When to interrupt, when to say no and when to fit someone into the diary. The answer to these questions comes down to… how well do you know your executive?
As an assistant, administrator or executive assistant, our vital role and value is to make the life of those we support easier.
Problem-solving, facilitating information and workflow, acting as a sounding board, and ultimately increasing our team or executives’ productivity. It all depends on the preferences of the individuals we support.
Why knowing your executive is paramount?
Getting to know and really understand your executive or team is one of the most important skills to acquire to accelerate your performance. As assistants, our primary goal is to create the right space and dynamic, to help the executive to focus best on their priorities and objectives. When we know our executives, our ability to predict and plan for their needs is enhanced. We identify and mitigate their stressors, making us all more efficient. Reducing stressors are a godsend and by default provides balance and better well-being.
We can better support the strategic objectives and direction of the business. A deep understanding of those we support takes our ability to deliver to the next level, becoming your executive’s super power and that is no understatement!
It takes time and deliberate actions, including patience, to truly get to know your executive. This might be particularly challenging if you are supporting more than one person. As time progresses, you become better accustomed to learning and observing their nuances, stresses, working style, goals, etc., and develop a trusting and transparent relationship.
What you need to know
- What are their business goals, objectives and milestones – short and long term? Do you have a thorough understanding of what they are trying to achieve and their personal mission?
- Who is important to them, the who’s who? Chair, their boss, business partner, husband/wife? Know who has priority access and how you can access them.
- What are their priorities and values, business and life, and how can you better support these? It may be family, pets, direct reports, managers, clients, stakeholders, or investors. Or all of the above. These priorities may shift as the business and life change.
- How do they like to structure their day/week? Do they exercise and when, have reoccurring appointments or prefer meetings at certain times? Some executives find their thinking style better at different times of the day. Do you know what your executive’s preference is?
- How does your executive like to be prepared for meetings? Individual and company bio’s, reports, briefing notes? When do they like this information, the night before, the week before and in what format?
- Is there a way they prefer to communicate with you? Email, texts, face-to-face catchups. When is best to meet – first thing, evenings, or a particular day, when the workflow is less? Or maybe they prefer a more ad-hoc style, where the communication is spontaneous and flexible?
Regular catchups with those you support are a must. Asking these questions and identifying the answers provides valuable information. To note, there is never a black and white answer. Priorities and preferences change according to the demands of the job. So, keep alert, a step ahead and always be ready to adapt.
How to use that information
Utilise the information to create a work environment to support and uphold the wants and needs of the people you support. When managing diaries, create schedules to fit with the preferences. Having a template day and week can be useful. Use your knowledge of the individual’s goals and objectives when identifying meetings or tasks as priorities. Create a master list of contacts and allocate them a status, to easily reference and identify.
This is not an exhaustive list, merely a starting point! Ours is a busy job, so we hope some strategic thinking about how we do things can make your life a little easier and help you to become a rockstar admin!
What’s new….
The Porter House Hotel
Opening soon
Located in the heart of Sydney CBD, The Porter House is the newest addition to Sydney’s hospitality market. With its 122 rooms, brasserie, roof top bar, private dining options and event space, we couldn’t think of a better location for your next meeting or event!
EST10 Hot Job
Executive Assistant
$100-$110 package
Sydney CBD
This is a top-tier consulting firm that provides exceptionally high-quality services across the globe. This dream opportunity will see you join some of the best professionals in the industry becoming a key member of their team.
Most read this month
Our most read article on the EST01 blog is The good and the bad of headhunting.
An article written by Roxanne Calder for CEO World Magazine.
“We refer to it as headhunting to add mystique and enchantment, but it really is executive search…”