What Secret Weapon Do Top Executives Have That Makes Them Successful? A Rock Star Assistant!

How does your assistant measure up? Top executives know the importance of having a rock star assistant.

What do top executives of the world have that helps make them… that top executive? An assistant that understands the executive, the organization, and the position and can take all the pieces of the puzzle, put them together, and make a true difference in an executive’s life. A rock star assistant isn’t the power BEHIND the throne, the rock star assistant is the power WITH the throne.

How does your assistant measure up?

Most executives have an assistant to help them out, but what makes a truly great assistant?

What makes one assistant stand out over another?

An assistant that has your back and is that partner. This EA knows what is going on, what is important to you and your goals, and your company. This assistant knows what you are working on and how and what they can do to help you achieve your goals. Your success is their success.

Miracle Worker/Mind readers. Of course, there is no such thing as a mind reader, but a good EA takes what they know (from email, meetings, one on ones, general organization knowledge, common sense) and anticipates what is going to be important in the future and helps you prepare or take action before projects even get started. A great EA can see possible crisis situations and be able to shift directions quickly and address daily issues as well as emergencies. A rock star EA gets things done where you don’t have to worry about the how’s. Everything has a solution, a rock star assistant will have that mindset set of, “ok this can be done, now to figure out the how.”

Manage and maximize your time. There is more to maximizing time than just maintaining your calendar, handling your email, and managing meetings! (Though your assistant should be awesome at all those tasks!) A rock star assistant will protect your time, jump in when someone is manipulating your time in the break room, or if a project is coming up on a deadline, block out some do not disturb time! Your assistant will know your projects and their abilities, so can jump in and take over a task or research projects that let you free up time for more important work. A great assistant will analyze your meetings and time-consuming tasks and help you utilize your time for maximum efficiency.

ROI! Your rock star assistant saves your company money! Your time is money. For every hour your assistant saves you, that is adding real value to your company’s bottom line. Your assistant frees up time so you can work on important projects or strategies. By taking over email, phones, and just being a good gatekeeper, your assistant can save you, easily 2 hours a day. Now add helping to prepare for meetings, running to get a signature from a worker, taking over a report, picking up a coffee or lunch, those hours add up. You know what you make, you know what your EA makes. How much does your EA save if they save you 10 hours a week? What about 20 or more hours a week. This number is actually pretty substantial! This doesn’t even take into account the mental ROI of not worrying about tasks!

Do you feel your assistant is a rock star? Does your assistant do all that was mentioned above and then some? If so, awesome! If not, don’t worry or run to find a new rock star assistant. You may have your diamond in the ruff sitting outside your office. Many times, as an executive, your world, is so busy and you are just doing what you always have done. Most assistants have a personality of wanting to help and make a difference in their executive’s life. It just takes some extra communication and initiative to get your assistant to the next level!

To start, here are a few tips that will help strengthen your partnership with your assistant.

Effective communications. Communication goes both ways. Your assistant should have clear communications to you and you should be clear in what you want and expect from your assistant. Listen and respect your assistant’s thoughts and input. Let your assistant get to know you. They should know your likes, preferences, goals, the organization’s goals, what projects are important, as well as people who are important. Your assistant isn’t a mind reader. How can your assistant support and take tasks off your plate if they don’t have a good understanding of what is important?

Empower your assistant. Give your assistant the tools and support and let them become experts in supporting you, let them handle your calendar, email, projects, and requests that take you away from your more strategic and important tasks. Give them the encouragement and power to keep you on track, informed, and moving towards your goals. Have your

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Created on Oct 12th 2021 11:53. Viewed 212 times.

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