As an assistant, what do you expect from your executive to be able to function at your optimum during unique situations? Give this area a lot of thought as it will lay the foundation for the following step: communicating your expectations to your executive.
When you communicate your expectations, it opens the discussion for processes and efficiencies. This is the time to:
- Evaluate which processes you need to keep in place, such as your daily huddle.
- Determine which processes or habits can be dropped (for now).
- Create new processes to meet current needs.
- Streamline existing processes.
After you have discussed the above it is time to prioritize. There are many moving pieces and they may be coming at you faster than you can tolerate. You might feel like you want to give up; you might feel overwhelmed, uncertain, and fearful. This is natural. By asking your executive which projects are most urgent to him or her, you can begin to number them accordingly and your days will feel more manageable.
That leads us to our next area – staying visible to your executive and demonstrating your value. During one of our past webinars, an assistant mentioned a concern she has is “staying in the mind of her executive” so they don’t forget her.
When you have reached a point of self-sufficiency, this is understandable. Here are 3 ways to stay in sight, so to speak, and in the mind of your executive:
- Send your executive a daily update or even just a hello.
- Add value by forwarding any pertinent information you read or see that impacts your industry.
- Look for areas of your work where you can streamline processes.
Unpredictable situations that dramatically impact the workplace, affect productivity, and communication will occur. However, with the right skills, you will be able to continuously work in tandem with your leader.
Our Survival Tactics Series for Chaotic Times assistant webinar series provides actionable information on this and more.
