Hiring Tips for Building Your Dream Team With Confidence

Delegating isn’t just about lightening your workload, and hiring isn’t just about filling roles. It’s about building a dream team that aligns with your vision and helps your business thrive.

In this episode of Not Nice, Clever, we’re breaking down everything you need to know about identifying what to delegate, crafting job descriptions that attract top talent, and hiring team members who are the perfect fit for your goals.

We’ll also dive into clear communication strategies, setting expectations, and trusting your team to take ownership—because the real magic happens when you empower others to succeed. If you’re ready to lead with confidence and manage a high-performing team, this episode is for you!

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• Not Nice Clever
• Candice Carcioppolo
• Kat Torre

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Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Delegating and Hiring
• 0:56 Understanding What to Delegate
• 7:27 Creating Effective Job Descriptions
• 10:07 Identifying Ideal Team Members
• 12:28 Proactive Team Members
• 16:12 Setting Expectations and Clear Communication
• 22:21 The Importance of Trust and Letting Go

Transcript

Hi, I'm Kat, marketer turned brand storyteller. And I'm Candice, educator turned entrepreneur. And you're listening to Not Nice, Clever. As CEOs and leaders, it's your job to always have the answers. But sometimes you need a little help. Leverage, if you will. We get it. This is the place for you. So wherever you're listening, 530 AM Club at the gym, on your way to your next meeting or putting out today's fire, let's get into it.

In today's episode of Not Nice Clever, we're talking about delegating and hiring with confidence. As you grow and scale your business, you will find hiring and delegating as a pain point. and I definitely have, and we have learned and evolved and grown. And we're just going to share from our own experience, some things that we've learned along the way about delegating and hiring with confidence and building that rockstar team.

that makes you feel good about going into any situation because you know they have your back and things are working out smoothly going well. That's what we want for you. So we're going to share a few of the things we've learned over time. So Kat, what do you got for them? Well, first, the question that always comes up that came up for me and for you, I know is like, what do you actually delegate? Like, how do you know what is

good to delegate and good to outsource and what is like not good or like useful or unuseful. So for me, it always starts with a time audit and actually understanding where your time is going every single like 15 minutes of every hour of every day, right? You don't have to get it down to like the granular minute, but like every 15 minutes, what are you doing? Write it down, right?

So find a couple days in the week so you can get a good, well-rounded idea of where you're spending your time. And then you dump that into ChachiBT and then that can analyze percentage-wise what is eating up most of your time. I'll save you guys the process of going through that audit, or at least, spoiler alert, it's probably that you're spending too much time managing your calendar, stuck in your email inboxes, and drowning in DMs.

because that was where I did not or Slack messages, right? If you have Slack, like 55 % of my day, Candice, 55 % of my day, just managing, not actually working on my business and growing it. So that was my finding. don't know, like when you've done time audits in the past, like what have you found were like the surprising, like time sucks that you wanted to hire for? Definitely calendaring, like

especially because you have a client who's like, oh, I know I told you Thursday, but Thursday is actually not going to work now. And now can I meet you, you know, in 48 hours and my schedule is scheduled 30 days ahead of time. So probably not, you know. So just trying to like make the jigsaw puzzle of my calendar work is definitely something that I have spent a lot of time on in the past. And I still spend more time than I would like to.

But I do have support now to kind of help me move things around. The pain point for me and probably for you when you do hire someone to take over your calendar is there is an onboarding period where they get to understand who you are and how you operate. For example, the other day I had, and this was my bad, it was a lesson learned. I had six calls back to back and they were 30 minutes.

And hello, I'm pregnant. have to pee y'all. Yeah, your bladder is not what it once was. cannot do back to back six calls with no break in between. And so I had to reach out and tell my team, hey, we need to fix this on my calendar because it's Calendly and Calendly did have an open block that day. People could, you know, book as many calls as they want in that time block.

And so I said, hey, let's keep the time block, but put a restriction, which is an option that only lets maximum of five people book within that time block. So at least somewhere in there, I have a potty break. yeah, and right lesson learned. Okay. So there's things like that, that you're maybe not going to get when you first have someone to onboard. Cause like my girl's like, well, this is great. You have a system now people can book themselves.

and rescheduled themselves. And that was great, except I'm still a human being. I still need time after that to write all of the notes for six different clients that I've met with, which is going to take me two hours, I don't know, a while. And so I also need that in my calendar. And so you will, in the beginning, feel like, is this even worth it? Like, I'm still having issues.

But you have to kind of go through that period to learn what those issues are to be able to then respond to them. Yeah. You need to look at it as just chipping away, right? Like you'll probably capture, you'll probably capture 60 % of the things that your assistant, your team member needs to know. And that other 40 % is going to be little by little, day by day as, as situations arise because

We love standards, we love processes, we love rules, but we know that there are always exceptions too. And training for the exception is so important. And one thing that I'll just like blanket caveat this entire episode was saying, it will be a huge exercise in patience when you bring on team members. So if you're a high performing entrepreneur, if you're like a type high D on the disc assessment, which I am,

be prepared to be maybe a little frustrated, maybe a little short, but just just breathe through it. Be patient. It'll be worth the time you take to train somebody. You will get that back in dividends once you're able to pull yourself out of your phone and be able to be front-facing with clients at events on stage, all the things that actually grow and move the needle for your business. know there's someone in the clever crew who's like, Ooh, on my list.

for 2024 was to add someone to my team to delegate this thing. I still haven't done it because I keep telling myself that I could just do it better myself. Which is true, but you hit a ceiling with that. But you can't scale that way. You need to build a team. Assembling teams is a skill set of a CEO and you need to be adopting that skill set.

All right. That was number one. Identify what to delegate is do the time audit like Kat said, do the 15 minute increments, actually write it down, take a picture, tag us, send it to us. We want to see. We do. All right. The next one is create job descriptions that attract your ideal team member. You know that Kat and I love chat GPT. We will be in chat GPT writing out job descriptions like crazy.

When you are actually writing that prompt, be as specific as possible. Use the information that you already have from your time audit like Kat suggested and write down, hey, I'm a real estate agent in San Diego, California. I saw $20 million of property every year. I'm struggling with managing my calendar. Tell it everything. It's going to create a job description that will help you

it'll at least be a jumping off point for you to be able to share online or to be able to share with potential applicants. And the other part of it, so that's like the on paper stuff, right? The tangible, the measurable things that you want a team member to support with. I think another good,

aspect of a job description is also the off paper stuff. Like what are the things that you can't teach them that you want them to come to the table with? For example, I really appreciate team members who understand that I'm an introvert and that understand that they're not always going to get a response from me immediately at the moment when they need it. And it's not because I don't want to support them. It's not because I don't want to

be there for them. It's just the nature of me needing to put boundaries in place so that I maintain my energy so I don't burn out. I think attitude is another big thing. Like what's their outlook on life? What's their mindset? Like you can coach somebody through things, but if their personality isn't really complimentary to you and doesn't jive well with your personality, in my experience, it doesn't matter how well qualified they are on paper, it will not be a good fit long-term.

I think this is also where some assessments might be helpful tools for you. So the disc assessment, for example, or knowing what Enneagram number they are or any of those astrology signs. Any of those personality kind of assessments that make sense for you and your business really do come in handy here because I have my own skillset and talents and organizing documents.

is not one of them. Organizing my calendar is not like those things don't fill me up. I get drained. I don't like them. Those are not, I'm not great at those, but I need someone who is hyper organized and gets joy from doing that. Right. And there are people like that in the world. So I want to know who those people are and see if we can work together. So having some type of assessment in place will be really helpful for that.

that part that's maybe not necessarily on paper, but. Yeah. I think you brought up a good point, which is really overlooked. Making sure that who you're hiring for certain roles are that these people are actually excited by the work that you are assigned, not just that they're capable. Capability is one thing. Skill is one thing, but that they are genuinely like excited about what you're hiring them for because humans are humans, y'all.

Yes, it's great if you have somebody capable, you're going to compensate them, you're going to train them, do all that thing. But if they're not excited to show up every single day to do, to live in spreadsheets. I want someone who's excited about a dashboard. want someone who's excited about the dashboard they created that has all this information that makes everything super accessible because your girl's not, I'm going be excited when it's done, but I'm not going to be excited about doing it. No, no. You'll give insight on what needs to be there.

what information you need, but actually going in and doing it. It's so funny. I realize this about myself. I'm really good at building the thing, like putting the structure in place. I'm not skilled at maintaining the structure. Yeah. Probably similar. Right? Yeah. I can totally visualize it. I can build it once and then I'm going to like, okay, let me train you on it so you can manage the day-to-day I want to build the next thing. That's the problem. Yeah. Yeah.

Shiny toy objects in drum anyone? Yeah. But if you're that person who would wear one of those shirts that says, freaking the spreadsheets, you and I should probably talk because I need you. Have you seen that before? No, I have not. my gosh. You know the saying right? Freaking the sheets. there's like, yeah, lady in the streets. Yeah. There's this swag now, like a whole line of swag where it's like, no,

coffee mugs and t-shirts that says like, freak in the spreadsheets. And they're just the people who are so good at that and they love it. We love that for them. We love that for them. know, slide into our DMs. We might have position for you. don't know. Seriously. So, okay, this brings us to the next tip. What to look for when hiring. We kind of touched on this a little bit, but I think we did.

What else is really a litmus test for you, Candice, like when you're interviewing candidates or considering hiring someone? I want someone who is a good initiator. I want you to realize that something is broken and fix it before I ever even mentioned it. And so are you a proactive team member?

That's what I'm looking for. I'm looking for someone who kind of takes pride in their work and sees a problem and solves a problem. Yeah. I think being proactive is huge because, you know, if you're listening to this and you're considering hiring a team, you probably have a lot in common with Candice and I personality wise, right? And what drives you? Like there's a lot in common with the entrepreneurial mindset, right? Or the bug as they say. And,

It's typically not slowing down for details. It's typically not like that more intentional care-driven work. And you need somebody to be able to see that, spot it, fix it, and then just be like, FYI, Candice, this broke. Here's how I fixed it. And here's how we're going to avoid it breaking again. Thank you. Here's a bonus. Like the dream, right? Amen. Yes.

Please slide into our team so we can hire you immediately. It's interesting because I have a team member, she's great, but she is so concerned that she's going to break something. She always wants to ask permission. And I'm not concerned. Like if you think there's a problem and you think you know the solution, do that. Yeah. And then if I notice, we'll talk about if I notice because there is a problem, then we'll talk about it. But right now, if you know that you could just like be proactive, just be proactive, just do the thing. I'd rather you fuck it up than like come to me for every little thing. Because we'll learn something. You'll learn something like team members do not be afraid to fail in front of your leader, in front of your team lead, whoever it is, the right leader, the right boss, the right whatever CEO.

won't penalize you for it. They'll be like, cool, this broke, we fucked this up. What can we learn from it? What did it teach us? How can we be proactive in making sure it doesn't happen again? Because I'm totally okay with making mistakes and team members making mistakes as long as we turn it into a lesson and not a repeated mistake. hate deja vu when it comes to that type of thing. I can't stand it. Such a waste of time. And so for us, what works for my team now is I have

Basically, if it's going to be client facing, I do want to know about it and we're changing something that's outside of the norm. I do want to be able to approve, not approve. Hey, this thing happened with a client kind of a unique situation. I'm thinking about doing this differently. This is the plan. What do you think? I do want to know that. If it's not client facing, it's something on our own back end. I'm pretty much like, that's your thing. That's in your scope. You handle it. You're the boss.

Yeah, take the wheel. applesauce. Yeah. So just knowing what those things are for you, what are your non-negotiables, where are the communication boundaries and what are they allowed to take full reign on and what is still yours? And just being really clear about that. Yeah, I think the last thing on this is also aligning on why.

why they are a part of the team. Like what's the bigger picture? What's the why? Like almost treating it like how toddlers always ask why, why, why, why, why, because they just are insatiable to know. Like letting and educating and making your team members a part of your larger picture, your larger mission, like what drives you is really important too, because it's a different way to motivate them. It's not just they're fulfilled by completing the tasks. Like there's a larger purpose to what they're doing.

I think that's really important to share too. So important. And that larger purpose goes such a long way. Like I have this one client and I've had them for a very long time. And the rate that they pay me is not the rate that you would pay me if you hired me today because they're just, you know, a legacy client. I'm going to do everything that I can to support.

But what that means is, and I tell them, like, look, if you're gonna come here to me and spend an hour with me at this rate that is ridiculous in today's market, what I need from you is to actually take this information and use it to build your vision and dream. Like you actually have to take action because what's driving me here is not the money that you're paying me.

It's helping you achieve. fact that I could see the change and what you're creating and I know that you're growing and scaling and learning. Because if I don't get that, then this trade is not worth it anymore. Yeah. Right? It's out of balance. It's out of balance. And so your employees, the people that you work with will get

Joy will get fulfillment from fulfillment. Yes, from the work that is not only monetary, but you have to figure out what that is and like, are they able to tap into that with this job and their skill set? Amen.

All right. What else we got here? Um, Oh, expectation setting. Yeah. And clear communication, not just what you think is clear in your head, but what is actually be able to be understood by other people. I, I, heard somebody say that, um, if a new hire or a new employee, new team member, 10 99, whatever it is, if they fail within the first 90 days or

or aren't doing well, aren't learning, aren't getting into flow, aren't like taking things and running with it. It's actually on you as the leader, as the CEO, because you did not set them up for success. You did not set expectations. You did not provide training. And I was like, I was like, that's radical accountability for really making sure that you're like, you're taking responsibility for bringing this person to your organization. Like they are your responsibility. You work, you work for them in a lot of ways.

Right? Yeah.

I think really outlining your communication is very beneficial. So for example, with my assistant, we meet every Monday and we kind of go down what's going on for the week together. And that's really where we would introduce anything that's new or different in that Monday meeting. And then throughout the week, we're just communicating via Slack. And she also knows that I'm probably not communicating with her.

the late afternoon when I'm done with my clients. And then I will go back and respond to her slacks even if they're three or four hours before that. But she understands the cadence of my work and is not upset that I'm getting back to her late, right? Because she knows what time I'm done with my clients and she knows that she's the next priority right after that. And so

I know a lot of people, especially, you know, when you've been in corporate America, you're like, you live in your inbox. And I think living in your inbox sucks so much time and energy and joy from your life. I know Giselle, who we talk about often, but she literally, if you email her right now, you will get an email back that says, I check my emails once a day and respond within

I can't remember if it's 24 or 48 hours. she's like, did in the email, it says, I did a time audit. This makes the most sense for me and my business. Thanks for your understanding. If this is a real emergency, when she gives like another email or something like that, you can email here. But I think that's so important. And so many people are afraid of that. They're afraid that if they don't respond immediately,

that they're going to lose something. But I think what you gain when you prioritize the tasks that are most important to you instead of putting out fires in your inbox all day long, you're going to see a bigger return on your investment of your time. And I think another misconception myth about boundary setting or expectation setting, like Giselle is doing that example, which I absolutely love how unapologetic that is.

It's something I say whenever a new client on boards, I'll be like, these are the typical working hours. If you, you know, you can always expect one business day response does not include weekends. I understand you work on the weekends. I do as well on my own business. I will return, you know, and respond once I'm back online. The expectation, the boundary is never the problem. It's never the reason you're losing business. It's never the reason for conflict. is how and when and how often and how clearly you communicate.

the expectation and the boundary. That's the root. That is it. That's everything. That's it, y'all. So it's on you. It's on you. It's on you. Q, anti-hero. I've turned off pretty much 100 % of my notifications, except two platforms that I can't figure out how to freaking do it. Which ones? Pro-Fee. I can't turn off the sound notification for some reason. I emailed them today.

So hopefully we'll get that done. And then another one is Mighty Networks. I can't turn off the sound notification on that one either. I have no idea why. It says notifications off, but the sound still pops up anytime someone engages there. it's this is on my web browser, what you're saying. It's like, I don't know if it's my browser. I don't know what it is. So I'm trying to figure it out. But anyways, turn off your notifications on all of Instagram, on Facebook.

on emails, turn off all of your notifications. You don't need them. You can decide when it is in the day that you're going to check your messages. And that is going to be so much more beneficial for you. And also I live on do not disturb. No, I live on silent on my phone. I love do not disturb. is the best. It is so freeing when I stopped responding. Because like

Those seconds, those minutes, like pulling yourself out of flow or out of focus or getting distracted or switch tasking, that's costing you focus. That's costing you momentum. That's costing you time. It's costing you money. And honestly, society functioned fairly well before we had smartphones and all of those notifications. just, you know, people used to leave voicemails at your house and not know where you are all day long and just wait for you to come back. those were the days.

Those were the days. Our next property we're buying is in a Wi-Fi black zone. Okay. Let's see here. Okay. Last laughing that comes to... from Kat and I. Permission granted to turn off all of your notifications just in case you're waiting for permission. Please embrace Jomo, the joy of missing out on those useless fucking notifications. Truly, Jomo, y'all. Yeah. Jomo.

Okay. And this last one, I want to have you introduce this one, Candice, because I can just, the first word right there that's written down, I can just imagine you saying it and you're like, so I want you to say this one. So the last one is trust and let go. Sometimes you just got to let that shit go. I know that you think that by holding onto this thing, you are providing the best possible service to your

client service to your clients, you are providing everything at such a high level and you're afraid to give it away because you think that's going to decrease the perception of your brand. And the reality of it is you are going to be happier and you are going to have more time and energy and joy to put into the work that's actually moving the needle in your business. And that's really where

the magic happens. So you got to trust. You will get to figure out who you are outside of your inbox. That's like former corporate. know, like Candice, you worked in corporate as well. It's like you're not your inbox. Figure out who you are outside of your inbox and trust somebody else to manage it. Because honestly, like,

micromanaging it, white knuckling it, that's, you're never going to grow. And if you want to grow, no, it's not. also, do you really think clients want to be around you when you're like that? No, they want you happy. They want you fulfilled. They want you excited, creative, energetic, know, strategic, all those things that they pay you lots of money to support them with. trust people.

I'm trying to delegate everything here. Like my next hire is going to be a freaking house manager. Can you just manage all this shit? Like my sprinkler, those broken, take care of that. Like, I don't know. Just manage everything in here. I hear you. I hear you. Like house manager, executive nanny for when the baby comes. Oh yeah. All of those Sign me up for all the help. So to recap here.

Delegating and hiring with confidence. want you to start with that time audit. Know what you actually need to delegate. Spoiler alert, it's probably your inbox and your calendar for most of you. Create job descriptions unapologetically that will attract and really align with the right person for the job you want, not just who you think you want or you're afraid of turning away. People are missing out on the right candidate. The right person will hunt you down and follow up and follow through and follow back until you hire them.

Truly. And always be keeping in mind, you know, what you want to hire for, like their personality, their values, involving them in the larger mission, communicate really clearly, set expectations. If they fail, it's on you. It's not on them. And as Candice says, trust. Trust.

Thanks for joining us on Not Nice, Clever. Remember to follow Not Nice, Clever wherever you listen to audio. And if you haven't already, drop that five star review. Share your takeaways. Tell us your story. We love to hear it. Signing off, you're not so nice, but so clever besties that mean business. See you soon.