A leader’s greatest advantage in achieving their goals and those of the organization is building a strong team.
We’re here to explain how a Virtual Assistant can be pivotal to success — and an early hire that can maximize your impact.
Our Chief Revenue Officer Lisa Seal and her Executive Assistant Lindsay Vaughn sat down with Howard Partridge, and we’re here to give you the nitty-gritty of their conversation, including the transformative power of VAs and the argument that leaders who are stuck in operational tasks struggle to grow their businesses.
If you’re a business owner, you’ll want to cozy up and dive right into what’s in store for you here.
6 Signs Your Business Needs Support
We’ve mentioned this before, but it’s important we bring it back to the surface. There are six T’s we stand by in how to know when it’s time to start delegating your work to someone else:
Do you have tiny, seemingly inconsequential tasks that are easy to put off but add up?
Are you noticing tedious tasks that are relatively simple but are not the best use of your time filling your daily task list?
How much time are you wasting on time-consuming tasks that are often important and complex when 80 percent of the execution could be delegated before you assume the final 20 percent for approval?
Do you have any tasks that are teachable?
What are you terrible at? Know your weaknesses — and delegate them.
Have you considered delegating time-sensitive tasks so you can focus on project-based deadlines?
Tackling Your Inbox and To-Do Lists
Once you’ve narrowed down your tiny, tedious, time-consuming, teachable, terrible at, and time-sensitive tasks list, there are two other major warning signs to look for: your inbox feels out of control, and you can’t cross things off your growing to-do list fast enough.
Are you finding that you’re not getting back to people at the level that you would like to be able to respond to, or are you responding to things that don't take up your expertise?
Oftentimes, an inbox can quickly turn into a mess of emails that need to be triaged stat.
When you can delegate your inbox to an assistant, you gain somebody who can get in there and respond to emails that require a follow-up, delete junk, and file away everything else for you — often in a color-coded folder system that will be much less of an eye sore. This will feel much more manageable for both of you.
Don’t let your inbox turn into a dumping ground where you don’t understand what’s there or how to prioritize it.
As Lisa reminded the listeners, you have to have support if you want to remain in control.
“Your business is growing fast,” Lisa says. ”You will be swallowed up by the momentum if you don't have somebody there to support you, hold you accountable, ensure your calendar is not out of control, and ensure that you're not missing out on some of the very important things that your business requires of you and you only.”
Having time to strategize and think without operating in the day-to-day business is a game changer.
How to Onboard Your Virtual Assistant for a Smooth and Productive Start
The speed at which you feel the relief of having an assistant at the beginning depends on how well you prepare to get them onboarded. At BELAY, for example, we have an intensive training plan. The beginning of Lindsay’s employment with Lisa went something like this.
For the first two to three weeks, every hour of Lindsay’s day was planned with some sort of training. Self-study time was set aside, and there was one-on-one time with Lisa, her leaders, and other EAs in the organization.
Lindsay's schedule was planned out every day so that she could learn all about BELAY, Lisa, and her role. This helped them identify the areas that Lindsay could help with.
Having an intentional and detailed training plan is important, and, as Lindsay shared, “Equipping your assistant in the beginning is key.”
“It can definitely get to a point with an assistant that you feel like they are a mind reader for you, but you can’t expect them to be a mind reader from the jump,” Lisa adds.
“It is super important that your assistant spends time with all of the department heads in your organization and any other administrative support you have so that they can learn the organization's dynamic behind the scenes.
“It is also important to give them access to everything so that they can start running.”
One of the things that we preach here at BELAY is to give your assistant access to your inbox and calendar on day one. Like Lindsay is to Lisa, your assistant is your gatekeeper.
Ensuring Seamless Collaboration with YourVirtual Assistant
Lindsay and Lisa initially met twice a week for one-on-one meetings, and continue to meet weekly on Mondays.
Because of these touchpoints, Lindsay can set up Lisa’s week, ensuring they’re both on the same page and are connected on the big tasks.
Like with any relationship, communication is an important part of building trust with one another and succeeding as a team.
“This is the best way to build trust with one another,” Lisa says. “You start small and give little things here and there to see how your VA operates and communicates on your behalf. This also establishes communication expectations by clarifying what you expect up front and filling any gaps with trust even before the trust has been built.
“It makes everybody feel valuable when you just trust them out of the gate. Entrepreneurial types tend to be a little skeptical, and this is one reason we encourage people to be in the right frame of mind, to be in a place of openness and trust.”
Here are Lisa’s tips for collaborating with your VA best.
- Make sure that the lines of communication are always open.
- Schedule those weekly one-on-one meetings that set the tone for your entire week.
- Use your meeting time to address your roadblocks and review your schedule.
“You, as the leader, don't have to come prepared,” Lisa says. “That's the beauty of a one-on-one meeting. This designated time is mostly for your VA so that they know what they need to work on for you, what they need to hold you accountable for, and what they need to be proactive in.”
Why BELAY Makes Hiring a VA Easier
When you hire a BELAY Virtual Assistant, Accounting Professionals, or Social Media Manager, you can maximize your time and can work on bigger leverage.
As a business owner and leader, you have responsibilities — and, at the end of the day, it's about maximizing your time.
And the best news is, we’ll do the work for you. The traditional route involves searching for and interviewing virtual assistants yourself. This can be time-consuming and challenging, especially if you lack experience in the hiring process.
At BELAY, we’re able to simplify things. You tell us what you need, we find qualified candidates and interview a few to find the perfect fit. Plus, you avoid the hassles of payroll and other HR tasks.
Are you thinking it’s finally time for an assistant, but how can you be sure — and prepared? You’ve come to the right place.
Download our Ultimate Guide to Working with a Virtual Assistant. There, you’ll learn everything you need to know about when, who, and how to hire your first assistant.