Executive assistants act as gatekeepers and problem solvers and their responsibilities go way beyond just the administrative work. This is the reason behind every successful executive, there is an exceptional executive assistant. Great executive assistants or independent secretary maintain a balance between professional, familial, and social obligations. In a way, their presence has a lot to do in making an executive successful.
Following are the few traits that belong to exceptional executive assistants:
They like to serve:
A great executive assistant is not just focused on the work a company or organization gives them but they truly make it their duty to serve. An executive assistant helps you to achieve goals by helping others to achieve their goals.
Personalized expertise:
The likes and dislikes of the boss are completely understood by a great executive assistant. They are completely aware of when and how to schedule the meetings and when not to. They keep learning during their work and gather as much information as they can before taking action on any decisions the boss has made.
They live by the calendar:
In professional life, deadlines, appointments, calls, and presentations are of a lot of importance. A great executive assistant masters the calendar and keeps all the deadlines from crashing into each other.
They can anticipate:
The greatest quality of an executive assistant is that they can anticipate the needs of an executive assistant and make plans accordingly. They address the needs before planning the schedule and always pave the way smoothly the manager has to go towards.
They push back:
Sometimes when managers forget what commitments they have, they overcommit to other meetings and appointments. It is when the executive assistant pushes them back not to over-commit and stops you from burying yourself with commitments.
They have integrity:
An executive assistant is someone who has all of a manager’s personal and professional access. But they have integrity and a sense of discretion which makes them keep all the information safe. They are fully aware of when other people try to access or influence such kind of information.