Lunch and Learn with Lindsay – Issue 80: You’re not an octopus! Juggling the demands of more than one Executive

Wow! This is issue 80! We have octogenarian status! And that “octo...” word has prompted me to share something I posted on LinkedIn last week, so here goes!

“You’re not an octopus…”

We know many of you wish you had an extra “pair of hands” OR, indeed like an Octopus, 8 in total!

Imagine ????all the stuff you could get done – all that “Juggling” you could do!

Here’s an extract from Chapter J of my award-winning book “A-Z Pearls of Wisdom for Executive PAs” that may hit a chord with you all.

“J is for juggling the demands of more than one Executive”

⭐The key to successful management of the demands of more than one Executive comes down to great communication⭐

✔Speak to each of your Executives individually to ensure they are aware of your workload and the fact that you are assisting other people. Let them know you want to be as effective and efficient as possible. Ultimately you are all working towards the same goal of a smooth and successful working relationship????

✔Become familiar with the preferred workings of each Executive – people work and ‘tick’ in different ways and will have different expectations of you. Never assume anything!

✔Always ensure you know the deadline for a task, project or request so you can prioritise tasks and demands accordingly. In theory, it’s great to have a prioritised work list for the day (or week) ahead, but be ready if any mini-emergency appears to re-jig your list. And always ask “when is the ABSOLUTE latest you need this by?” (we’ve all worked with Execs who think EVERYTHING is uber-urgent and needed yesterday….but is it really?)

✔When you have completed a project or demand, ask your Executive for feedback. What would they have done differently? More of? Less of? Remember that the highest quality feedback is given to help your personal development and you have a choice what to do with this feedback!

✔If a project or task didn’t quite live up to your expectations, ask yourself: what would I have done differently knowing what I know now?  And, how can I learn from this experience for the future?

⭐Ultimately, remember: you are one person with two hands (NOT AN OCTOPUS ????!).

There is a limit to the tasks that you can fit into a working day.

Be realistic with your own expectations for working your way through that prioritised list.

Be prepared to say ‘no’ if you can’t meet a demand or request – a skill in its own right!