3 key questions to determine if you’re getting the most from your personal assistant

November 3, 2015

Ensuring you get the most from your personal assistant takes hands-on direction and management. These questions should help you determine whether or not your personal assistant is being used effectively.

3 key questions to determine if you’re getting the most from your personal assistant

If you’ve hired a personal assistant, it’s important to have a working model of basic expectations and tasks. That will ensure they understand their role from the get go. It’ll also help them learn how best to assist you in keeping your schedule under control.

1. Are they being proactive about tasks?

Once a personal assistant has worked with you for a while, they should be familiar with your normal routine and recurring business tasks that must be completed.

For example, if you require a certain report on your desk first thing in the morning, along with a coffee, after a few weeks your assistant should be completing this task.

The more proactive they are, the easier it’ll be for you to focus on your work and business objectives.

2. Do they have specialized skills to fill gaps in your company?

A general personal assistant can be an excellent resource for new business owners. This is especially the case if they have specialized skills that mesh well with your company.

That’s why it’s important to hire a personal assistant with skills relevant to the industry you work in. For example, a personal assistant with webmaster skills can be a valuable team member. They’ll be able to fill in when the workload gets heavy and other employees get bogged down with assignments.

A personal assistant may also be a good fit for transitioning into another position, as they already know and understand your management style.

3. Are you spending time micromanaging?

Do you spend most of your day telling your personal assistant what to do and when and how to do it? If this sounds familiar, it’s likely that you aren’t making the most of their help.

A personal assistant’s role is to help you manage your day-to-day responsibilities. They should be doing this independently, so if you find you’re spending a significant amount of time on small tasks that could be delegated to them, chances are you’re losing time and money.

The ideal personal assistant can handle routine responsibilities with minimal supervision and requires only minor direction for most basic business tasks.

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