Pitfalls: Avoid These 5 Mistakes, with Steven Neuner and Ryan Cassin
Jun 29, 2023
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Learn about the 5 common pitfalls to avoid when working with an executive assistant, with guests Steven Neuner and Ryan Cassin. They discuss topics like clear communication, effective delegation, and building trust to empower your assistant as a proactive partner in your business growth.
Nurturing a long-term mindset and clear communication is crucial for successful relationships with assistants, emphasizing intentional investment and continuity.
Deep dives
Building a Strong Relationship with Your Assistant
Delivering growth goals abrasively is highlighted as a common pitfall in working with assistants. Entrepreneurs, especially those inclined towards rapid progress, often struggle with impatience, seeking immediate victories and affirmation. This impatience can hinder the long-term view necessary for a successful assistant relationship. Developing awareness, understanding the assistant's role in significant work, and setting a foundation for shared vision and values form the key components of a fruitful collaboration.
Task Hoarding and Effective Delegation
Task hoarding is identified as another challenge in the assistant-entrepreneur dynamic. Entrepreneurs cling to tasks due to past negative experiences or discomfort in delegating responsibilities. A reluctance to let go can lead to bottlenecks, inefficient task distribution, and hindered progress. Effective delegation strategies, such as clarity in task communication, sharing success criteria, and fostering open communication about preferences, contribute to overcoming task hoarding and promoting efficient workflows.
Fostering Long-Term Goals and Communication
The importance of a long-term mindset and clear communication is underlined, emphasizing that successful relationships with assistants require patience and intentional investment. Establishing a comprehensive 30-60-90 day framework aids in understanding and anticipating needs, progressing from basic knowledge to proactive support. Documenting preferences, processes, and insights ensures continuity even in the event of assistant transitions, reinforcing the necessity of long-term planning and relationship nurturing.
Effectively Working with an Assistant
Creating a successful working relationship with an assistant involves clear communication and expectations. By providing guidelines like 'Teamwork Tips,' assistants can understand how to support in a way that aligns with their supervisor's preferences. Offering insight into personal work styles and needs helps in enabling an efficient partnership. Additionally, acknowledging and appreciating an assistant's efforts and consistently focusing on progress enhances trust and fosters growth within the working relationship.
Leveraging Executive Assistants for Strategic Support
Utilizing executive assistants as strategic partners rather than task completers maximizes the potential of the relationship. By avoiding fragmenting their workload and viewing them solely as task-driven, the true value of executive assistants can be unlocked. Investing in intentional communication, recognizing their unique abilities, and aligning them with the overall vision enables exponential growth and transforms the dynamic into a strategic alliance for mutual success.
Shannon Waller, Steven Neuner, and Ryan Cassin return for the fifth in a series on how entrepreneurs can hire and work with an executive assistant. In this episode, discover the five common pitfalls that can ruin your relationship with your executive assistant before it’s even begun. Dive into costly mistakes like being abrasive, hoarding tasks, and adopting a short-term mindset. Stay tuned to the end for Steven’s bonus pitfall. Learn Steven and Ryan’s hard-won strategies to develop your relationship with your assistant and empower them as a proactive partner so they can help you 10x your growth.
