Imagine, as a busy Executive you have an extra hour bestowed upon you every day, just as we all are experiencing today with the end of daylight saving’, what a gift. What if we could actually make the impossible possible, a reality, and create one extra hour every day, would that pique your interest?
Tomorrow could be the day that you make this happen by allowing Time Management to weave its magical powers in creating a more productive, energized working environment. How you ask!
Solution – hand over the responsibility for managing your diary and therefore your time, to your Executive Assistant, it is as simple as that.
Gone are the days when Executives need to manage their own appointments, as it can usually end ‘in tears’, as their Assistant is constantly having to reorganize appointments due to double or even triple bookings.
It should be noted that there are a number of key responsibilities that are recognized as specifically Assistant related duties, Calendar Management being NUMBER ONE.
The executive’s time is the most highly valued commodity and must be meticulously managed. The only way to ensure this occurs is to delegate the responsibility to a trusted assistant who has Total Control over the Calendar.
In the business world as we know it today, every executive has a mobile phone which gives them the capacity to manage a duplicity of tasks whilst they are away from their office, including appointments.
It is far more effective when a meeting needs to be negotiated to advise the party concerned that your assistant will be in touch to discuss a mutually convenient time. This saves the possibility of double booking. It also generates a professional image for you the executive.
It would be totally unprofessional to agree a time, and then get back to the office to find your assistant has already negotiated another appointment in that timeslot. There is then the difficulty of having to ‘backtrack’ and make a number of changes. The time expended to backtrack and renegotiate is a total waste of resources.
As Manager of the calendar, the assistant will be fully conversant with the movements of their executive and able to negotiate appointments on their behalf, portraying a stronger professional image.
Apart from an assistant, NO OTHER PERSON should have the authority to create appointments in the executive’s calendar, ALL requests for appointments MUST BE directed through the assistant.
It is important to note that dealing with Stakeholders in a highly professional way promotes the credibility of the assistant’s position, as they are seen as an extension of their executive.
This gives strength to their ‘standing’ in the C-Suite as they become the pivot and are seen as the first port of call, taking the pressure off the executive as issues and visitors are handled appropriately.
Allowing an assistant to ‘do their job’, can be difficult for some executives, however when an assistant acknowledges their ‘power’ and can step up to the ‘plate’, they exude the authority that their position demands that they take on, that of managing their executive. When an Assistant takes on this initiative and is innovative in managing their executive’s time, it is a win-win for both parties.
Excerpt taken from The Executive Experience – Author – Catherine Middleton