feedback on my performance. I wear around a dozen hats at BuildUp Bookings, and if you have suggestions for how I can be a better client/team leader, for how I can be a better overall people leader, or for how I or the company can be better overall, I hope you will feel confident in your viewpoint and share it with me. I may not always agree but I will never dislike your honest attempt to make BuildUp Bookings the best place possible to work.