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Excerpt

This is a reverse-guesting episode where I was interviewed about my story in starting up SEO Hacker as the leading SEO Services company in the Philippines.

What were some things that you had to let go of?

One of the things that I had to let go of was playing computer games. Back then it was a borderline addiction and it took a real effort to stop.

I managed to control that by completely deleting the games that I really liked. It would be a huge hassle to play it again because I had to download and install it again before I could even start.

James Clear who wrote the book Atomic Habits says “We don’t rise to the level of our goals; we fall to the level of our systems.

I had to make a system that had to create a system that would enable me to keep that addiction at bay. For me, that was uninstalling the software.

He also said that if you were struggling with binge-watching on Netflix, then you should make sure to keep the TV out of your bedroom or put it in your cabinet. It puts in another obstacle before you can do so, making it harder for people to do it again and again.

Time management has four quadrants. These computer games fall under not urgent and not important. Some of the things that are urgent and not important I delegate.

For me, it’s important that you have other people helping you out. This is why we have grown to over 50 people in the company.

It’s so we can focus on making the decisions that are near the commas, not the decimal point.

If we have more people making bigger decisions that are closer to the commas, that will make for a bigger and better company with bigger and better growth.

If you’re the business owner, you want your people to move closer to the commas.

I delegate a lot of my old tasks. I used to do Legal, HR, SERP watching, project management, accounts, and sales.

Since I’ve delegated them all now, I can focus on other things. This year, my thematic goal is to raise up more leaders. Last year, I focused on making sure that the sales team is intact.

 I just choose the things that I need to do and the things that can only be done by me.

To do that, you should discern and ask other people, mostly your mentors, what they delegate to other people. You realize things along the way so you experiment and delegate to other people.

For me, delegating is like going with them.

It’s like driving a car and giving the keys to someone. You’re not going to give them the keys without checking first if they can get to point A to point B and back without a dent or scratch.

You’re going to be riding with them for months to see if they can drive well. Finally, when the time comes when you will give the keys to them, you won’t be nervous. Instead, you’ll be happy that you don’t need to stay with him along the ride anymore.

The opposite is the two extremes, the micromanager, and just giving them the keys and leaving them with it.

You have to balance things out. Ride with your people. And when the time comes, award the keys to them.

It’s part of leadership to know the strengths and weaknesses of your team. Was this something that you learned along the way or something that you knew earlier?

This is why the hiring process is very important, along with the tests and exams that come with applying and becoming a regular team member.

They’re important because you’ll be able to see their personality, their competence, their temperament, and their strengths and weaknesses.

You can delegate better if you know all of these things about the person.

Influential people who are fun and talkative are good for sales.

Corrective or Compliant people who are into details and asking questions are good for programming.

You can also check it out via Strengths finder.

My main strength is Self-Assurance, those with this strength have an inner compass. They know what to do and what to say at any given time. They know what the vision should be.

Those with the Command Strength are great for managerial positions. They can take command of a room. They can lead a group of people.

My brother and I have a theory that the strengths that you have will be different at x stage and y stage of your life.

Was delegating something that you wish that you knew back then?

I’d rather want to know how to hire better because if you don’t know how to hire correctly, then you can’t delegate well—because you don’t have anyone to delegate things to.

Once someone that is stealing nuts and bolts from a train track goes to university and graduates, they’re not going to steal nuts and bolts, they’ll steal the entire train track.

You can’t change their character. You can just help them in what they’re doing. Improve their skills and knowledge, but you can’t change their fundamental character.

Get the right people in your team. Make sure that they fit into your culture. Take time in your hiring process.