These five ways are all manageable and will help you to professionally develop as an Executive Assistant.
Executive assistants have many roles to play every single day. Because of this, they tend to set aside professional development. But professional development is essential for them. They play a vital role in the companies they work for and must achieve a higher level of multifaceted skills. Executive assistants very much operate on an administrative level, and it is for this reason that professional development is essential for them.
Here are five ways executive assistants can develop professionally:
Learning to cope with stress
One of the things executive assistants need to develop is stress management. Being an assistant is stressful, particularly at a high level. That’s a given and something to expect in this kind of profession. However, too much stress could affect productivity, effectiveness, and overall health and well-being.
Good time management
One of the most effective ways to cope with stress is time management. You’ll be less stressed if you know how to manage your time well. Take control over your workload by learning to prioritise. Another way to effectively cope with stress is to focus on finishing one job at a time before moving on to another. Jot down things you need to do later. Inform people you need to get back to them and deal with emails in one go. Make phone calls at one time. Avoid interruptions, as it could take time to refocus again, which will cause you further stress.
Make sure you fully understand what a task requires and its significance. Expand your business acumen and ensure you can effectively prioritise. Understand your manager’s objectives. Ask questions if you are not sure. Understanding your tasks allows you to prioritise well without having to ask.
Time management is one of the keys to coping with stress. Therefore, executive assistants should take the time to develop their time management skills. When it comes to this, the best thing you can do is to take up e-learning training courses. Taking up an online course for time management helps improve your ability to manage time and be more effective in your role.
The first step to time management is to determine your priorities. Remember that some tasks are more critical than others and may have a closer deadline. In this case, you need to prioritise these tasks before you accomplish the rest.
One of the most important aspects of time management is organising your day. Without proper day-to-day organisation, improving your time management skills can be daunting. But if you manage your daily tasks well and keep track of your progress, you’ll know where you stand as you work towards achieving your more important goals. You can start by writing daily to-do lists while also considering any interruptions that could occur.
Influencing, negotiating and networking
Most seasoned executives will tell you that building relationships through networking and learning to improve your influencing, negotiating, and networking skills is essential for long-term success in your profession. In fact, relationship building is vital to the role of an executive assistant.
When building successful relationships, the first thing that comes to mind is open communication. To establish a network, you must be willing to communicate often and regularly. Reach out to others through professional channels and open yourself up to conversation. Besides, the main essence of networking is to converse with those of similar background as yours and foster trust while supporting each other to become better professionals.
Willingness to connect is another crucial aspect of networking with others. Even if someone’s profession does not fall under the industry you belong to, you should still be open to connecting with them. Also, don’t hesitate to reach out to others who may have a higher status than you. Remember, willingness to connect is a crucial step to building a network.
Travel planning
Travel planning is an essential skill for executive assistants. Many factors go into any successful business trip. As an executive assistant, you should know how to make a successful business trip happen. The first step is to ensure that all travel documents are in proper order. From passports to travel visas and insurances – these documents should be organised and kept in one place.
Remember that travel plans are subject to sudden changes. Things could happen that are beyond our control, which could affect the travel plans. Therefore, you should have backup plans for important arrangements. When planning the trip, anticipate all possible changes and circumstances that could affect the travel plans, and look for ways to reroute if you have to. Keep a schedule of alternate flights to the destination area, and ensure you have backup arrangements for the accommodations. So, if things change, you are ready for it. Most hotels should be able to accommodate last-minute changes through a phone call, so ensure you have their contact information at your fingertips.
Have offline copies of important information. Although everything is now accessible online in this day and age of the internet, you will never know if you can access the internet at the destination.
Calendar management
Managing a calendar is one of the most challenging tasks for an executive assistant. It takes a lot of your time, and staying on schedule is essential. Delayed or missed meetings could result in missed opportunities.
When it comes to calendar management, the first step is prioritising people and tasks. Who are those that you need to spend time with directly? If some meetings and tasks are not worth your time, better remove them from your calendar. Prioritise those that require immediate attention, such as investor calls and board meetings.
You don’t need to dedicate your calendar solely for meetings. Having your entire schedule in one place will be easier for you to remain on track and avoid double booking or missing any events. Also, consider colour-coding the events in your calendar. It allows you to easily view your schedule and make it easy to organise meetings and commitments when necessary. Also, try to send reminders and confirmations about upcoming meetings. No-shows can be a waste of time, especially when you need to travel to the meeting place.
