Client Spotlight: Cantilever & The Power of Delegation

Much like the hospitality roots of Kielo Digital, Cantilever is a creative website design agency founded on the concept of Digital Hospitality. Through a collaborative diagnostic review, Cantilever works with their clients to reimagine the user journey, while they create a space on the Internet that is uniquely suited to their brand & audience. We love working with Cantilever to create a dynamic social media presence that builds on the great visual branding they had already created when we entered our partnership. We are constantly in awe of Cantilever’s efficiency and work culture as a 100% remote (100% of the time, even pre-COVID!), asynchronous team.

Through working with Cantilever, we have learned so much about developing online spaces for brand building, managing remote teams, and the art of delegation. Because of this, we thought there would be no better way to share their wisdom & ethos than to speak directly with Founder & CEO, Ty Fujimura .

What was your initial inspiration for founding Cantilever?

I found when I was in college that I had a deep passion for design. I had a Barnes and Noble near my house, and they allowed you to hang out and just read their books without buying them which was amazing (Shoutout Barnes and Noble). I read every design book they had and did actually buy a few with the little money I had! As I was trying to get my name out there as a graphic designer, I found that I really needed a website. I decided to make one myself, and it was very gratifying. I discovered that I had a passion for coding, as well. I got addicted to doing the work, and I did lots of projects for cheap or on my own time. I just wanted to keep creating and growing. Eventually, I got traction as a freelancer, and this led to creating Cantilever.

How did this inspiration change, and evolve, as this idea became reality?

Over time, I’ve had to shift my passion from being focused on doing to being focused on leading. My job now is to find people who are just as obsessed with this work as I am, who care just as deeply, and who want to deliver amazing experiences to users (We call this “Digital Hospitality”).

What is your most memorable moment as a CEO & Founder for Cantilever? How did this make you grow as a business owner?

I have had a few “pinch me” moments like when I cashed a check signed by a supermodel, and when I had a scotch with editors from Esquire magazine in Hearst Tower. Those kinds of experiences are very motivating because they reinforce my thinking that our studio can do anything. We have incredibly talented and dedicated people who are at the top of the field, and we don’t need to shy away from any challenge. One other moment that really stands out is that one of my teammates bought me custom Cantilever logo pajamas because I had mentioned wanting to own more pajamas in a team call. She wrote a really kind note that I kept in my office. The trust and faith that the team has in me is touching and inspiring. It was an honor that someone who I work with would go out of their way to do something so thoughtful, and that also inspired me to improve as a leader.

How do you navigate burnout in a productive manner?

Personally, my number one tool against burnout is a philosophy called Getting Things Done (GTD) by David AllenFor the team, one important thing is just having an eye on how hard people are working. I think at most companies if the boss found someone doing 25% more hours than expected that would make the boss happy, but here it tends to make us concerned, because it probably means we messed up our planning somehow, and we’d rather have consistent high performance than a spike and a crash. Every team member at Cantilever has a weekly 1:1 meeting with their manager, and their manager should be regularly keeping an eye on their commitment level, so that we can switch things up if they are at risk of overworking. There’s a woman named Cait Donovan who has a definition of burnout that doesn’t really have to do with overwork specifically. She frames it more around culture and role fit. If you are working fine hours but for a company you don’t vibe with or are not compatible with, you will burn out. I believe in this as well, and it’s key that we are clear about who we are and what we value, so that anyone who wants to work here is clear what we’ll be expecting, and there is no conflict of values or style. , which I have written and spoken about quite a bit. I literally could not manage my life’s commitments without it. I think it is the single greatest tool I have in my arsenal, even considering my actual skills, because you can’t apply your skills fully if you burn out, or people can’t rely on you.

As a fully remote team, especially right now during the Coronavirus pandemic, how do you support yourself and your team members in staying productive, without going past your limits?

For the team, one important thing is just having an eye on how hard people are working. I think at most companies if the boss found someone doing 25% more hours than expected that would make the boss happy, but here it tends to make us concerned, because it probably means we messed up our planning somehow, and we’d rather have consistent high performance than a spike and a crash. Every team member at Cantilever has a weekly 1:1 meeting with their manager, and their manager should be regularly keeping an eye on their commitment level, so that we can switch things up if they are at risk of overworking.

There’s a woman named Cait Donovan who has a definition of burnout that doesn’t really have to do with overwork specifically. She frames it more around culture and role fit. If you are working fine hours but for a company you don’t vibe with or are not compatible with, you will burn out. I believe in this as well, and it’s key that we are clear about who we are and what we value, so that anyone who wants to work here is clear what we’ll be expecting, and there is no conflict of values or style.

What value do you see digital marketing playing in Cantilever’s branding & growth strategy? What elements of digital marketing excite you as a leader of this business, even right now during the Coronavirus pandemic?

Digital marketing is, of course, the future of the industry. We’ve never done any physical marketing, and it doesn’t make sense for us to do so. The best thing for a prospective client to do is to browse our own website, and feel our work in action. Kielo Digital has been a fantastic partner at learning our values, attitude, and approach, and presenting that on social. I’m excited to see how all the channels evolve, and develop new paradigms for reaching people.

I think often delegation is thought of as a tool for the manager to get stuff off their plate, but I think primarily you have to look at it as a tool for your teammate to succeed, grow, and learn. If your motivation is to free up time in your own day, you are not mindful of how the work fits with the other person’s life, needs, and interests. I believe that successful delegation happens when there is alignment between the work and the person. That means that we have to find people who are inherently driven to do the kinds of things that we need to delegate. They should be excited to have the chance to do it. That is how people do their best. It’s also crucial to be clear and detailed in delegation. If you don’t provide a certain detail you can’t be upset if the person you delegated to does not pick up on that detail. It’s good to ask people to do their own research but you have to expect that they’ll get different answers than you.

How have you learned to delegate, as a CEO & Founder? What have you learned from building your team, and how have you added to your team in a way that allows your entire company to grow?

I think we are the best in the world (or tied for first 😀) at building complex marketing websites. So, I would like more people to know that. We struggle right now because we don’t talk about our own work enough, and the work is really the only thing that matters. We can talk all we want about our approach, but what gets us business is our prior success. I want anyone who is in charge of a difficult website build to feel that we would be the ideal partner.

I love to delegate because it helps people grow. As a service company, we are delegated to by our clients, and so we should see delegation as a gift and not a burden.

If you had a magic wand, what would you want to do to amplify Cantilever’s message on- and off-line?

Cantilever is dedicated to “making the internet, better.” At Kielo, we love working with a company that knows how to improve their digital ecosystem for their clients and deliver beautiful results. On top of it all, Cantilever is committed to fostering a healthy remote-work culture for every team member. That’s something we at Kielo Digital can definitely get behind!

The Cantilever team’s amazing skills as web designers and developers have helped countless brands reinvigorate their online presence. Our team enjoys helping clients to amplify their achievements & personalities across the digital ecosystem, all while learning even more about our clients’ fascinating industries.

One lesson we learned while speaking with Ty was the power of delegation. As a small team of talented marketers, we practice delegating internally and externally every day. We balance the demands of our business, while always prioritizing the needs of our clients. Through this, we know how to work with you to make your business that much more successful — without adding to your To-Do List.

Do you want to learn more about the power of delegation? At Kielo Digital, we’re here to help you discover what you can delegate — and we’d love to talk with you more about how we can play a part in that.

If you want to jumpstart the process & get started growing your business, our consulting sessions offer you the chance to talk through all of your goals and create a comprehensive plan to make sure you get there. Book today, no strings attached!

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Originally published at https://kielodigital.com on March 24, 2021.