A successful Executive will possess senior managerial experience, be highly regarded as an expert in their field, with a career journey that has taken many years to achieve, perhaps heading a department, an agency, or company.
Although having achieved their aspirations, they may not be fully conversant on how to utilize the expertise of Support staff, especially that of an Assistant. This situation may over time contribute to the ‘Executive Experience’ being more stressful than it could otherwise be. To gain full functionality of the C-Suite, the two parties considered as essential, are the Executive and their Assistant.
For any Executive, who has been accustomed to managing their own office, it can be difficult to ‘let go’, relinquish tasks and delegate responsibilities to another person. However, it is essential that you do as although you may be able to sustain actively managing two roles over a short period of time your own, plus that of a potential Assistant, does not augur well long term.
This level of activity takes its toll on the ability to consistently meet the demanding objectives of the position held, but perhaps more importantly, these demands can have serious implications for overall health and the functionality of the office.
If as an executive you are experiencing high STRESS levels, then perhaps the role has become bogged down in managing the everyday operational tasks that constantly inhibit progress, resulting in difficulties achieving the expectations of your position. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there was a magical solution that could ‘just fix it?
Hiring an assistant can feel like an arduous task, what do I look for, what type of responsibilities will they undertake? All is revealed in The Executive Experience, which will give any executive a clear overview of what to expect and what level of expertise to aim for.
On the other side of the equation is the Assistant, renowned for their passion about their profession, and always looking to grow. Assistants work with a variety of personalities which can be challenging, however are quite adept as keeping their executives on track with commitments and endeavour to stymy an executive’s propensity to self-manage.
Assistants are there to ensure that all the ‘i’s are dotted and ‘t’s crossed, keeping all the challenges of the C-Suite under control, plus manage their executive’s day to day requirements in a professional effective manner. They are the TIME SAVERS for their executive.
As one CEO stated recently, the most valuable resource of any Executive is TIME.
With each new generation it appears that the ‘learnings’ of our predecessors are not being handed down, and therefore those in ‘powerful’ positions are having to recreate the wheel. The fact that today’s executives are highly efficient and competent in the use of technology, they constantly try and do everything themselves, to ‘just’ get the job done. However, taking on a multitude of ‘administrative’ tasks that could ably be carried out by an allocated resource that of their assistant, would obviously be a better use of their time and energies.
It is often the case that due to their practice of self-reliance; they do not realize that unlocking the potential of an assistant is incredibly powerful for both parties. Executive + Assistant = The Dynamic Duo. Creating powerful, synergized working relationships within the C-Suite, is of utmost importance.
When the dynamics of the Dynamic Duo are built and nurtured, it is possible to create an ability to achieve the highest levels of efficiencies even throughout the most challenging periods. It should be remembered that when an executive builds a successful career, they are also contributing to the success of their assistant, as the assistant can only be as effective as their executive allows them to be. It’s a Catch 22 situation, as by investing in the assistant’s continued growth, they are also investing in their own success.