How a Pro Leads Remote Talent

Hiring good talent and retaining that talent is key to running and scaling a successful business. We’re wrapping up our three-part series with Larry Zogby, President of RDS Same Day Delivery, who has eight WBN remote professionals. He’s already shared with us how he interviews and onboards his talent, and now he’s sharing insight on how he leads them. 

Larry has found that as his business grows, he’s spending more and more time as a leader, mentor, and coach to his employees—building connections and relationships are his priority.

He schedules a fifteen-minute video call once a week with each of his remote employees and twice a week with his direct reports. Though talking about the organization and its role is important, Larry’s main goal is more profound. 

“The people that don’t report [directly] to me, it’s never about the job,” he said. “It’s more or less how are they doing, how do they feel, do they like their job, what do they want to do…it’s about what they’re trying to achieve in their lives and how can I help them get there.”

He believes it’s up to leaders to understand the role they play in employee growth and put forth the effort to make it a successful working relationship. “If [leaders] just give [employees] a task and a job, that’s all they’re going to get. If they invest time, effort, and energy into growing them—just think of a farmer—you’re going to grow them,” he said. 

It’s an effort worth giving when it comes to WBN talent. In Larry’s experience, WBN professionals are incredibly eager to grow and succeed.   

It’s a leader’s job to ensure that their employees are growing personally and professionally and that they feel supported—whether it be through education, personal commitment, financials, rewards, time off, or education. 

“If I’m going to grow and scale a great company, I have one responsibility,” Larry said. “I have to be committed to what their personal goals are. And I have to be open to what I can do to help you grow as a human.”

In fact, Larry recently provided support to a WBN professional who was leaving RDS after two years to pursue her goal of becoming a nutritionist. “She gave us everything she had and we needed to lift her to help her get where she was going… not just with money but with love. And she’s always going to be a part of our family,” he said. 

When Larry was first introduced to WBN, he admits he had trouble wrapping his head around the idea of hiring overseas remote talent. Eventually, there was an opportunity for him to try it—and the only thing he regrets is not doing it sooner. 

“At 58 years old, and 36 years of being in business, I would advocate to anyone in your community that they have a responsibility to use funds from the business, even if they don’t believe in it, to test it. If we’re not using corporate money to test new ideas, we’re screwed. I can promise your community you’ll get a return on your investment 10X. If you onboard it right, treat it right, farm it right, groom it right… you’ll be like me saying ‘I wish I did this 10 years ago.’”

Watch the full video to learn more about successfully leading WBN talent. 

Catch up on the rest of the series! Hear it from a pro: How to successfully interview and onboard WBN talent.