By: Guest Author Jan Jones www.theceossecretweapon.com
During promotion for my new book “The CEO’s Secret Weapon How Great Leaders and Their Assistants Maximize Productivity and Effectiveness”, I met an enthusiastic young woman who asked me how she, too, could become a highly effective assistant to a top executive.
Here’s some of what I told her:
Sweat the Small Stuff
My first boss had a fastidious adherence to procedures, protocols and details that drove me nuts. But, this pedantic executive was the best thing for my career. His insistence on attention to detail was foundational in my evolution into an exceptional executive assistant. I embodied the saying “if a job is worth doing, it’s worth doing well.” When I understood what I was doing and why I was doing it, I realized details matter.
See the Big Picture
Learn to see the big picture. Do this by listening and absorbing everything you can from your boss and others. Read everything that comes across your desk. Listen to phone conversations, but keep mum about confidential information. Read up about your industry and business in general. Be informed, so you can connect seemingly unrelated dots. Have frequent face-to-face communication with your boss to observe body language and other hints that will teach you to “read” situations and know how to deal with them confidently.
Get the Action Habit
The best way to learn is to do. The more you do, the better you’ll get. Doing builds confidence and you learn to think on your feet. Embrace everything that has the remotest connection to your job that will make you better at it. Don’t hesitate to take on extra projects. There’s no such thing as “it’s not my job”. Everything of a business nature that involves your boss is your concern.
Be Generous
Offer support to team members who need a hand, even if you are buried with work yourself. Share your expertise. Offer good customer service to people within and outside your company. Cultivate diplomacy. Be an ambassador for your boss.
Develop a Reputation for Getting Things Done
Become a mind reader. Develop your ability to anticipate and stay ahead of the game. Sharpen problem resolution skills. Complete tasks ahead of schedule. Follow up outstanding matters rigorously and deliver results.
These habits will see you well on your way to being a vital asset to your boss and get you that all-important seat at the table.
"At the current pace of progress, we are more than 100 years away from gender equality in the C-suite." Sheryl Sandberg
Here are some other self-coaching books to get started in shifting gears:
When Doing It All Won't Do: A self-coaching guide for career women. (ebook edition $0.99, Workbook Edition in paperback $13.41)
Women, Know Thyself: The most important knowledge is self-knowledge. (ebook and paperback editions)
Women and Time (ebook and paperback editions)
