The good the bad and the ugly - how to get the best from a business owner.

My experience has shown me that business owners come in a variety of forms. Some are born to delegate and encourage, some struggle to let go. Some feel constantly overwhelmed, some are overly trusting and some are utter perfectionists. Knowing the traits that come with various personalities has helped me create work flows and processes that bring the best out of these individuals and our working relationship. Working in a way that brings the best out of people helps all involved, and ultimately saves time and encourages appreciated working relationships.

Can you relate to any of the personas below?

The Reserved – these individuals take more time to open up and trust an Assistant’s approach. The reason is simply because you’re new and are likely to shake up the norm which can take a little time for them to become accustomed to. Saying this, once you’ve proven you can deliver, these individuals quickly take a step back and begin to enjoy not having to more than they need to. They have a desire to be kept in the loop and like to receive concise updates alongside tangible actions for each stage but are less focussed on the finer details. They appreciate small gestures, generally have a quiet but fun sense of humour and typically have very high standards when it comes to most things in their business and personal life. Their love of being kept in the loop has been satisfied in the past by setting up a status report that they can dip in-to to read at any time. Some individuals may want to talk through your updates on the phone or face to face, whereas others will be happy to be be updated from afar. Status reports are also good for showing someone who finds it difficult to let go, that tasks are being ticked off the list on a weekly basis. Trello is a great free online tool that I have found helps updating a remote team base.

The Overwhelmed – this individual is most likely to be at the beginning of their business journey. They take on as much as they can themselves to save time and money but soon recognise that this approach has the opposite affect and business quickly slows. Once they recognise they can't do it all, they are likely to need an Assistant to help take the burden away from their hands pretty quickly. Be warned however, that it will take some time for this particular persona to let go. They are not used to having the support of someone else so be prepared for the handover to be a little slower to what you may be used to. Being proactive with such personas helps their brain to slowly empty out the vast amount of unnecessary informations that they carry around in their head all day. The good news is the sooner you are able to prove your worth by delivering a project efficiently, the better for all involved. Working with someone who was once overwhelmed, who now, has clear responsibilities, generates a feel good factor for the whole business team. 

The Perfectionist – they have a proven way of working and like their approach to be followed to the tee. They love details and appreciate any insights that trusted sources can offer. Knowledge is power and this persona has taken time to read all there is to know on ways of working, and is comfortable with their choices. Saying this, this persona can be the most difficult to get buy in from. You have to accept that your work will be scrutinised constantly before they feel comfortable to hand over completely. Once the recognition has been noted, you will quickly gain deeper insights and be handed more and more responsibility. Asking questions is key to gaining a deeper understanding of the business, which is appreciated but also accepted. Being a 'yes' person to such a persona seems like the most simple way to work with, however this will only bite you back in the long term. Learn from them; knowledge is power so share your thoughts. 

The lastminute.com – they are the easiest going of the personas but they do struggle when it comes to the finer details. They tend to be big thinkers and can be easily distracted by last minute ideas they rustle up. Involvement from an Assistant normally happens when things need to be finished or resolved for no other reason apart from this is what they are used to doing. They like to reach out to their staff to get things done but this can be at any point in the process so being flexible and agile is key. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable and being thrown a curveball at any point in the process. Don’t get frustrated. Having constant plan B’s up your sleeve is a must. They are trusting and apologetic for causing any unnecessary hassle but ultimately are very open and friendly and enjoy working as part of a team. They recognise their faults, but because of their understanding and open personalities, people like to work with them, even if it does involve an awful lot of firefighting!

The Visionary – generally, such a persona is not a fan of delivery details! They have the big idea and an Assistant’s job is to help flesh out the details that turn the plan into reality. Maybe wrapping a building in a message that will gain a huge amount of PR or social media attention is the best idea ever, however if you can’t find anyone in the UK to deliver it, this idea will never happen. You are there to sanity check their thinking. They are very open and happily trust in their support team. They are comfortable with the fact that they can’t do everything (and also don’t want to do it all) so like to see tasks being taken off their to-do lists as soon as possible. They welcome change and are very comfortable with changing processes and welcome improved methods of communication. Figures, timings and insights are important to a persona such as this so having a clear understanding on the background and aim of any project is key to making an impression. In general, a partnership such as this, grows faster but should not be taken for granted.

These are only a few of the personalities that I have witnessed and ultimately every single one of us is different, however what brings us all together is our common goal. Wanting to create a successful and profitable business. The key to being the most effective Executive Assistant is tuning into the ability to be able to adapt flex and being resourceful. Remain on your toes and embrace the fact that we never know what will next be thrown at us - it’s what makes the job one of the best ever.