When it comes to freeing up quality time to lead and grow a business, the concept of improving “time management” falls short of the mark when in fact what is needed is “priority management”. Priority management is only possible through delegating tasks that are not among your top priorities, freeing you to focus on the tasks that are most valuable and impactful for your business. One of the most effective ways to accomplish this is to take on a Virtual Assistant – or several of them.
The art of delegation
Business owners who master this skill can leverage their Virtual Assistants’ expertise and experience to achieve incredible results. Here are three tips on the art of delegation:
- Provide big picture context: First explain why a task needs to be done, rather than leading with how it’s done. When a Virtual Assistant does not understand how their role or a project fits into the big picture, they are less likely to be inspired to give it their all. When you take the time to provide your VA with context and explain their vital role in the company reaching important goals, then you are gifting them with a sense of purpose that will impact their performance.
- Consider how you communicate: Delegation is not just about dishing out tasks. For the best outcome, delegation is interactive. It requires both giving and receiving information. This two-way communication not only helps to build a connection with your VA, it enables the exchange of thoughts and ideas. It provides the space for your them to ask questions and properly understand the required outcomes of a task or project.
- Onboard and provide guidance – to a degree: Take the time to walk your new VA through their tasks and answer any questions they have before they get started to ensure they’re set up for success. This includes providing:
- an understanding of what is required of them,
- access to existing documents, and details about the work
- guidance on how you want the work to be done,
- review dates and deadlines for the delegated work
- priority, goals, and expectations of the work
- an understanding of the desired outcome
The worst things you can do to yourself, or your Virtual Assistant, is “half-delegate” or micro-manage them. Onboard and train your new VA when they are getting started then step back and allow them to pick up the reins. Not only is taking on a VA about freeing up your valuable time – it is about empowering the right person in the right role to achieve their full potential.
What should you be delegating to your Virtual Assistant?
When it comes to task delegation – whether it’s handing over managing your inbox, customer relationship management, generating leads, managing social media or handling repetitive administration tasks – how do you decide what should be delegated to your VA?
The answer is simple. Delegate everything that falls outside of your top priorities, providing you with the time to lead and grow your business. Modern Virtual Assistants are experts who are skilled in a wide variety of roles. They are also technically proficient to the degree that they can help to level up a business that needs to automate tasks and use digital technology to streamline workflow.
The outcome of mastering the art of delegation is that it facilitates business growth. It effectively saves time, grows you as a leader, develops your team as professionals and inspires them to perform better. This in turn grows the teams’ capacity to handle more business and for you to manage larger teams while retaining the capacity to focus on strategising, annual planning and other significant tasks.