Match tasks to the right staff

With so much work to be done and only a certain number of people do to it, how do you make sure your business is running at peak efficiency? Thomas F. Levasseur, CLU, CLTC, a 32-year member from Dover, New Hampshire, says it’s important to delegate, avoid micro-managing and make sure the people fit the work. He stressed passing along your least-favorite tasks to a staff member who has a knack, and enjoyment, for them.

“When you allow that person to figure out ways to do that task that are creative and fit their personality, not only do you save yourself time and give yourself more capacity to do the things that are probably more profitable and efficient for you, but you give that person an opportunity to grow,” Levasseur said. “There’s lots of creativity that comes from that growth that helps your business in the long run. We just added a person to our staff, and when we did, we reorganized certain tasks that were being done. We realized that one of our staff members was doing things that she really hated to do, but she was the only person left to do them. So we delegated a lot of those things to this new staff person, who was excited about those activities.

“I think the key to office efficiency is to make sure that you delegate wisely and then take your hands out of the pie and let it happen.”

See more about the processes advisors use to run their business in the following videos:

• “How hiring staff can make you money”
• “How processes drive success” 
• “From surviving to thriving”