The outsourcing workplace is an ever-changing environment. Lately, the outsourcing industry is being infiltrated by many businesses. The leader of a startup cannot handle management, supplies, accounting, marketing, and all other tasks required for business growth. They have two solutions: to hire more employees or to outsource specific tasks to freelancers or specialized services.
Can outsourcing be part of the principles of leadership and management? It’s a complex debate that involves several key points. When the leader hires a team from the outside, they don’t have complete control over everything they do.
They can assign goals, but the third-party team tends to be flexible about the ways those goals are being met. They already have managers in their own company, so can they be led from the outside?
Build a Team; Don’t Buy It: Is That a Rule You Can’t Break?
Many leaders stick to the rule: you don’t buy a team; you build it! Their arguments are strong. When you request peak performance, you must hire long-term employees who will identify themselves with the brand’s vibe.
Take Coca-Cola as an example. This is a company that can easily outsource a marketing campaign to the best agency in the world. But it doesn’t. It has its own marketing team and it hires qualified experts to become part of it. That’s the right strategy to follow if you want to infiltrate leadership in the management at all levels.
A great performance can be bought by outsourcing. However, consistent and strong results require full focus that a remote team cannot deliver. They work on several other projects at a time.
That being said, this is not a rule that a company cannot bend or even break. Startups can greatly benefit from outsourcing certain tasks, such as marketing, writing, and accounting.
When they don’t have the resources for full-time employees, outsourcing is the best thing to do.
Support and Nurture Your Team
Let’s answer this question: what is leadership in management? The usual understanding of leadership involves a strong leader setting a vision or a direction for the entire team.
Management, on the other hand, focuses on controlling and directing resources and team members toward that vision. When outsourcing, another company’s management is responsible for control over specific tasks.
Business leaders have three options for creating a team:
- The build model (they hire people for all positions, and they nurture them through all stages of their career journey)
- The buy model (they outsource positions)
- The hybrid model (they develop a team by mixing talent from within and outside of the company)
The build model isn’t always an option. When leaders have to outsource, they have to support and nurture that team, too.
As an outsourcing manager, your responsibility is to connect your team with the leadership of the company they work for. You’ll share the brand’s vision with all team members, so they won’t rely on dry instructions.
Let Your Team Know about the Product’s Customers
Every team naturally looks to leadership or management when they need direction. When outsourcing specific tasks, leaders leave the role of guidance to a manager from the outside. The outsource manager provides all instructions and offers genuine support for the team’s work.
CEO Magazine published an interesting article: Are you outsourcing your change leadership? The ultimate conclusion is that leaders need to lead, no matter whether they outsource or not. The outsource manager has to make the team aware of all challenges, deadlines, and goals.
Recognize What the Team Can Really Handle
How do you grow from a manager into a leader? – By providing constant support and setting a vision for your team. You’ll align that vision with the vision of the company you work for. You’ll always guide your team with the vision of growth, but you have to be aware of its limitations.
When negotiating a deal with a company, ask yourself: can my team really handle this? If you’re managing a marketing team that’s never faced a task of this magnitude, maybe you’ll need to provide additional training for them.
When you recognize a challenge, make sure to offer any support for your team to overcome it. That’s what a real leader should do.
Can an Outsource Manager Be a Leader?
Yes, the outsourcing manager can be the leader of an outsourced team. When your team works on versatile tasks for different brands, they need constant leadership that feels familiar. However, never forget that the client is everyone’s leader for the task.
As a manager, your responsibility is to reflect the specific values of the brand through your leadership. You have to fill in the gap, so your team won’t feel disconnected from the brand’s vibe.
Remember your team’s strengths and limitations, choose the right jobs for them, and always provide support. That’s the right recipe for success.
Related Articles
How Do Outsourcing Managers Become Leaders?
If you have ideas you feel like sharing that might be helpful to readers, share them in the comments section below. Thanks!
Would you like to contribute a post?
