Good afternoon everyone!

I wanted to let you in on a new blog that I’ve found called “Behind Every Leader” from Executive Assistants Organization (EAO). It’s a fantastic blog for assistants. You can find it at: http://blog.behindeveryleader.com/.

Here’s a little snapshot of August 21st‘s post that was recently published in the Lee’s Summit Chapter of IAAP’s local newsletter:

The Top 10 Things That Assistants Do Better Than Anyone Else:

1. They are relentlessly adaptable. They love the variety the job offers and that no two days are ever the same which makes it easy for them to shift gears at a moment’s notice.

2. They love a challenge. “No” is usually not an option. True confession: I used to play a game at work called “How few emails or phone calls in the shortest time will it take to get this answer?” I won if it took three or less in five minutes or less.

3. They underplay their power. Looks can be deceiving. The assistant has the ear of her manager and wields tremendous influence. Do not underestimate this. Seriously.

4. Making people happy is their goal. Going above and beyond is SOP. Assistants have an innate desire to please and to figure out the myriad of ways to do that. Assistants are born with a “service heart” and receive great pleasure and satisfaction from being supreme implementers.

5. They read minds. They usually need a clue or two. A look on their manager’s face or the way her co-worker responded at the staff meeting. Great assistants are clairvoyant and truly know when “it is a good time” to approach the boss, and more importantly, when it is not. Anticipating what needs to be done is their gift.

6. They love to put out fires and bring order to chaos. The assistant is the go-to person in any crisis whether it is prepping for Hurricane Sandy or untangling a meeting gone haywire.

7. They are master jugglers. The best assistants enjoy managing 12 invisible balls in the air and are able to handle #13 and #14 too. Just give them a fresh cup of coffee.

8. They are hungry to learn. Assistants know that they need to commit to life-long learning in order to stay at the top of their game. Smart CEOs and business leaders recognize this need and invest in their assistant’s professional development.

9. They are connected. Resources are an assistant’s best friends. The best assistants have the widest and deepest networks. They know the magic power of relationships to get it done…now.

10. They yearn to make a difference. Assistants are the ultimate enablers for their managers and companies. It gives them great pleasure to see the results of their plotting and planning. They don’t need a lot of feedback. A little goes a long way.

Article publié pour la première fois le 09/09/2013

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