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Your title might be Executive Assistant but to your leader, you area business partner, a problem solver, confidant and the person they rely on. And if you’re not organised, chances are they won’t be either.You might also be supporting a leader who may not have the best time management skills or may be too busy to be prepared. So how do you organise yourself and your leader in the best possible way?
Stay one step ahead
It’s all about anticipating what’s next.Whether it bereviewing the calendaron a regular basis or connecting with other key stakeholders within the business to know what is going on, it’s good to be across the detail. You can make life easier by printing out pre-reads, summaries, and even using mark up for important sectionsto help focus your leader on what they need to know to ensure that their meetings are outcome driven.
Give them some time back
A good way to ensure that your leader has some breathing room (or if they are overly optimistic with their travel time) is to manage the diary with a few gaps every day. Instead of booking a full hour meeting, book 45 mins and block out working time for big ticket items. The diary looks less stressful without back to back meetings and this approach leaves enough time for a meeting to run over.
Things go through you first
Make sure to keep the inbox and impromptumeetings to a minimum by acting as the gatekeeper. By building relationships with people across the business, you can be the first point of call, point people in the right direction, delegate wherever needed and make sure that your leader’s time is maximised.
Share information in one place
Most leaders are time poor and may not read your emails. Figuring out a system that works for you and your leader, either digital or paper to share information and get approvals on things likeinvoices or contracts is always a good idea.
Make a list and book a time
People may have come to you with questions for your leader or you might need a steer on what action to take that requires a meeting. A good way to make the most of your catch ups is to write a list of talking points.Colour code your questions to group together different topic areas. Colour coding your action list is also a valuable approach if you manage multiple leaders.
If you’re looking for the tools to stay ahead of the game, Winc Australia has a wide range of diaries and office essentials such as notebooks, lists, markers and post its.
For further information, visit www.winc.com.au or contact 13 26 44.