3 Simple Steps for a Founder to Delegate and Elevate

There are many qualities that good founders possess. Frugality is often one of them. During the early stages of a startup, the best founders are usually the ones who are always thinking about costs and trying to save whenever possible.

However, some founders can be frugal to a fault. They fall into the trap of being penny-wise but pound-foolish. As a result, founders are sometimes hesitant to spend money on employees who can take care of some of their more basic and mundane tasks.

This is due to another common trait of founders, that of perfectionists. Too many founders become obsessed with every little thing being perfect. It’s not that the quest for perfection isn’t a worthwhile one. The problem is that it can sometimes interfere with founders and CEOs spending their time wisely.

By delegating certain tasks and responsibilities to an assistant, founders can elevate their performance and speed up the growth of their startup. There is no need to be obsessed with maintaining calendars, emails, and Slack channels perfectly. Instead, delegate those tasks to elevate your performance. While some CEOs can be hesitant to do this, it can be done in three simple steps.

First, stop thinking that your assistant should be perfect or do everything the same way you would. That’s never going to happen, nor does it need to happen. As long as you have an assistant who is competent and trustworthy, you don’t need to demand perfection or expect them to imitate how you would operate.

Second, the standard you should set for your assistant is whether or not tasks get done without you having to worry about it. That’s why you have an assistant; to take things off your plate. If tasks are getting done without taking up your time, it doesn’t matter if they aren’t perfect or done in the same style you would do them. The standard should be whether they are getting done or not.

Finally, start spending your time on value-creating activities. CEOs shouldn’t be worrying about their calendar or emails when they should be building partnerships, creating content, or finding new customers. These are the activities that are harder to delegate and more important to the success of a startup. By delegating the less-important tasks, it’ll be easier for CEOs to elevate their performance in the tasks that matter.

After coaching dozens of startups, including some that have reached unicorn status, Roland Siebelink understands how to ask the right questions and point out issues that founders don’t realize are holding them back, putting them on the path to success.

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