How to Build an Effective Admin Team
As a healing and leadership coach, I’ve seen how crucial it is for business leaders to build a strong admin team. When you have a team that’s hardworking and committed to your mission, your workload feels lighter, and you gain more time to enjoy life outside of work instead of constantly putting out fires. And truth is, you can’t do it all on your own. As your business grows, you need a dependable admin team to handle the day-to-day tasks, allowing you to focus on the big picture.
That’s why we will dive into the importance of delegation and how to create an effective admin team to support your business goals. We’ll also cover common mistakes business owners make with their admin teams. Whether you’re just starting to think about hiring or looking to improve your current team, these insights can make a big difference in your success.
First, let’s talk about why some business owners try to do everything themselves and avoid hiring help.
Why Do Business Owners Resist Hiring?
1. Fear of Hiring the Wrong Person
Many business owners worry about making a bad hire. If they choose the wrong person, it can cost a lot of money—sometimes even more than the person’s salary. This fear can make them hesitant to hire anyone at all.
2. Team Dynamics Concerns
Owners often think about how a new employee will fit in with the current team. If the new hire doesn’t get along with others, it can hurt teamwork and lower morale. To avoid this risk, some owners prefer to wait until they find the perfect candidate.
3. Reputation as a Boss
A bad hiring decision can harm a business owner’s reputation among their employees. If workers lose trust in their boss’s ability to hire well, it can create tension and dissatisfaction in the workplace. This concern can make owners reluctant to bring in new staff.
4. Money Issues
When money is tight, business owners may decide not to hire anyone to save costs. While this might help in the short term, it can lead to overworked employees and slow down the company’s growth.
5. Misunderstanding of Needs
Sometimes, business owners think that hiring more people will solve their problems, but the real issues might be related to how the business operates. They may resist hiring until they figure out if they can improve efficiency without adding new staff.
6. Overwhelmed by the Hiring Process
The hiring process can be complicated and time-consuming, especially for small business owners who don’t have HR support. The thought of going through resumes, interviews, and training can be overwhelming, leading them to put off hiring.
In summary, business owners often hesitate to hire because they fear making bad decisions, worry about team dynamics, want to protect their reputation, face financial constraints, might not fully understand their needs, or feel overwhelmed by the hiring process. These concerns can make it challenging to grow their teams.
Your Hesitation to Hire May or May Not Be Valid
As a business coach, my role is to help you assess whether your concerns are justified or based on misunderstandings. For instance, one client hesitated to hire a new team member due to financial worries.
After reviewing her expenses, we found that her budget was actually more suited to hiring and training a junior employee, rather than a more experienced candidate. This approach allowed her to stay within her budget while still expanding her team effectively.
In my experience, business owners often can afford to hire more people but don’t, due to concerns from past negative experiences. However, if you still need more convincing, the next section will cover four reasons why you should invest in an admin team.
5 Reasons Why You Need to Delegate
Delegation is all about giving tasks and responsibilities to other people on your team. It’s a key skill for any leader, but many struggle with it. Here’s why delegation is so important:
1. Saves You Time and Energy
When you delegate tasks to your admin team, you free up your own time and energy for more important work. Instead of getting stuck in small details, you can focus on growing your business and making big decisions.
For example, if you spend hours each week scheduling appointments, delegating this task to an admin assistant allows you to use that time to meet with potential clients or come up with new business ideas.
2. Develops Your Team
Giving your admin team new responsibilities helps them grow and learn new skills. This makes them more valuable to your company and can increase their job satisfaction.
When team members take on new tasks, they often find hidden talents or interests, which can lead to greater engagement and motivation in their work.
3. Improves Efficiency
Sometimes, your admin team may be better at certain tasks than you are. By delegating, you’re putting the right people on the right jobs, which helps your whole business run more smoothly.
For example, if one of your team members is great with numbers, assigning financial tasks to them can lead to more accurate and timely reporting.
4. Reduces Stress
Trying to do everything yourself can lead to burnout. Having a strong admin team to support you can greatly reduce your stress levels and improve your work-life balance.
When you know you have a capable team handling important tasks, you can relax more during your time off, knowing that everything is being taken care of.
5. Builds Your Business Brand
Streamlined Operations
Enhances Professionalism
Better Communication
Admins help keep everyone on the same page. They ensure that information flows smoothly within the company, which can lead to a positive work environment and better customer service.
Flexibility and Problem-Solving
Real-World Examples of Business Owners Who Benefited From A Team
Let’s look at a couple of examples* of how effective delegation and a strong admin team can make a difference:
*The names have been changed to protect privacy.
Small Business Growth
Sarah, a small business owner, was struggling to keep up with all the administrative tasks as her company grew. She hired an admin assistant and delegated tasks like scheduling, email management, and basic bookkeeping. This freed up Sarah’s time to focus on business development, leading to a 30% increase in sales over the next year.
Sarah’s admin assistant also implemented a new CRM system, which improved customer communication and helped the business retain more clients.
Improved Work-Life Balance
John, a busy entrepreneur, found himself working 80-hour weeks and missing important family events. He built an admin team of three people to handle different aspects of his business operations:
- An executive assistant to manage his schedule and communications
- A bookkeeper to handle financial tasks
- A social media manager to maintain the company’s online presence
With their support, John was able to cut his work hours down to 50 per week and attend his kids’ school events regularly. He also found that his business ran more smoothly, as each team member became an expert in their area of responsibility.
So, be like Sarah and John—improve your financial situation while reclaiming your life. Now, let’s get into the fun part: building your admin team. In the next section, we’ll discuss how to do that.
How to Build Your Team
Now that we understand why delegation is so important, let’s look at how to build an effective admin team:
1. Identify Your Needs
Before you start hiring or assigning roles, think about what tasks you need help with. Make a list of all the administrative work that needs to be done in your business. This might include things like:
- Answering phones and emails
- Scheduling appointments
- Managing your calendar
- Handling paperwork
- Bookkeeping and invoicing
- Social media management
- Data entry and database management
- Travel arrangements
- Office supply ordering and management
- File organization (both physical and digital)
Once you have this list, you can start thinking about what kind of admin team members you need to handle these tasks. You might realize you need a general administrative assistant, a bookkeeper, and a social media manager, for example.
2. Hire the Right People
When building your admin team, look for people who are:
- Organized and detail-oriented
- Good communicators
- Tech-savvy
- Able to work independently
- Flexible and willing to learn
- Proactive problem-solvers
- Patient and calm under pressure
- Discreet and trustworthy (as they may handle sensitive information)
Remember, skills can be taught, but attitude and work ethic are harder to change. Look for people who align with your company’s values and culture.
During the hiring process, consider giving candidates practical tests or scenarios to see how they handle typical admin tasks. This can give you a better idea of their capabilities than just relying on interviews alone.
3. Define Clear Roles and Responsibilities
Each member of your admin team should have a clear understanding of their role and what’s expected of them. Write out job descriptions that outline:
- Specific tasks they’re responsible for
- Who they report to
- How their performance will be measured
- Any key performance indicators (KPIs) they need to meet
- Their level of authority in making decisions
- How they should prioritize tasks
- Any specific processes or procedures they need to follow
Having clear roles helps prevent confusion and ensures that all necessary tasks are covered. It also makes it easier to evaluate performance and provide feedback.
4. Provide Proper Training
Even if you hire experienced admin team members, they’ll need training on your specific systems and processes. Take the time to:
- Show them how you like things done
- Introduce them to any software or tools you use
- Explain your company’s policies and procedures
- Teach them about your industry and business model
- Introduce them to key clients or stakeholders they might interact with
- Provide resources for ongoing learning and development
Investing in thorough training upfront can save you a lot of time and headaches down the road. Consider creating a training manual or checklist to ensure all new team members receive consistent information.
5. Use Technology to Your Advantage
There are many tools and software programs that can help your admin team work more efficiently. Consider using:
- Project management tools like Asana or Trello
- Communication platforms like Slack or Microsoft Teams
- Cloud storage solutions like Google Drive or Dropbox
- Time tracking software like Toggl or RescueTime
- Customer relationship management (CRM) systems like Salesforce or HubSpot
- Scheduling tools like Calendly or Acuity
- Password management systems like LastPass or 1Password
- Automation tools like Zapier or IFTTT
The right tech tools can help your admin team stay organized and productive. However, be sure to provide proper training on any new tools you introduce, and be open to feedback from your team about what’s working well and what could be improved.
Now that you know why hiring is beneficial and the tools that can help, let’s talk about how to avoid common mistakes employers make with their team members.
Avoid These Common Admin Team Mistakes
As you work on building your admin team and improving your delegation skills, watch out for these common mistakes:
Provide Your People Feedback and Recognition
Regular feedback is crucial for your admin team’s development. Be sure to recognize good work and provide constructive feedback when needed. This helps team members understand what they’re doing well and where they can improve.Consider implementing:
- Regular one-on-one check-ins
- Team meetings to share successes and challenges
- A system for peer recognition
- Performance reviews that focus on growth and development, not just evaluation
Micromanaging
It can be tempting to constantly check in on your admin team or tell them exactly how to do every task. But micromanaging can hurt morale and prevent team members from developing their own problem-solving skills. Instead, set clear expectations and then step back. Trust your team to do the work, and be available if they need support or guidance.
And if you need help building genuine connections with your team instead of operating from a fear-based mindset, check out this article.
Providing Vague Directions
When you assign a task, make sure you provide clear instructions and expectations. Vague directions can lead to confusion and mistakes. Be specific about:
- What needs to be done
- When it needs to be completed
- Any specific requirements or constraints
- Who to go to for questions or resources
Delegating the Wrong Tasks
Be thoughtful about what you delegate. Some tasks, like setting company strategy or handling sensitive personnel issues, should usually stay with leadership.Good tasks to delegate often include:
- Routine or repetitive tasks
- Tasks that require specialized skills your team members have
- Tasks that will help team members grow and develop new skills
Not Providing Enough Support
Once you’ve delegated a task, don’t just forget about it. Check in periodically to see if your admin team needs any support or resources to complete the work.
If you need to, work on your active listening so you don’t miss cues that your team needs more assistance.This doesn’t mean micromanaging, but rather being available and responsive when your team needs you.
Failing to Follow Up
After delegating a task, make sure to follow up on the results. This shows that the work is important and helps you catch any issues early. Follow-up can include:
- Reviewing the completed work
- Providing feedback
- Discussing any challenges or lessons learned
- Celebrating successes
Developing Your Delegation Skills
Becoming a great delegator takes practice and conscious effort. Here are some tips to help you improve:
Start Small
If you’re new to delegation, start by assigning smaller tasks or projects. As you and your team build confidence, you can gradually increase the complexity and importance of delegated work.
Be Clear About Your Expectations
When delegating a task, be explicit about what success looks like. What are the specific outcomes you’re looking for? What’s the deadline? What resources are available?
Provide Context
Help your admin team understand why a task is important and how it fits into the bigger picture. This can increase their engagement and help them make better decisions as they work.
Allow for Questions
Encourage your team to ask questions and seek clarification. It’s better to spend a few extra minutes explaining at the beginning than to have work redone later due to misunderstandings.
Resist the Urge to Take Over
If a task isn’t being done exactly as you would do it, resist the urge to jump in and take over (unless it’s truly critical). Remember, there’s often more than one way to achieve a goal.
Learn from Each Experience
After each delegated task, take a moment to reflect. What went well? What could be improved next time? Use these insights to refine your delegation process.
So, are you ready to hire your next team member? Awesome! The image below lists my recommendations. Next, I’ll share my final thoughts.
Final Thoughts
Building a strong admin team through smart delegation can change the game for any business leader. It lets you focus on what you do best while helping others grow and contribute to your company’s success. Remember, delegation is a skill that takes practice. Be patient with yourself and your team as you improve this important leadership ability.
As you put these strategies into practice, you might notice that:
- Your productivity goes up
- Your business can seize more growth opportunities
- Your team becomes more engaged and happy in their roles
- You have more time for big-picture thinking and planning
- Your stress levels go down, leading to a better work-life balance
If you want to take your delegation skills to the next level and build an amazing admin team, I’d love to help. As an entrepreneur coach, I can work with you to:
- Review your current delegation practices
- Find areas that need improvement
- Create a plan to build or improve your admin team
- Set up systems and processes to support effective delegation
- Overcome any personal challenges you may have with delegating
Also, check out my podcast, where we dive into topics that will help you improve how you communicate with your prospective hires or team members.
Have any thoughts on what went right or wrong in your hiring process? Let me know! Send me a message, and your insights might be featured in my next article on hiring.
