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The Right Way to Delegate
Max Coppola • Aug 28, 2020
"Always assume that your team's time is just as valuable as your own."
"Always assume that your team's time is just as valuable as your own."
However, delegation is also useful for another reason: helping your team grow. Over time, your team can be trained to emulate your decision-making process and produce better results.
Additionally, delegating tasks in the correct way will show your team that you trust them. They’ll feel useful and as if they are learning from the experience. This leads to a more collaborative and overall happier team atmosphere.
When considering if you should delegate a task or do it yourself, the first thing to consider is the 80/20 rule. This rule (though it has many applications) forces us to assume that 80% of the results are produced by 20% of the input. If this task is within that 20%, perhaps you should do it yourself. Otherwise, it can almost definitely be delegated.
Next, you should pick the best person for the job. You’ll want to think about how completing this task is relevant to a specific individual and how they will learn/grow from it. Assigning a financial analysis to your Software Engineer wouldn’t make much sense because your Head of Finance could produce better results in less time. Additionally, the experience will help your Head of Finance improve and learn, and he’ll be more motivated to do a good job knowing that this experience will be relevant to him for the future. When starting a business from scratch,
always assume that your team’s time is just as valuable as your own.
When delegating, it’s important to remember that there are usually two types of delegations: responsibilities and tasks. The latter is far easier. When you delegate a task, make sure it’s clear and precise. Furthermore, make sure that there are clear measurements of what success looks like for that task so that your team knows when they’re done. On the same note, you’ll want responsibilities to follow a similar structure. Although responsibilities are vaguer by nature, it’s important to be specific and to give your team key performance indicators.
If you do everything above, you’re on the right track. But the key to effective delegation is what happens when an assignment is completed. Typically, you’ll feel one of three ways about the results:
A. You’ll be pleased as the task was completed the way you would have done it.
B. You’ll be surprised at the direction taken, but still pleased with the results.
C. You won’t be satisfied.
Option A may seem the most ideal, and in some cases it is, but having a bunch of mini-yous isn’t always perfect. Option B, however, is far more interesting. You want your team to be diverse. Various opinions and skill sets are much more representative of the real world than your singular view. The final outcome, C, is where most people struggle. They’ll either do it themselves or tell their team member to re-do it. But how are either of these effective? If you do it yourself, you’ve wasted the time of your team member. If you demand it to be done differently, you risk leaving your team member feeling confused and dejected. What you should do is tell them what you like about the outcome and then ask why they did certain aspects that you aren’t as thrilled with. Ask them what would happen if they did something different. What you want to do is lead them to a better solution—don’t just give it to them. By doing this, they’ll learn to ask themselves the same questions next time you assign them something. Finally, encourage them to take another stab at it after they understand what could be done better.
Delegating in this way will allow you to be a much more effective leader and really get the most out of your team.
If you’re ready to put these skills into practice and start something new and exciting, consider submitting your idea
and applying to join Elev Labs.
Max Coppola is a high school senior based out of Long Island, NY. He is one of the Co-founders of Elev Labs.
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I am confident that just about everyone would agree that the year 2020 has presented a number of challenges for people all over the world. It came as quite the surprise when nearly every normal aspect of our daily lives became significantly altered. One day, I was attending in-person lectures with hundreds of students at school and the next day, I was on a flight home to endure what would be a several month break away from my college. For many, including myself, it became so easy to sulk over all of the missed time and opportunities that we thought 2020 held in store for us. With entering the new decade, so many of us created hopes, dreams, and ambitions, and in a matter of a few weeks, we were in what felt like an infinite stay-at-home lockdown. After being sent home, I tried to stay busy by investing more time into my school work. Each day, I’d spent hours staring at my laptop, trying to make sense of all of this extra time we had been given in quarantine. I felt the need to constantly be productive because otherwise, I’d feel like I was wasting my time. I wish I had realized earlier that taking time to relax is crucial to mental well-being, especially during these adverse times. Eventually, I’d learn to take long walks each day as a way to reduce the stress and anxiety of attending my now-online college. With all of these abrupt changes, establishing any sort of routine was difficult. By dividing up my time for specific tasks and allotting time for breaks in my schedule, I was able to exhibit some normalcy. After months of feeling like I finally had a grip on my “pandemic situation”, things changed. Due to my health, I was categorized as “high-risk” for COVID-19 and was unable to return back to school in-person. I watched all of my friends return to campus, while I stayed back at home, in order to protect myself from the virus. My illness was taking my college experience away from me. I had yearned for it throughout quarantine and it was heartbreaking to see people experience college, while I sat at home. However, looking back, I recognize the silver linings of quarantine and being home during college. The truth is I will never get this amount of time again with my parents and family, so I’m grateful for that. I’ve been granted time to pursue more endeavors, including Elev Labs and new hobbies, so I’m grateful for that. I’ve spent time becoming a better version of myself, so I’m grateful for that. Despite how notoriously bad 2020 has been, there has been some good in all of this. Maybe that’s why they say “Hindsight is 2020.” By reflecting on all of the events that have transpired in the last year, we now have a much better understanding of the elements in life that are most important to us. Whether that be prioritizing family after not being able to be around them or prioritizing studies after being granted more free time or whatever it may be, 2020 should be acknowledged as a pivotal year that caused many to grow and improve. It is essential that as we move into 2021, we continue to recognize that we are grateful and that there is always a light amidst the chaos and to keep flourishing through adverse times. Maxx Wexler is a junior at the University of Florida. She is also the Community Director at Elev Labs.
Online interviews are more widespread than ever. Colleges, companies, investors, and others deploy virtual platforms to understand prospects more intimately and add some context and humanity into the application process. Like anything in life, online interviews come with their benefits and their disadvantages. Although this shift has primarily occurred due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, we’ll likely continue to see an increase in online interviews. A virtual interview is your chance to show companies and institutions who you are beyond the numbers and statistics on paper; it’s your chance to “seal the deal.” An incredible interview can quickly move someone to the coveted “yes” pile. However, an unsatisfactory interview can even more easily move someone to the “no” stack. As a Co-founder of Elev Labs, I’ve virtually interviewed dozens of people in the past few months. On the other side, I’ve participated in many online interviews as a college applicant recently. Here are some tips to help you stand out amongst the crowd in your next virtual interview: Know what you’re getting into - While most interviews are conducted via a live platform like Zoom, some will be “on-demand interviews.” This means that a question or video will appear on screen, and you’ll be given a set amount of time to record an answer in video format. This video will then be sent to the company or school. To avoid any last-minute shakeups, find out your interview format ahead of time. Test your connection - This one may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people have a poor connection during an online interview. Go and test your internet speed ahead of time. If you can, try to connect directly to the internet via ethernet rather than using WIFI. Also, try and limit the number of other devices on your network at the same time. If you do lag at all, make sure to ask your interviewer if they’d like you to repeat yourself. Framing matters - One of the more dynamic elements from online interviews is letting people into your home. It’s fascinating how much you can tell about someone from the pictures on their walls. Even more importantly, make sure that nothing you wouldn’t want your interviewer to see is in frame. Also, ensure that you are easily visible and no bright lights are in the background to cause an annoying glare. Take advantage - Arguably, the most significant benefit to a virtual interview is your ability to have notes up during the call. Feel free to have your resume in split-screen, or even throw some post-its up in the corner of your monitor if need-be. It’s important not to look like you’re reading. But having a few talking points in mind ahead of time can only benefit you. Not to mention that by doing this prep, you’re already getting your mind into “interview mode.” Be animative - The camera takes off 10 pounds of personality! We can’t see your body language or hear your tone as well virtually. Make sure that you’re clear and direct when expressing your emotions. It’s okay to laugh a little louder and smile a little wider. Obviously, don’t over-do it, but remember that the interview’s point is to add a human element to the process. As a bonus, speak slowly and clearly. This will ensure that if someone gets a surprise email or other distraction, they can quickly address it without losing much. Lastly, don’t forget basic etiquette on virtual interviews. It’s still important to dress well and to be early, for example. Ensure that you’re as authentic as possible, and do your research to show how passionate you are in the interview. Nine times out of ten, someone who comes across as passionate in a virtual interview will be the one who ultimately gets the job. Using these tips, you’re sure to find success in your next virtual interview. If you’re interested in more tips to help you succeed, sign up for The Lab Report , a new initiative by Elev Labs to help business students succeed. Good luck! You’ve got this! Max Coppola is a high school senior based out of Long Island, NY. He is one of the Co-founders of Elev Labs.