Let’s figure out which rakes with assistants 9 out of 10 entrepreneurs step on and how to avoid them

You and I are cooking in the same infofield, which constantly broadcasts the idea to us: “Every self-respecting entrepreneur should have an assistant”. And so you obediently hire a person, pay him money, and in the end… Nothing changes. You smell the same at work, only now with a feeling of anger that the new person cannot provide the same level of results as you.

To be honest: most of us have no idea how to properly work with an assistant. We think it’s some kind of magic wand that will solve all our time-crunching problems in one fell swoop. And with the second wave, he structures our work and relieves the brain. Someone has already realized that this is not the case, and we will tell someone about it: “Guys, it doesn’t work like that”

“Well, then why is this hemorrhoid with an assistant at all?” – you ask. And we understand you. They themselves once asked this question

But the world is full of examples when an assistant really creates enormous value for the business and the entrepreneur himself. Each of us, most likely, at least once heard about a cool assistant who pulls. Well, let’s figure out some distortions are to blame for the fact that instead of an assistant you get another headache and an extra item of expenses.

It is unclear whether the assistant will pay for himself

When we think about hiring an assistant, the main question that comes to mind is “Is it even worth it?” It seems that this is some kind of murky story that cannot be calculated.

We sit and think: “Okay, I will hire a person, I will pay him money. And what will I get in return? More free time? Yes, probably. But how long? And how is it converted into money?”

And you know, you’re right. It’s really hard to calculate. But even more important here is another focus. Watch your fingers.

In most cases, we fall into this trap: we think that “having more time” means “doing more per unit of time.” Like, I alone managed to do one, another, and a third in a day, and with an assistant I will manage to do the fourth as well.

But this way you will just do even more unnecessary things.

Real growth is not in the number of completed tasks. And what about the tasks that you solve.

That is, see what is actually happening:

The assistant’s remuneration directly depends on how you value and manage your time. Yours, not his.

When you hire an assistant, you’re not just adding another pair of hands to the team. You free your time from routine. And this is where the fun begins.

Because now the question is not how many tasks the two of you will do in a day. The question is what you will spend the free time on.

If you use it to solve more complex, strategic tasks – the ones that really move your business forward – then the assistant will more than pay for itself.

Because an hour of your time spent on strategy or key negotiations can bring much more to the company than 8 hours of work on reports and employee performance reviews.

So when evaluating the payback of an assistant, try not to consider tasks. Start counting the value you create. What decisions can you make, what opportunities can you use if you have more time for the most important things? What value will it bring to the business and to you over the course of the year?

This is the true payoff of an assistant. And yes, it is difficult to calculate, but you can “estimate”.

And until you do, any assistant will seem like a waste of money. Even if he crawls out of his skin to help you.

Many tasks are easier for me to do myself than to explain how to do them correctly

This phrase is the second most frequently used phrase.

The situation is painfully familiar: deadlines are burning, a bunch of urgent tasks, and then there is this assistant who has to chew everything up before handing over these tasks. “But I will do everything myself during the time that I will explain to him!” – you think And you do. Themselves. Again and again.

Let’s guess what is the reason for such situations.

First, maybe you don’t know how to hire properly. You take the first and best person and expect that he will immediately enter all the processes. And it turns out that a person needs to constantly chew and chew. Time is wasted, your aggressiveness accumulates and more and more often you think about what is easier to do yourself than trying to explain the task.

Secondly, maybe you don’t know how to plan your work (both yours and the assistant’s). You accumulate a bunch of tasks with a close deadline and at the last moment you start to solve them, throw them at your assistant and wonder why he can’t do it.

“Still, the result will be worse than if I do it myself”

This song is more popular than many domestic hits. “I’ll do better myself.” “Nobody will do it like I do.” Straight up the anthem of perfectionists and control freaks.

Yes, often assistants give a worse result than you can. But so what?

Let’s stop for a second and think: where did you get the idea that you need to compare the assistant’s work with yours? Here’s the catch: even if you hire the most talented assistant in the world (and you probably haven’t, let’s be honest), sooner or later you’ll still end up in a zone where he’s incompetent. And that’s normal!

It is only natural that we want everything good without everything bad. Like, I would like to find an assistant who does everything like me, only for free and does not take up space in the office. But they haven’t learned how to clone people yet.

The reality is, yes, an assistant will do something worse than you. But! He will do this while you are doing something really important. Something that moves your business forward. Something that no one but you can do.

Here is the ideal distribution of tasks, in our opinion:

– Assistant – urgent tasks with a low price of error. For example, to check whether the feature has been taken into operation.

– To yourself – tasks that lead to future growth, where the price of error is high. Strategic planning, key negotiations, development of new products.

In working with an assistant, you need to learn not to chase perfectionism in everything. Learn to distinguish tasks where 100% quality is required from those where 70% is enough. And give the friend to the assistant.

Because if you continue to do everything yourself just because it will be better, you will remain the same hamster in the wheel. A very smart and professional hamster, but still in the wheel.

So, the choice is yours: to be a perfect performer or a successful manager. And they say, the second brings the entrepreneur more money.

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