5 Ways to Get the Most of your Assistant

By Keila Drum, Executive Assistant, @laineschmidtcoaching

Your virtual assistant can do much more than keep up with your calendar. 

The reason you hired an assistant was to focus more on growing your business and freeing up a lot of your precious time. Here are 5 ways to get the most out of your go-to person: 

1 – Create Systems – Assistants work best when they can follow a simple but detailed task list. If you start each week with specific instructions and a laid-out plan, you will need very little training or one-on-one time with them and tasks should be completed with excellence and in a timely manner.  

2 – Start with easier tasks and be patient – When you first hire an assistant, you are learning about them and they are learning about you. Do your best to explain what your business is about, impart to them your passion for what you do and be patient with back-and-forth questions they may have about the job and tasks. Once they learn, it will flow like a well-oiled machine. 

3 – Set priorities and expectations – Your assistant helps you be more productive and take administrative tasks off your plate. Take some time to decide what you can delegate, provide specific goals, outline a checklist for them to follow and most importantly, be clear on what is most important to you. 

4 - Brainstorm together – Making your assistant part of your team is key to getting the most out of their time. Ask them for suggestions and they will help you achieve your goals faster and bring a fresh perspective to your ideas. 

5 -  Let them know they are important – Your assistant can be a lot more than just your assistant. They are someone who you constantly rely on to help you perform your best and assist you on the growth of your business. 

When you empower them in their position, let them grow and share your successes, they will move heaven and earth for you.