When bringing on a new Executive Assistant (EA) to help you buy back your time and focus on growing your MSP, it's crucial to set them (and yourself) up for success from day one. This guidance is based on advice from Randy Rosales, shared on the Cyber Confidential podcast, Episode 1 of the mini-series "How to Get Out of Working In Your Business Master Class." Future episodes will track the real-world application of these principles. Here are the first three key steps Randy recommends for MSP owners to effectively delegate tasks to a new EA between Day 0 and Day 30:
Clearly Define and Document the Tasks & Role:
Write It Down: "The most important thing is to have those tasks that you want to delegate written down," Randy states. Before your EA even starts, list out all the administrative, customer delivery, or other repeatable tasks you intend to offload.
Develop a Job Description: Use this list to create a clear job description. This ensures both you and the EA have a shared understanding of their responsibilities and what they will be doing.
Establish KPIs and Define "Success":
Set Measurables: "Define KPIs, measurables, definition of done," Randy advises. For each key responsibility, determine how you will measure successful completion.
Paint a Picture of Success: Clearly communicate "how success looks like for you, for this role." When your EA understands the desired outcomes and your expectations, they know where to aim and can take more initiative.
Provide Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) or a Playbook:
Document Your Processes: MSPs are often good at this, but ensure you have workflows for the tasks being delegated. "You don't have to have something to the nitty-gritty specifics," says Randy. "You can have just high-level stuff."
Use the "Camcorder Method": Dan Martell's suggestion, endorsed by Randy, is to simply "record yourself doing the work" you want to delegate. Share these video recordings with your EA.
Empower Your EA to Develop Detailed SOPs: Task your new EA to use your high-level SOPs or video recordings to "develop the SOP, the written SOP for this, which is basically a checklist." Randy notes, "If they develop it right...it signals to you that they understood." This also saves you time in creating exhaustive documentation upfront. Randy suggests they can even use AI tools to help draft these from your recordings.
Keep it High-Level & Evolving: Randy cautions against overly detailed, static SOPs. "Don't make it a hundred-page SOP that no one will read...make it very high level." SOPs should be living documents.
By implementing these three steps; clarifying tasks, defining success, and providing initial process guidance (while empowering your EA to detail them), MSP owners can lay a strong foundation for a productive and time-saving relationship with their new Executive Assistant.