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Ten Techniques to Work Effectively with Your Administrative Assistant
In the fast paced corporate world it is vitally important that executives work effectively with their Administrative Assistant. A solid well organized work flow can greatly improve productively and reduce stress.
Your AA is the gate keeper of your calendar, the facilitator of making meetings happen, and the manger of your travel. They are challenged with juggling multiple bosses, demanding executive schedules, and limited face to face time with you.
So, now is a good time to refresh your working processes.
1. Think about your expectations for your admin and share those with them. You may think that you have been very clear about your needs but it may have been awhile since you have refreshed those expectations.
2. Create the practice of having your admin “prepare” you for tomorrow. At the end of each work day you should have a “next day” folder that contains:
A printed copy of that day’s calendar
Agendas for any meetings you will be attending
Notes and relevant information for any appointment you have that day
Any documents that you have asked your admin to “hold” until that day
3. Create some regular one on one time with your admin. A half hour weekly meeting should be a minimal requirement. Your admin is typically the first person to fall off your schedule as you calendar fills up with other pressing appointments. The problem with this is that they are your best during those busy times.
4. During your one on one meeting, let your admin “go first” with their list of questions, discussion points, and outstanding items. This way if the apt gets cut short or an interruption occurs, they can move forward based on some of the answers they gotten.
5. Use part of your face to face time to review your upcoming calendar commitments.
6. Be as prompt as you can about accepting or declining potential travel. The more lead time an Admin has to plan trips, the better you will be accommodated.
7. Use a few minutes of this time to keep them in the loop about what projects you are working on and who are the key players in those projects. They can then help in prioritizing you apt to meet those needs.
8. Decide together the best way for you to give “work.” Email is now the most common form of communications. Decide together how to utilize it effectively. Shooting 5-15 emails to your admin may get it out of your In-box but it makes if very difficult for your admin to prioritize all those tasks. Consider these options:
Assign tasks via Microsoft Outlook. This enables your admin to maintain assignments in a TO DO format and also updates you via email as soon as a task is completed by your admin
Add a code to the subject line of emails that you forward to your admin: 1= needs to be done today, 2= by the end of the week, 3 = when you get a chance
Leave a “running email” open in your draft folder. Add to it throughout the morning and then again in the afternoon. Send it late morning and later afternoon. This way your admin can prioritize tasks in groups
Stop by their desk for some quick "face" time when you have an urgent task
9. Make sure you give your admin adheres the opportunity to Write EVERYTHING Down This can be on a traditional steno pad, electronically, or some combination of both.
10. Create a file system together. One of the best ways for your admin to know what is important is to help you create a file system that defines what is hot, what is past, what can be stored or tossed.
Learn more about this and other productivity techniques with Shawn Kershaw, Inc.
