The Investment You Can't Skip

Most people hire global talent backwards.

They're drowning in work.

They need help.

So they hire someone and immediately dump everything on them, expecting instant results.

Then they wonder why it doesn't work.

The problem is simple: You can't skip the setup.

I was talking with Binsi about this last week. 

She's been working with me for eight years now, started as what most people would call a "VA."

Today she's our Managing Director - but that didn't happen by accident.

It happened (among other reasons) because we invested time upfront.

Here's what most people get wrong:

They hire someone because they're too busy to do the work themselves.

But then they're too busy to teach that person how to do the work.

You can't have it both ways!

The real cost of hiring

When you bring someone new onto your team, budget two weeks.

Not two weeks of their salary.

Two weeks of your time.

Fifteen minutes a day.

One hour per week.

For two weeks.

More is better - but thats a good starting point.

During those two weeks, you're not just checking in…. you're teaching context.

How you communicate.

What you care about.

How decisions get made.

Why things work the way they do.

Without context, even the smartest person will struggle.

What good onboarding looks like

Every new person needs to learn the basics that we take for granted:

• How we communicate (Americans are more direct than most cultures expect)

• When to take initiative (always) vs. when to ask permission (rarely)

• How meetings work (we start on time)

• What tools we use and why

• Who does what around here

Most companies assume people just know this stuff. They don't.

The compound effect

Here's the thing about investing time upfront: it compounds.

Those two weeks turn into years of someone who actually gets it.

Who knows how you think.

Who can handle new situations without constant guidance.

Germaine started with us doing basic tasks.

Today (several years later) I can throw anything at her and know it'll get done right.

MJ, Hugo, Sof, Anya - same story.

But none of that happens if you skip the foundation.

A better way

We're launching something called Global Talent 101, as a part of Sagan U.

Five days, one hour each.

Covers all the basics that every new hire should know about working in an American business context.

It's not company-specific training!

It's culture training. Communication training. The fundamentals.

Any company can send their new hires through it.

Gets them up to speed on the basics so you can focus on the specifics.

The real question

Are you worthy of great talent?

Because great talent wants to grow. They want real responsibilities. They want a career, not just a job.

If you're still thinking in terms of "virtual assistants" who just execute tasks, you're thinking too small.

The best global talent are professionals who happen to live somewhere else.

Treat them like professionals and you'll get professional results.

Skip the investment and you'll keep cycling through people who never quite work out.

The choice is yours.

Invest two weeks upfront and build a team that lasts for years.

Or keep wondering why "global talent doesn't work" while burning through person after person.

One approach builds a business. The other burns time.

Choose wisely!

Yallah Habibi,

Jon

Some People You Should Hire: