Delegating for Growth: How to Prioritize Tasks for Your New Hire

Hiring a new employee is an exciting step in your business, but ensuring that you delegate the right tasks is key to making the most of this new hire. When bringing on an employee, you want to free up your own time for activities that directly generate revenue and grow your business. In a recent coaching session, we outlined how to prioritize tasks for a new hire to maximize their impact and boost business efficiency.

Identifying the Right Tasks

The first step in delegating tasks is to assess which areas of your business are taking up too much of your time and could easily be managed by someone else. A helpful exercise is to list all the tasks you’re currently responsible for, then group them into categories such as administration, client management, marketing, and operations. This will give you a clearer picture of what you can pass off.

For example, let’s say you’re spending a significant amount of time on administrative work—like managing invoices, client scheduling, and handling emails. These tasks are important, but they don’t directly contribute to revenue generation. Delegating them to your new hire can free up hours each week for you to focus on higher-level business strategy or client work.

Revenue-Generating Priorities

When prioritizing what your new employee should handle, start with tasks that indirectly or directly contribute to revenue. In a coaching session, we identified that some key areas to delegate included direct billing, lead management, and networking tasks. These types of activities, while not client-facing, are critical to bringing in new business and ensuring that everything runs smoothly behind the scenes.

For example, having your employee handle lead follow-up calls or manage your CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software can ensure potential clients don’t slip through the cracks. This helps convert more leads into paying clients, without you having to be directly involved in every interaction.

Focus on Lead Generation First

In the early stages of a new hire, it’s essential to focus on lead-generating activities. These are the tasks that will have the most immediate impact on your bottom line and help cover the costs of bringing on a new employee. Tasks like direct billing and networking should be prioritized early to bring in new clients or revenue as quickly as possible.

Additionally, using your new hire to implement or enhance marketing strategies—such as managing social media, responding to inquiries, or coordinating networking events—can boost your business’s visibility and attract more clients.

Setting Expectations and Tracking Progress

Once you’ve delegated tasks, it’s important to set clear expectations. Regular check-ins, whether daily or weekly, will help you and your new hire stay aligned. These check-ins should focus on what tasks have been completed, what’s currently being worked on, and any roadblocks your employee may be encountering.

It’s also important to track progress and the impact these delegated tasks have on your business. Are you seeing more leads come in? Are you able to take on more high-level tasks? Keeping an eye on the return you’re getting from your new hire will help you refine their responsibilities over time and ensure that both of you are working toward the same goals.

The Bottom Line

Hiring a new employee can significantly free up your time, but only if you delegate the right tasks. Prioritizing lead-generating activities, administrative tasks, and operational responsibilities will allow you to focus on growing your business. With clear expectations, regular check-ins, and a strategic approach, your new hire can become a valuable asset to your business’s long-term success.