WHY CEOs NEED FANTASTIC EXECUTIVE ASSISTANTS Whether they are called executive assistants, secretaries or special assistants – they can make or break the productivity of the CEO and the entire team. My ability to get things done is often correlated with how strongly under pressure my assistant can perform – especially in a high-stress environment. I’ve worked with two types of assistants: remarkable career EAs and ambitious executives in the making. Career EAs have seen everything and have instincts that can anticipate your core needs and those of the team quickly and reliably – they often teach you how to be more organized and effective. Stepping stone EAs go after the role as a way to be involved with the entire operation and hope to learn from you. I’m sure there are other types and even hybrids – either way you’ll want to hire someone amazing. Here are my 3C’s on what to look for when hiring your next assistant: Calm – when everything feels like it’s burning down – meetings are added then cancelled, phones are ringing, emails are fast filling up inboxes – you want a calm, cool, and collected assistant to keep the trains running. Just projecting a quiet confidence can make things much easier for the CEO and the team. Creative - dealing with the incoming is a big part of an assistant in a fast-pace environment. Great assistants figure out in advance what research to do so that a 30 second walk-and-talk before a meeting is informative; they send out personalized thank-you’s to clients on the CEOs behalf without the CEO even knowing; they proactively order pizza for the whole team when it appears a late night is approaching, and change flights because the weather is just starting to look threatening. Competent – beyond all else, having someone competent is most important. Whether it’s staying organized, possessing smart instincts, or being friendly to colleagues and the outside world, you want an assistant who is a positive extension of you and your organization. No matter what you throw at him or her, you walk out knowing it will get done. Somehow. Not convinced you need one? According to a Harvard Business Review paper, an assistant who makes his or her boss roughly 8% more productive (saving 5 hours in a 60 hour work week) is worth the pay.* So go out and find someone awesome.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Jul 2013 12:11:09 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015