We pulled this guide shared by one of our clients, and it mentioned these are “Full Focus Executive Assistants”. We used it for the first time as a supplementary guide in our hiring announcements for Chiefs-of-Staff and we found it to be incredibly insightful.
Read til the end for our insights based on dozens of Chief-of-Staff hires here at Proximity Outsourcing.
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Full Focus Executive Assistants
Lesson 1.1: Characteristics of an Exceptional Executive Assistant
Transcript
As an executive assistant, what is your job? I know what the job description will say, but what does that amount to? One of the best assistants I’ve worked with said this about her role: “My job is to free up my executive to do the highest-leverage work possible by taking over everything else.” Another of our EAs put it this way: “My job is to make my executive the hero of his story. I’m trying to make him the best he can be in all areas of life.” That’s an exciting partnership.
As an executive assistant, you’ll be in charge of scheduling, answering emails, taking notes during meetings, pulling information, handling requests from outside parties, and much more. Yet, all of that boils down to this: your job is to help your boss succeed.
Let me share seven characteristics of an outstanding EA.
The first characteristic of an outstanding assistant is that they have a high skill level. Our philosophy is that executive assistant is a high-skill position. Granted, these are different skills than an engineer or an executive. As an EA, you must be proficient in a number of things, including process management, interpersonal communication, business software applications, problem solving, and even conflict resolution. Very likely you needed a lot of these to get hired. Others you’ll need to acquire. That means you must get good at independent learning. The quickest way to frustrate your boss is to say, “I can’t do that.” The way to actually win is to say, “I’ve not done that before, but I’ll learn.” An outstanding executive assistant is a lifelong learner.
The second characteristic of an outstanding EA is humility. The essence of your job is to help someone else succeed. That means thinking of others first, and that takes some humility. Occasionally, it means doing what may seem like menial tasks. One day, our Chief Content Officer, Joel Miller, had a day that was jam-packed with meetings. Maybe you’ve been there. He barely had time to run from one to the next, and certainly no time to go out for lunch. When Joel exited the meeting that ended at 12:15, he found his assistant waiting there with a plate of food. This gave him just enough time to quickly eat before his 12:30 meeting. Going through the buffet line is not in anyone’s job description, but something that small can be the difference between success and failure for a busy executive. Be adaptable to change. Remember you’re following the boss’s priorities. When you have the attitude that some tasks are beneath you, it’s hard to be an assistant When you have the attitude that no job is too small, you’ll quickly become a hero to your boss.
The third characteristic of an outstanding assistant is confidence. Confidence may sound odd alongside humility, but they actually go together. Part of helping your boss is protecting them from others, and sometimes from themselves. One of our EAs put it this way. She said, “My job is sort of like being an offensive lineman. I create boundaries around my boss so she can focus.” As an EA, you may have to say no to people who outrank you, and sometimes you’ll have to push back on your boss. That takes a lot of confidence. To win with your boss, develop the confidence to say no when needed. And P.S., I know you can do it.
The fourth characteristic is confidentiality. You will be privy to sensitive company, and even personal, information. This relationship works only if your boss knows you have high integrity. A huge part of that is being able to maintain confidentiality. Others in the company may try to wheedle clues from you about your boss. You’ll also have access to a lot of personal details about your executive. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to break confidentiality. The way to win with your boss is to always have their back.
The fifth characteristic is follow-through. As an executive assistant, you are a professional loop closer. You’ll be responsible for completing countless small tasks. You may also track tasks assigned to others. Executives hate open loops, and it’s your job to close them. Remember, when you forget something, your executive takes the blame. One of the worst things you can tell your boss is, “Oops, I forgot.” The way to gain confidence is to track the status of all open items so nothing falls through the cracks.
The sixth characteristic of an outstanding EA is solutions orientation. Your boss will often turn to you when they are facing a problem. Sometimes, of course, the executive’s solution isn’t ideal. Here’s an example. Jeff was an assistant for a highly successful attorney. She made high demands, including babysitting and doing laundry. The previous EA finally quit in frustration. Jeff realized he’d have to push back on these demands. Rather than say, “No way,” he found a solution. The problem was that the boss couldn’t find sitters. Jeff suggested doing some research, then scheduling sitters from an approved list. Executives hate having problems dumped back in their lap. The way to win is by saying, “That won’t work. Let’s try this instead.”
Our seventh characteristic is anticipation. You need to become an expert in one subject: your boss. Get to know their work style, their preferences, and even moods. Part of your magic is to see what they need before they need it. The sweetest words your executive can hear are, “That’s already done.” When you can go beyond simply following instructions and begin to take care of things your boss hasn’t even thought about, you will truly be an outstanding executive assistant.
All this may sound a bit overwhelming, especially if you’re a new EA, but I believe you can do this. You can learn new skills, serve with humility, step up with confidence, be worthy of trust, follow through on assignments, and begin to anticipate needs. You’ve got what it takes to be the best assistant your boss has ever had. I know you do.
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In essence, a great EA is the perfect sidekick, the one that makes it his/ her ultimate daily goal to raise the productivity, quality of life, quality of work, and even the mental health of their boss.
This is a great backdrop to what would also make someone an awesome Chief-of-Staff. In our experience the COS are treated more like an equal than an “assistant”, with some decisions being passed on to them, and they also serve as a second pair of eyes/ brain on an important decision. Even though the team is based in the Philippines, someone who’s a real winner on their job stands out and can provide a lot of support virtually. Trust us, we’ve been on this hiring game for over 7 years!
We are always honored to hire amazing Chiefs-of-Staff for our clients. They have instant benefits to some of the biggest decision makers of the company, and we get endless bouts of love from our happy clients.
Want to hire your very own Chief-of-Staff? Book a FREE consult here and let’s talk about getting you to the next level.
