Confessions of an Executive Assistant

The other men in my life 

I have something I need to confess. I have a handful of other men that I hold dear to my heart other than my husband, and I'm proud to say that these relationships have been going strong now for over 10 years. But who are these men I hear you ask and what’s the secret behind keeping my relationships going so strong? So here it is, my secret explained. 

My secret revealed

Over the last few years, I have been building up my business as a Executive Virtual Assistant working with Founders and CEOs. Over this time, my client base has been made up of predominantly male clients - it’s not for any particular reason, it’s just worked out that way. I’ve experienced Owners who didn’t want to let go, individuals who viewed my presence as merely a short term contract - a person who would simply come and go, as well as others who are not quite sure where to start when it comes to my capabilities. These are no longer issues I come across but what’s changed? It all started around 15 years ago…

The first special man in my life

Before I got married, I spent quite a few years living with my husband-to-be. During this time I got to know him pretty well - I learned what made him tick, his little quirky behaviours, what relaxed him, what made him mad and so on…

Skip to the present day and now I get to experience the same emotions, but at a much faster pace with men outside my marriage. In my role as an Executive Virtual Assistant I pride myself on being an extension of each one of my clients and having spent time learning about what makes them tick, what makes them relaxed, what stresses them, what drives them and how they plan to grow their business, I too have their plan at my very heart and work closely alongside them to help make them happen. I work tirelessly to help them achieve the things THEY want to achieve, because I’m bought into their plan for the business from the very beginning.

It’s not (about) me, it’s (about) you. 

When I start working with a new client, regardless whether they are male or female, I focus very much on building strong foundations of our working relationship from the get-go so we get the most from our relationship as quickly as possible. As soon as my client can see the value I add, the sooner the client regains time and control of what they’re best at - building their business - we also both begin to benefit from me being part of the team sooner rather than later. I’ve spent years working with a range of different people and now can see quickly and accurately the personalities and therefore the traits that come with each of them. 

No to ‘yes’ women 

On average I work 4 days a month with each client, so you’d think that this would slow down the relationship building, however I have discovered that due to the fact that my clients are so time poor, our calls are more efficient because they haven’t the time to waste. I’m used to quickly understanding what’s needed as well as communicating my view on any implications to ensure that what I’m being asked to do is in the best interests of my client. I am not known to be a yes woman and for that I am proud of this fact as what use is someone who completes a task without adding any value in the process? No use at all. 

The way I communicate with my clients is also so varied - I work in the way that works best for them. It’s all about getting the job done in a way that works best for the client. I use a variety of phone calls, Skype, Whattsup, Slack, E-mail, the list goes on. 

What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger 

Everyone is different and ultimately it’s the chemistry between myself and the client that will make or break the working relationship. So far, I’ve forged strong, honest and respected relationships with my clients that have genuinely helped get the tasks in hand done the best way possible. Saying this, they have all been SO different as no one person is the same and this is something I love about what I do as it gives me variety and insights into how such driven individuals make a go of their businesses. I like to work with people who are open, straight forward, who are happy to say when they are feeling uncomfortable and if required, to open up about personal worries too. No matter how hard we fight it, our business lives creep into our personal lives and sometimes this takes it’s toll. I get it.

Get it off your chest

Everyone needs a confidant, someone they can confide in when they’ve had a rubbish day or are excited because they won a new piece of work. As an Executive Assistant, my experience has shown me that when a client opens up and confides in you it takes your relationship to the next level and then it grows even more. Being someone’s confidant means your working relationship is working because there is trust and loyalty on both sides. Ultimately, every business owner is a person with a vision and a plan to achieve it, but they are still human, with their own weaknesses and strengths. 

Managing more people at the same time as growing and nurturing a business can be challenging so having someone to take the brunt of the stress with you helps to make the whole process a lot more straight forward and also gives you back more of your valuable time. And as they say, a problem halved is a problem solved…

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