How To Delegate To Your Virtual Assistant

Leadership often reveals trust issues we never knew we had.  Pause and think about that for a moment - do you struggle to trust a team mate with tasks?  Do you usually say to yourself, “I guess I have to do it myself?”  Is your normal reaction to completed work an immediate need for correction?  I get it, trusting someone else with tasks in your business is difficult, but it’s so necessary.  So I’d like to share a few ways to delegate to your virtual assistant.

How To Know What Tasks To Delegate

Here’s a quick refresh on identifying tasks to delegate.  There are three categories that business tasks fall into.  First, let’s be real: No matter how many courses you take or webinars you sign up to attend, there are just some tasks within your business that you’re not good at.  For example, I hate Quickbooks.  I’ve taken the trainings. I’ve tried.  I’m still awful at Quickbooks.  I genuinely need someone else to handle this software.  Tasks like this fall into the first group.  

Then there are things you can do, and you’re pretty good at it, but you don’t absolutely need to be the person doing them. For me, this includes posting on social media.  I can post for myself, but it takes far longer than it should.  I also don’t necessarily enjoy it.  This type of task falls into the second group.  

Finally, there are tasks you’re truly passionate about.  They’re the things you grew your business to support.  I absolutely love meeting with business owners and sharing advice around leadership.  The things you love fall into the third group of tasks.  

Understanding where different tasks in your business fall will help you find a starting point for delegation.  So when you’re exploring activities to delegate, you should look at the first two groups of tasks.  However, until you develop trust in your virtual assistant, you will never be able to delegate.

Make The Decision to Trust

We have a saying around Rock Solid: “Trust until you can’t anymore.”  This is my personal leadership style.  I default to trusting my team, and I will only stop when I’m shown repeatedly that I cannot trust.  However, blind trust is simply poor leadership.

To empower your virtual assistant in living up to your expectations, you’ll have to communicate those expectations.  We encourage potential clients to take some time in their work day to consider how much time they spend on tasks.  As you identify those tasks you hate, and the tasks you could skip, you should also note how long it takes you to complete them.  Then, keep a running list of these tasks.  After about a week, review this list.  Pull out the tasks that you would like to delegate to a virtual assistant.

Next, take time to really think through your expectations around these tasks.  Are there processes that you would like someone to follow?  Do you need the person completing those tasks to create a process?  What are the things you look for, whether those are results or brand standards, in the completed task?

Then, once you’re ready to add this task to your VA’s plate, demonstrate how you’d like the task done.  This is key.  It’s one thing to have a list.  It’s another thing to actually show someone what a job well done in your eyes truly is.  You can do this during your weekly meeting, or record a quick Loom for them to reference anytime.  Then, you can confidently hand over the task.

Ways to Empower Your Virtual Assistant

If you want to empower your VA, you must lead from a posture of trust.  This hits the sweet spot between being completely hands-off and micromanaging.  It is possible through clear training (like we just chatted about), consistent check-ins, and constructive feedback.  If your team is constantly guessing, walking on eggshells, or feels frozen in uncertainty, it is not just a personal problem. It’s a team problem.  Guess who leads the team?  YOU! 

I am going to assume that you hired someone who is smart, capable, and eager to do a good job.  So if you’re not getting the results you want, check your leadership first.  Have you communicated your expectations?  If that’s a check, then ask yourself if you’ve shown your VA how you’d like the task completed.  If that’s also covered, look at the deadlines and priorities you’ve given them.  You might find that there are other tasks taking priority and all of the hours you have with your virtual assistant.  

If you’re not finding an issue with your process, then ask your assistant!  They may have questions, uncertainty, or simply have pushed the task down their list.  This will give you an opportunity to reset priorities and ask for what you (and your business) need.

Then, make sure you establish accountability.  This is important for all tasks.  Do you check in on your virtual assistant’s responsibilities during your weekly meeting?  Are you using a project management tool like Trello, Clickup, or Asana?  Even the most brilliant team member needs accountability and tracking.  Empower them to succeed through a few simple tools.

Signs of Successful Delegation

When you’re delegating successfully, you’ll find your schedule opens up.  You’ll certainly work hard, but your time will be spent on the activities that are the most meaningful to you.  Ideally, those will be primarily within that third group of tasks we identified earlier.  And you’ll probably feel less stressed.  You might be able to take two full days off…in a row.  You might even have time to (finally) catch up with that one dear friend over a coffee.

Your team will be happier too!  They will feel confident in completing their tasks, and they’ll probably surprise you with the quality of their work.  Your teammate will not only see you thriving in your gifts, they’ll be able to thrive in their own!  When you give them input to create the process, you’ll narrow in on the tasks you have to be involved with, and you’ll discover the tasks you can totally hand off.  

When your virtual assistant is very clear on your expected outcome, and they have an open door to you for feedback, assistance, and guidance, they will be free to get the job done with excellence every time!

Remember, You’re Not Failing

Leadership is hard!  More importantly, it’s a journey of growth that continues for the rest of your career.  So I can say confidently, you’re doing great!  Truly, hear those words.  As you well know, leadership isn’t for the faint of heart. If it was so easy, everyone would be doing it.  The simple fact that you’ve made it this far in the blog means you truly care about your team.  I love that you’re investing in your development as a leader!  So keep doing a great job, friend.  And when you do mess up, reflect on it to see what you can learn, then keep going.

Talk soon,

Tracy