The Most Important Person in the Room
Having a top-level, high-impact assistant isn't just beneficial; it's the linchpin to achieving true productivity and success for many Executives.
When we talk about the impact of a skilled assistant at the senior levels, the dividends can be quite remarkable. Finding the ideal assistant can pose a unique challenge. Unlike traditional management roles, the process can be more intricate, given the significance of personal chemistry and the one-on-one dynamic. In certain instances, these factors may even outweigh skills and experience. Finding suitable matches is a feat that most recruiters are not equipped to make. Find our what makes us different here.
In this economy, businesses are grappling with challenges to slash expenditures, trim workforce numbers, and streamline their organizational frameworks. The presence of support personnel at lower echelons within corporate entities has significantly diminished across the board. This is regrettable, as the best assistants possess the potential to yield substantial enhancements in productivity throughout all tiers of the organization that can never be replaced, regardless of what OpenAI tries to pitch.
Consider a scenario where a senior executive, with a total compensation package of $1 million per year, partners with an assistant earning $125,000. To achieve a break-even point, the assistant only has to enhance the executive's productivity by 20% (equating to saving approximately 12 hours) in a 60-hour workweek. The reality often surpasses these numbers by far.
Exceptional assistants go above and beyond, ensuring meetings kick off on time with prep materials, on-time and prepared attendees, and follow-up are tracked properly. They expertly manage complex travel schedules, facilitate decision-making, and adeptly navigate the labyrinth of tasks that keep projects, and entire leadership teams and boards, on course. They act as gatekeepers, filtering out distractions that might otherwise turn a manager into an email-answering machine rather than a proactive leader shaping the organization's agenda.
Certain organizations might be attracted to the idea of egalitarianism that they believe an “assistant-less” structure represents. The notion of "we are all in this together" may seem appealing, as senior executives handle tasks like booking economy seats and strategizing calendaring for business trips to cities like New York or San Francisco. From an efficient management perspective, this approach can be a significant drain on precious time and productivity. In terms of sound management practices, a less-supported structure often lacks economic justification.
In contemporary workplaces, assistants are assuming increasingly supervisory responsibilities. They handle information flow, basic financial management, attending meetings, and engaging in planning and organizing activities. Executives play a crucial role in empowering their assistants by explicitly communicating to the organization that the assistant holds genuine authority. The executive's message should emphasize trust, signaling to others, "I have confidence in this individual to represent me and make decisions."
You can glean valuable insights into an executive's management approach and efficacy by observing their interactions with their assistants. The level of trust and delegation, or conversely, the tendency to micromanage, becomes apparent. The working dynamics between an executive and their assistant, as reflected in a stable or revolving assistant history, provides clues about the executive's leadership style. While not every boss-assistant relationship is seamless, an executive's skill in handling conflicts with an assistant serves as a significant gauge of their overall ability to manage personnel effectively.
The pivotal element influencing how effectively a manager leverages an assistant revolves around the executive's readiness to delegate portions of their workload. Establishing trust and integrating the assistant into the team with the due level of respect and integrity befitting their caliber of support is paramount. There are EAs who run meetings, who run teams, and who are pivotal and critical in companies reaching goals, and handling sensitive chapters like acquisitions, confidential high-profile hires, layoffs, or going public. There are CEO who will quietly admit they run most things by their senior EAs before making final decisions.
Expert assistants grasp the unspoken needs and characteristics of their Executives. They possess elevated levels of emotional intelligence, discerning subtle cues and responding with situational appropriateness. They closely observe changes in an executive's behavior and temperament, recognizing that timing and judgment form the bedrock of a seamless working relationship. A skilled assistant swiftly understands an executive's needs, identifies strengths and weaknesses, understands potential triggers for stress, and adeptly accommodates their personal style.
The best executive assistants are indispensable. No AI or software companies will ever be able to develop software that can calm a hysterical manager, avert a crisis by redrafting a poorly worded email based on knowledge of relationships, smooth ruffled feathers, and solve a looming HR issue—all within a single hour. Executive assistants embody the human touch for companies and managers. They serve as ambassadors, brand reps, problem solvers, interpreters, help desk attendants, diplomats, living databases, travel advisors, informal therapists, and liaisons both within and beyond organizational boundaries.
We believe the world goes ‘round because of incredible EAs and other support professionals. You can learn more about our values here.