Picture this: A successful coach named ‘Sarah’ sits across from me, stirring her third cup of coffee (now cold), sharing her "VA curse" story. Her tired eyes carry a hint of frustration as she recounts her experience.
"I don't get it," she sighs. "I hired three different VAs in the past six months. All of them came highly recommended, had fantastic skills, and seemed genuinely excited to help. But none of them worked out. Am I just impossible to work with?"
As Sarah continues, a familiar pattern emerges—one I’ve seen countless times in the coaching world. Each VA starts with enthusiasm, ready to tackle Sarah’s inbox and other tasks. But within weeks, frustration mounts, expectations go unmet, and another awkward "this isn’t working out" conversation follows.
Here’s the truth: Sarah wasn’t impossible to work with, nor were her VAs lacking. Like many coaches, she was caught in common delegation traps that keep businesses spinning in a cycle of “too busy.” Let’s unpack what’s really going on here—and how to fix it.
Delegation Pitfalls
1. The "I'll Just Do It Myself" Syndrome
Sarah couldn’t help but step in whenever a VA tackled a task. “It’s faster if I just do it,” she’d say, trying to save time. But instead of saving her time, she was stuck redoing tasks herself.
It’s like teaching someone to cook and grabbing the knife every time they chop onions “wrong.” Sure, you’ll finish dinner faster today—but you’ll also be cooking every meal forever.
2. The "Everything Is Urgent" Dance
Sarah’s task list resembled a Black Friday sale—everything marked urgent or priority. When her VAs asked what to tackle first, she’d say, “everything!” Overwhelmed, they couldn’t prioritize, and Sarah couldn’t understand why things weren’t getting done.
This is like trying to watch five Netflix shows at once—you end up not really following any of them.
3. The "Perfect Time" Myth“
I’ll train someone properly when things slow down,” Sarah told me. But here’s the thing—in the coaching world, things don’t slow down unless you make them slow down. It’s like waiting for the perfect moment to start a family—sometimes you just have to dive in and figure it out.
4. The "Nobody Can Do It Like Me" Complex
Sarah’s business was her baby—she’d built it from scratch, perfected her voice, and even nailed her email signature. Letting someone else take over felt like handing a stranger the paintbrush for her masterpiece.
But delegation isn’t about handing over the whole canvas—it’s about letting them paint one corner. Starting small can ease the discomfort and build trust.
5. The "I Don’t Have Time to Train Someone" Paradox
Sarah hoped her VAs could read her mind and instantly know her preferences, processes, and even her go-to dad jokes. When they didn’t, frustration set in, and the cycle of doing everything herself continued.
Effective delegation requires communication—because even the most talented VA can’t help without direction.
Turning Things Around
The breakthrough came on a rainy Tuesday afternoon when Sarah rescheduled our call (again) because she was overwhelmed. That’s when it hit her: she was teaching her clients to shift their mindsets and break limiting beliefs, but she was stuck in her own cycle of “I can’t delegate effectively.”
We started small. Really small. Sarah chose one task—her weekly newsletter. Instead of expecting VA number four to magically know her voice and style, she spent one hour recording herself putting together a newsletter. She explained her thought process, shared her quirks (like always including a dad joke), and even made space for feedback.
The result? Her new VA not only nailed the newsletter but suggested improvements Sarah hadn’t considered. It was like finding out your cooking student had secretly been a sous chef all along—they just needed your recipe.
Six months later, Sarah’s business looks very different. Her VA is thriving, her calendar has actual white space in it, and she’s finally launched that group program she’d been “too busy” to create. Oh, and she’s now drinking her coffee while it’s still hot.
The Takeaway
The moral of this story isn’t that Sarah was bad at delegating or that her previous VAs weren’t good enough. It’s that sometimes, we’re so busy being busy that we forget to slow down long enough to speed up.
Here’s how you can start:
Start small: Choose one task to delegate and document the process.
Communicate clearly: Share your preferences and quirks upfront.
Prioritize effectively: Distinguish between urgent and important.
Invest in training: Take the time to onboard your team—it’s not wasted time; it’s an investment.
Let go of perfection: Done is better than perfect, and progress beats procrastination.
To all the coaches out there running themselves ragged: Yes, your approach is special, and yes, you’re amazing. But no, that doesn’t mean you have to do everything yourself. The right support can free up your energy to focus on what truly matters.
And hey, if all else fails, make sure you’re enjoying your coffee while it’s hot. That’s one thing you definitely shouldn’t delegate.
If Sarah’s story resonated with you, stay tuned for my next blog post. I’ll be sharing practical tools and simple frameworks to help overwhelmed coaches build systems that stick. Because sometimes, we all need a little help figuring out where to start.
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