Who on your team should sweat the details?

Details are the difference in our (or any) business. A simple punctuation in a copy line can ruin it or make it sing. A string of code incorrectly written on a website can turn disastrous. An incorrect phone number in an ad can get your agency fired. A simple change in daypart mix can make your media buy more (or less) effective.

Not getting the small details right is without a doubt what keeps managers up at night. You've got so much that could go wrong. Your fears and anxieties about missed details have a direct effect on the type of people you hire and the way you lead your team.

I've learned two key lessons about leading teams and details:
1) You personally can't possibly check all of the details
2) Make sure your team collectively will

There are elements you will always remember to check for to ensure quality control. There will invariably be things you don't think to check for. That's where hiring people who you trust to do their jobs and take initiative to sweat details is so critical.

Everyone should sweat their own details, and someone else should know another's job well enough to double check for them. Individually, nobody is going to remember everything. Collectively, no detail should be left to chance.