The best single indicator of future success is simpler than most think: ask members of the team who wants to take something on. An individual's natural interest in a task, for whatever reason they may be interested, means there is strong conviction and it's more likely that they'll be effective and efficient in getting the job done.
To efficiently delegate tasks within my startup team, I allow each team member to do what they're equipped to do. Part of this includes one-on-one meetings that discuss their strengths (and weak points) and I encourage them to lean into and utilize those strengths in their day-to-day tasks. One of the biggest challenges I've seen among startups and small businesses is micro-management from the executive level. I try to set expectations upfront and allow each member to do their job. I meet with the team as a whole and assign each member a particular task to ensure sure they deliver on the necessary outcomes. I set the expectations on what one team member can expect from the other. Additionally, I use a project management solution (in our case, it's BaseCamp), to document those tasks in detail, assign clear deliverables and due dates, and keep communication active among all team members. This has proven to be pretty effective in keeping our team members engaged and hitting our milestones.
The best way to delegate with your startup is to limit the amount of "employees" you bring onto your team. Instead, work with freelancers and fractional team members who focus on a single or several critical tasks. When doing this you are setting yourself up for excellence over mediocrity in each of the responsibilities necessary to grow your business.
Every Friday, we organize a team lunch, called "The Hot Idea Oven", where all our associates are encouraged to pitch ideas regarding marketing and sales strategies. The person with the best idea is given a funding (as per the requirements to execute the person's idea), and is commended in our company monthly newsletter. Any revenue generated with the help of that idea is also shared with the associate who came up with that, generally up to 10% of the total net sales generated through that idea. This strategy helps us to make our associates feel themselves a part of the executive team and they are behind the wheel, taking big decisions. It also fosters a feeling of ownership in the associates which ultimately encourages collaborative brainstorming. I am a firm believer of "passion" before "skills" as I believe passion trumps skills every time, Of course, skills can be polished, but passion drives innovation, and hence for assigning tasks within our team members, we look for associates that are eager to step outside their comfort zone and tackle new challenges. This growth mindset keeps our team adaptable and future-proof. In our legal process outsourcing startup, the type of task that is on our hand also plays a big role in deciding who gets to work on it. For example, we have a few associates who are experts as examining evidence, whereas some are experts at reviewing contracts. The type of task and its domain is a deciding factor on who gets to work on it.
It's based on complexity. If we can't automate a task, we'll pass it to a VA. If the task requires experience, we'll pass the task to a lower-level employee. We try to keep a hierarchy for tasks where lower-level employees tackle more manual work while higher-ups tackle more strategic decisions. It's all based on the complexity of the task and who's the best person to pass the task to.
I am very selective when hiring specifically so that delegation becomes easier - otherwise why hire these people at all? I try to delegate as much as humanly possible simply because I always ask myself - "well if I don't trust this person to do this, then I would never have hired them in the first place, right?". This, I find, really helps me to relinquish control over various processes and leverage the skills of my people most effectively as I delegate until they have a full load of work or work together with me to figure out how to make a stretch role work. It's a good way to demonstrate trust in the team and to upskill your people naturally over time as you extend more and more projects their way.
It's important to know if the team members to whom you are delegating particular tasks are up for them, are excited(-ish), and want to do them. This comes down to your hiring process - I am constantly hunting for such team members because what I do is build startups, and as we all know - startups are chaos, and you will never know what skills you will randomly need one day. Hiring open-minded people who seem to show interest in all processes of a startup is a great way to acquire such talent. Giving an employee a lot of work (within a limit) at once. From my experience, giving a lot of work gets the work done faster than gradually assigning tasks. It helps people time manage all their tasks and not procrastinate. You should always ask how busy they are and if they are open to more tasks, of course. Trust is the hardest part. Trusting someone to do the job as well as you could was the most challenging part for me to overcome, but after almost a decade of experience building startups and working with many different teams, I can say that I have fully overcome it. Real relationships and frequent contact with my employees helped me trust them in the long run.
In a startup you always have limited resources so you have to be thinking about opportunity cost in a way that big companies often don't. You may need to delegate a task to someone who will do it slower and less effectively than you if that frees you up to complete a higher value task. The best approach is to try and create relative measurements of impact for each task along with team member's proficiency at each - if you multiply these you can have an "outcome score" as we call it internally. Rate everything on the same scale from 1-10. For example if I am a 5/10 at social media marketing and scheduling our social media calendar is a 5/10 importance that would be a 10/20 impact score in terms of me doing the social media calendar. From there, setup a weekly plan that has the highest sum of outcome scores. Needless to say if someone cannot complete a task you don't need to worry about creating an outcome score for them.
Delegating tasks within a startup team is a nuanced art that balances the dynamic interplay of skill sets, interests, and workload among team members. The foundational principle guiding my approach to task delegation is the recognition of each team member's unique strengths and developmental aspirations. This approach is not merely about assigning tasks based on current competencies; it also encompasses the strategic nurturing of potential and growth. One critical factor I consider when assigning tasks is the alignment between the task's requirements and the individual's intrinsic motivations and career goals. This alignment is pivotal. When a task resonates with a team member's personal and professional aspirations, it naturally engenders a higher level of engagement and ownership. This, in turn, not only enhances productivity but also contributes to a more fulfilling work experience for the team member. Moreover, in a startup environment where agility and adaptability are key, matching tasks with personal aspirations allows the team to be more resilient and innovative. It creates a culture where challenges are seen as opportunities for growth, rather than mere obligations. Consequently, this approach not only optimizes task execution in the present but also strategically develops the team's capabilities for future endeavours. In essence, the art of delegation in a startup is not just a managerial task; it's a leadership responsibility that plays a crucial role in shaping the team's culture, driving innovation, and ensuring sustainable growth.
Delegation in our startup is a dynamic process tailored to optimize our team's diverse skill sets and learning opportunities. When I assign tasks, my approach is multifaceted. First, I align tasks with individual team members' skill level proficiencies, ensuring that their expertise will lead to high-quality outcomes. For tasks that aren't time-sensitive or critical, I delegate them as learning opportunities, promoting professional growth and development within the team. Additionally, I consider the collective knowledge of our team, especially for complex tasks. By dividing these tasks based on our combined knowledge, we not only speed up the completion process but also enhance the team's collaborative learning experience. Since our team is global and spread across various time zones, I pay close attention to equitable task distribution. I carefully consider each member's current workload and their time zone to prevent overburdening anyone. Overall, my approach to delegation aids in streamlining our workflow efficiently, while simultaneously nurturing a culture that values continuous learning and maintains a healthy work-life balance.
At our startup, we've made our work super organized and easy using a tool called Clickup. It helps us delegate tasks, automate some things, track our work, and talk with each other as a team. Clickup is basically our main control center. It's as simple as writing a short brief and tagging the team member who should do it. It's quick and effective, keeping everyone on the same page about what needs to be done. The most important thing when I hand out tasks is to make sure they fit with what each team member is good at and likes doing. Even though we're a small team, each person has their own specific job that matches what they're good at and what they like doing. This way, nobody gets overwhelmed with too much work, and everyone does things they enjoy. I believe that giving people tasks that match their skills not only makes things run smoother but also makes the work atmosphere positive and productive. So, when I delegate tasks, I think about making sure they're a good fit for the task. It's all about making a balanced and happy team where everyone does their best work. Nicholas Robb, head honcho at Design Hero: www.design-hero.com
When delegating a task to any team member, it is vital that there's clarity. Instead of saying something like, "We should make sure to contact XYZ Corporation about becoming a customer of ours", say something like, "Pat, I'd like for you to contact Bobby Smith at XYZ Corporation this week about them becoming a customer of ours. Please give me an update at our one-on-one next week." By doing this, Pat will understand exactly what is expected of her, including the timeline.
In our startup, we've honed a strategic approach to task delegation that sets the stage for a successful Monday kick-off. We pinpoint individual strengths through past performance reviews, emphasizing efficiency over personal preferences. Tasks are assigned to team members based on their consistent delivery of exceptional results, ensuring projects are completed on time while uplifting team morale. This balance between workloads and highlighting individual strengths creates a collaborative and motivated work environment, propelling our startup towards enduring success.
Balancing Strengths for Team Success In guiding my startup team, I prioritize task delegation based on individual strengths rather than roles alone. Understanding each team member's unique skills and passions allows me to tailor assignments, ensuring that everyone feels motivated and capable in their role. This approach not only enhances productivity but fosters a collaborative environment where each member contributes their best to the collective success of the team.
My nerves are always on alert when I consider delegating tasks toward my startup team. Even after experiencing much success, I continue to ponder these moves. I suspect that it's part me (cautions and controlling) and part my company's foundation (a highly unique product with many moving parts). What I have learned to consider when assigning tasks is to focus more on the team member than the tasks. I have seen great success when I explore their personal skills beyond those that have been demonstrated already. For example, one team member was demonstrating significant communication skills when placing inventory orders. I saw this as an opportunity to expand her role into direct customer service contacts. She has excelled at this, often noted by her colleagues as they listen to her chats with customers. Ironically, it seems that her past career as a nurse has gifted her and now us with her compassion for others needs that are paramount when dealing with customers.
One crucial factor we consider when assigning tasks to team members is their skillset and ability to be a self-starter. When a task requires specific skills, we assign it to the team member who is an expert in that wheelhouse. Additionally, we prioritize individuals who have demonstrated a proactive and independent work style, as they are more likely to take ownership of the task and deliver results promptly.
One bookstore that holds a special place in my heart is "The Last Bookstore" in Los Angeles. Personally, what sets it apart is its incredibly imaginative and whimsical design. As I explored its passages constructed with books, admired the book sculptures, and marveled at the visually striking book arch, I felt like I was in a literary wonderland. The fusion of new and pre-owned books, along with the ingenious art installations crafted from books, creates an enchanting and almost magical ambiance. For me, it's not just a bookstore; it's a personalized and artistic celebration of literature that turns the act of browsing into a captivating and immersive journey.
The delegation process within my startup team at Schmicko is quite dynamic, rooted in trust and mutual respect. Understanding the abilities of each team member plays a significant role in how tasks are delegated. One crucial factor I consider when assigning tasks is the individual's capacity to handle responsibility and their willingness to learn and grow. By delegating tasks that challenge and stretch their capabilities, I aim to foster an environment of continual personal and professional development.
Data Scientist, Digital Marketing & Leadership Consultant for Startups at Consorte Marketing
Answered 2 years ago
When I delegate tasks to my team, I consider each person's level of experience in related activities. Then, depending on urgency and importance I decide who to assign. If the task is both urgent and important, then I'm likely to delegate to the most experienced team members. But if the task is either not urgent, or not important compared to other priorities, I will try to assign it to someone who needs the experience to grow. In a perfect world, my team should be able to function without any single member present, including myself.
When you are selecting team members for your startup, you need to look at people who will be able to be efficient in certain roles, and all-rounders. This way, when someone is tied up with another task, you will be able to assign it to someone who is equally capable of accomplishing the goals set out for them. Until you get yourself off the ground, then you can consider hiring specialists to take on designated tasks, you will be able to have more hands on deck to take care of the work that needs to be done. If I am unsure that someone is capable, we try to upskill them before hand, but if we are in a tight spot, we look at similar tasks that they have done and were successful with. This way you are also upskilling your workers and providing them with opportunities to learn more and take on more duties, which will be great for career succession purposes as well.