10 things PAs do better than anyone

A love for what they do is they mark of great personal assistants. It takes a special kind of person to spend their days supporting others without expecting recognition from the wider team. Here, former celebrity PA Bonnie Low-Kramen describes 10 things that assistants do better than anyone else in the office.

1 They are adaptable – They love the variety the job offers and thrive on the fact that no two days are ever the same. They can easily shift gears as a result.

2 They love a challenge – “No” is never an option for the dedicated PA. Bonnie admits to playing a game in which she tried to get an answer to a question in as few emails and as little time as possible.

3 They’re humble – A good PA will never demand reverence despite the fact that they wield tremendous power in the office. They have the ear of the boss and hold great influence. Looks can be deceiving.

4 They like to make people happy – PAs are typically people who are eager to please and will fight to make it happen. They are natural carers and get a sense of satisfaction out of knowing they’ve made somebody’s life easier through implementation.

5 They’re mind readers – Great assistants pay attention to those around them and are able to figure things out with very few clues. They know when it’s a good time to approach the boss and can anticipate things that need to be done without being asked.

6 They love fighting fires – Executives will often turn to their PAs first in the event of a crisis and the assistants are great at handling difficult situations.

7 They’re master jugglers – By the nature of the job, PAs need to be able to multitask. Most will be fine with juggling a load of invisible balls and adding more as the day goes on.

8 They want to learn – Assistants know that the role is constantly changing and therefore they strive to continue learning new skills. Likewise, a good CEO will understand this and invest in their PA’s training.

9 They are connected – Networking is one of the best ways to learn and grow, so any good assistant will have a network of PAs they can turn to for advice.

10 They want to make a difference – Assistants are the ultimate enablers for their managers and companies. They like seeing the results of their hard work and don’t need a large amount of feedback.

Read the original article at bit.ly/1WyHHix