As someone who has worked alongside Heads, Directors and Organisational Leaders, there are a few things I have observed over time that are common amongst these executives.  The most common of these;

1 Time

Executives are such busy people who often have a lot on their plate that they struggle to find the time to get it all done. Often their morning would begin with a meeting. Alternatively, before they even attempt to go to their meeting, someone is knocking on their door to ask a question or squeeze themselves in for a chat.

Who can forget the phone calls? Of course, whoever dares to answer the Executive’s line must be ready to play the gatekeeper role to guard whatever precious time the Executive has in store for the day.  Like everyone else, time is one of those resources that we long to have more of. More time to do this and more time to do that. For executives, their role managing an entire organisation or multiple departments that possibly range from a 1 person firm to 100s of staff members, everything rests on their shoulders. They are supposed to know everything and they need time to manage everything.

This leads me into the second commonality I noticed,

2 Dependable personnel

For executives to manage everything with limited time and resources, they require dependable staff and contractors who can be trusted with their judgement, work ethic and can rise to the occassion when needed.

Dependable personnel have the answers when they are called upon for advice or guidance. They get things done and come up with solutions before the problems arise. They are Mr and Mrs Fix-its! They are innovative and creative and can predict what are likely trends in the future of the organisation.

In addition to these characteristics of dependable personnel, much has to be said for when an Executive appreciates the organised staff member. The one that respects the time constraints of their leader and is there on time for the 10am meeting. The one that thought 2 steps ahead and handed in the solutions before the Executive asked.

With all this hard work going on, it is also noticeable that Executives at times do want,

3 “Me” time

Executives often work more hours in the day that they overwork themselves down to the ground.  Having “me” time gives Executives a bit of a break from the usual grind and pressure of work. This is time they spend either with family or friends doing activities they enjoy and forgetting about work issues.

Having “me” time contributes to their overall wellbeing which shall therefore contribute to the wellbeing of decisions made for their firms and organisations.

Some executives do appear to want

4 Understanding

Due to the complexity of some of the issues executives deal with at work, they are very much aware that not everyone will be happy with the decisions they make. However,  what they would at least require is for personnel to understand. The understanding that the choices made are based upon what the Executive feels is the best decision at this point in time.

This characteristic may also extend to their lives outside of the firm. Due to the work hours they put into their jobs, understanding from family members and friends may also be required.

Lastly, is the characteristic amongst new or junior Executives.

5 Reassurance/Mentorship

Executives are viewed as having all the answers. After all, they are paid the big dollars because they supposedly know everything, right? Not really.

They don’t know all the answers. They do from time to time may need reassurance and mentorship as they dive into their role. They need someone else to tell them what to do or someone to say that the final decision they are about to make is the correct one. This is where dependable staff and contractors come back into play.

Regardless of whether you are an executive of a 1 person firm or one with 100s of staff members, one thing is certain. Your busy schedule means you are doing waaaaaaay too much and should delegate those tasks you hate doing so you can do the ones that really light you up! With a Virtual Assistant, you can get support and assistance to you through the internet. Due to the nature of a virtual assistant’s work online, they normally have far more skill-sets than your office based Executive Assistant. It is common to find Virtual Assistants skilled in areas such as websites, social media, graphics, blogs, transcription, document creation, product launches and much more!

Imagine getting rid of those 3 items at the bottom of your “To do list”! All you had to do was fire off an email with some instructions and within 24 hours have a solution in sight. Just imagine how much more productive and somewhat “time” wealthy you would be?

Now what are those 3 items on your to do list? Tell me about it, I may be able to help you. After all, what have you got to lose except losing those 3 items from your list.