Sometimes I think that working for myself contracting sucks, then I remember what it was like to be employed full-time and I remember that it sucked more. On top of sucking more I had a boss that I had to report to and there were more crappy ones than good ones.
… people become what you expect of them. If you treat your direct reports like children, that's how they will act. On the other hand, if you place lots of trust in them from day one, they will be compelled to prove that they deserve the trust
I really should make this postmanage required reading for anyone that wants me to work in their team. If you don't agree with most of it, we're not a good fit.
Have weekly status meetings even if there is nothing new to say, or if it can be said over email.
That was probably one of the most annoying things I ever dealt with. To top it off the boss only showed up to some of them and we'd sit around for the 30 minutes talking about whatever. They didn't even respect our time enough to call the meeting off a few hours early.
I'm sure we could compare stories but that's not the point. Make sure that when you manage people you're no a crappy boss.
manage: http://diegobasch.com/how-to-be-a-horrible-boss "How to be a Horrible Boss"