I need them to think critically not just follow instructions...

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“They’re really good at following simple instructions, but they freeze up or fall apart when asked to do any critical thinking.”

If I had a nickel for every time an agency owner said this to me, I’d be sitting on an Eastern European beach in the Mediterranean somewhere instead of writing newsletters. 😉 

Too many agency owners get trapped in “Level 1 Delegation”:

Identify simple tasks → create clear instructions → find someone to complete them.

In the early stages of running an agency, this type of delegation works really well.

You have a bunch of discrete, time-consuming, but simple tasks you need done, and there are plenty of people willing to do these tasks diligently.

But as you transition from glorified freelancer to a high-growth agency owner, this level of delegation will kill your growth.

It will leave you working 100-hour weeks, trying to keep the ship afloat.

Luckily, there’s a better way…

The Context

Most agencies have used or are using virtual assistants or “admins” to help out with repetitive, easy-to-standardize tasks.

There’s nothing wrong with using these kinds of roles in your agency for these kinds of tasks.

The problem is, no legitimate, successful agency is able to scale with just virtual assistants.

At some point, your staff will encounter novel problems or situations while performing their work.

Yes, you can always update your standard operating procedures to cover more and more scenarios, but you’ll never be able to create instructions for every possible scenario they’ll find themselves in.

Unfortunately, many agency owners don’t believe me when I say this, because they assume they can keep operating on ultra-cheap labor.

Let me ask you this…

Why spend all your time managing underperforming assistants when you could hire trained professionals for just a bit more?

Wouldn’t you rather spend your nights and weekends hanging out with friends or family instead of desperately trying to update those Notion docs and Asana checklists?

Why not move onto “Level 2 Delegation” and hire people who can think about their jobs critically instead of just blindly following your instructions?

The Secret to “Level 2 Delegation”

Okay, so you’re looking to move away from working with talent that can only follow instructions and can’t think critically about their work.

Good on ya!

8 out of 10 agency owners I talk to struggle during this transition for one simple reason…

They’ve hired Level 1 talent for Level 2 delegation.

That VA you hired to run tasks isn’t going to become a problem-solving superstar overnight.

Betting on your level 1 talent to magically transform into level 2 talent is like marrying a neglectful boyfriend or girlfriend with the expectation they’ll magically turn into Mr. or Mrs. Perfect after the wedding.

Fat chance.

Instead, you need to look for talent who’s already trained to critically and to solve problems on their own.

One of the easiest ways to do this is to find people working for companies with a reputation for developing critical thinkers.

Obviously, there are big companies like Amazon, Deloitte, Foursquare, and HubSpot, but there are also more subtle development pipelines to be aware of.

For example, if I were hiring operations talent for my agency, I’d target countries like Serbia or Montenegro.

This is because, unlike in the U.S., where people have to “work their way up” to operations management, in these countries, people begin training to do operations management early on—in some cases, they start in high school!

While not as obvious as the flashier development pipeline of bigger companies, talent from these lesser-known development pipelines also have the right experience and track records of making good decisions and solving problems on their own.

Pay attention when you find one of these lesser-known development paths. They’re often the most underlooked placed to find great talent.

Try Something Better Than Just “Virtual Assistants”

Look, learning to trust and work with someone who does more than just follow your written instructions is going to be hard.

There’s no two ways around it.

The way I see it, there’s no reason to make it harder on yourself by struggling to find your next “Level 2” hire on your own.

To make it easier on you, I’ve opened up the calendar for my recruiting specialists to consult with you on:

• How to find a “Level 2” hire

• Best practices to onboard/train/manage them

• And how much you should pay them

It’s 100% free and no obligation.

Of course, if you’d like to discuss what it would look like for us to recruit A players in Eastern Europe for you, we’re happy to discuss that as well.

→ Click here to schedule your free consulting call with a recruiting specialist

Until next time,

Nathan

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Nathan
Co-Founder | Lean Leverage & Go Carpathian
Helping you hire the best & the brightest
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