Systemizing Your Delegation Is More Important Than Hiring
Hiring someone is easy. It’s what happens after the hire that makes or breaks your business.
If you’ve ever felt the sting of hiring someone, only to realize a few weeks in that they’re asking more questions than they’re answering, you’re not alone. It’s not because you hired the wrong person. It’s because you didn’t systemize your delegation before they walked in the door.
As I write this from my cabin, doing our event planning for the Customer Connect Expo 25 in Las Vegas, it’s clearer than ever: delegation isn’t just a task... it’s a strategy. And systemizing that strategy is what sets thriving businesses apart from chaotic ones.
You can find a rockstar assistant with the perfect resume, glowing recommendations, and a winning attitude. But if you don’t give them a structured runway to land on, you’re setting them up to crash.
Here’s what I’ve seen time and time again:
Business owners throw tasks at new hires like spaghetti at a wall, hoping something sticks. They expect magic with no recipe. That’s not delegation - that’s desperation.
The Delegation Myth
There’s a myth out there that once you hire someone, you can “just delegate” and poof, your time is freed up. But delegation isn’t dumping tasks. Delegation is a transfer of responsibility that includes process, expectation, and accountability.
That requires a system.
Enter the Workflow Manual
At Bottleneck Distant Assistants, every one of our Dedicated Distant Assistants is trained to build something we call a Workflow Manual - a living document that outlines every task, click by click.
This isn’t just for their benefit. It’s for the client’s business.
Why?
Because when your delegation is systemized:
- You never lose knowledge if someone moves on
- Training becomes plug-and-play
- Mistakes drop dramatically
- You scale faster
- And you finally stop answering the same dang questions over and over again - quit repeating yourself.
The 4-Step Delegation System I Swear By
- Name the Task – Be crystal clear about what needs to be done.
- Confirm Instructions – Get on the same page. Your DA should understand the why and the how.
- Complete, Review, Approve – Accountability and feedback are baked in.
- Create the Signal – Every task ends with a signal so you (or someone else) knows it’s complete. No gray areas. No guessing.
This isn't a theory. This is how I run my business.
I’ve seen this system give our clients their time back, boost team confidence, and double productivity without doubling the payroll.
System First. Hire Second.
Too many people reverse this. They hire first and then scramble to figure out how to get the new person “up to speed.”
Imagine building the training course after the students show up.
Instead, start with your delegation playbook - YOUR system.
Then hire the right person to run it.
This is how you create long-term success instead of short-term frustration.
Your Business Isn’t Broken. Your Delegation Is.
As I’ve been connecting with fellow business leaders, and I'd wager that many of the attendees at the Customer Connect Expo 25, one thing is clear: we’re all stretched thin.
Time is the one thing we can’t make more of. But we can get better at what we do with the time we have.
If you're wearing too many hats, don't just hire someone and hope for the best. Build the structure that makes hiring worth it.
That’s the Bottleneck way. That’s how you stop doing the wrong things and finally focus on your best work.
A Final Thought from My Cabin
Look, I love a good gamble as much as the next guy - especially when I go to Vegas - but your delegation strategy shouldn’t be one of them.
If you want to finally quit repeating yourself, document your delegation before you delegate.
It’ll change everything.
Want to learn how to systemize your delegation before day one and figure out what your Bottlenecks are?
Do the DelegationIQ Blueprint or stop by my booth (552) if you’re attending the Expo. Let’s talk about systems, freedom, and doing business the smart way.
Jaime Jay
CEO & Founder, Bottleneck Distant Assistants
Redneck by choice. Workflow nerd by design.
Helping leaders stop doing the wrong things—one documented click at a time.
