Why You Need An Assistant Who Manages You
Have you found yourself agreeing to meetings and commitments that you don’t really want to take on? What about never missing a client meeting but skipping your own personal commitments–like exercising or having lunch with a loved one– all for the sake of getting more work done?
If these things ring true for you, you probably need an executive assistant to help you prioritize what’s most important by managing you–and not the other way around.
A great Executive Assistant knows how to manage up, and doesn’t demand hours of delegation.
They extract the most important details of your work and personal life through thoughtful questions and detailed resourcefulness. At 33Vincent, we capture all of our client’s most important preferences during our onboarding process. We create a thorough and customized dossier from an intake survey, deep dive call and a touch of research.
From there, with the right access, our EAs are able to capture information and data from a client’s calendar, email, and conversations to position themselves as a superior gatekeeper for their clients. We ask thoughtful questions on our check-ins or through Base Decision Stream to fill in the gaps that we aren’t able to sort out on our own. While it is helpful for a client to have the skills to delegate tasks, a great Executive Assistant needs little assistance in getting work done and finding tasks to complete; they tell you what they’re going to do:
“I saw an email come through about the board meeting next week. Would you like me to order your usual Cobb salad for your lunch option? I’ve also blocked 3 hours for prep work the day prior to the meeting, and linked your obligations in the calendar hold.”
“I’ve reviewed your inbox and you have two emails that need to be addressed today. The rest are FYI only and I’ve marked them accordingly.”
A high-caliber Executive Assistant knows what you need – and has the confidence to tell you.
I have had so many clients prioritize work over their personal priorities, and I’ve made big strides in helping them spend more time on what matters most, without sacrificing their work quality. You CAN have both, and an Executive Assistant who manages you can support you to get there.
An exceptional EA can walk you through an ideal week exercise, to better understand what schedule works best for your daily energy levels, for your team, and for your family. With that, we can begin holding you accountable.
“I’ve noticed you’ve been scheduling last minute meetings over your monthly lunches with your spouse. You’ve told me these lunches are a priority for you; would you be willing to let me handle ALL scheduling, even last minute items, so that I can protect that time for you and your family?”
“You have 15 hours of meetings scheduled next week and that doesn’t include prep time. I’ve done an audit and it looks like three of these meetings are informational interviews. I’d like to punt those to next month–what do you think?”
“I saw you sent emails last night at midnight. Would you be willing to turn off your email and Slack notifications on your phone after 6pm so you aren’t tempted to step over the boundary you set for yourself?”
A 33Vincent Executive Assistant protects your time.
Do you spend too much of your time in meetings? An EA can help with that and protect your time:
“I noticed that your meeting with Sara is often cancelled at the last minute. Do you need those recurring check-ins? I recommend that we remove them from your calendar so that you can have more dedicated work time on Wednesdays.”
Picture this: You’re away on vacation with your family, and an email comes through from the CEO alerting you of a mandatory HR training happening smack in the middle of your trip. Your outstanding EA will handle this without you having to lift a finger. Your EA will contact the office of the CEO, get more information about the meeting, understand options (whether it will be recorded, options for rescheduling, etc). Sorry folks, but as a diplomatically bossy EA, I know that “mandatory” doesn’t always mean mandatory. I’m going to put my detective hat on, understand the true priorities, and make sure my client gets their vacation, uninterrupted.
Are you ready to elevate your impact by delegating to an EA? 33Vincent is a community of high-caliber, remote Executive Assistants offering flexible support to entrepreneurs, executives, and leadership teams. 33Vincent’s service is designed for high-performing leaders who are tired of trying to "do it all.” We elevate your impact, and help you invest your time in what matters most. Contact our team to share your support needs so together we can discover if 33Vincent is a good fit for you.
33Vincent has many other resources to help you maximize your time and communication with your executive assistant.
