Here are seven concrete examples showcasing how Assistants can strategically enable effective leadership through everyday actions. 1. Strategic Alignment After a quarterly board meeting, an Assistant distils a 70-page board pack into a three-page executive brief and an action log with owners and deadlines. They embed those deadlines in each leaderâs calendar and schedule a 10-minute âdecision […]
How much power do you think you have over the events in your life? Here is an exercise to help you find out. Draw a line on your page with the word Internal at one end, and External at the other. Now plot where you are on this line based on the definitions below. They […]
Congratulations! You have landed a new job after being laid off for many months. With interview after interview and many rejections, you finally landed a new opportunity. You took the knowledge and experience gained from every interview and rejection, dug deep, and persevered. It is only natural that you may be concerned and nervous about starting a new role. Here are my top tips to help you through the first few […]
Modern organizations operate in environments rich with management frameworks, productivity systems, and professional terminology. While these tools support performance, their impact is often lost in both internal and external interviews when candidates rely on naming concepts rather than explaining how they apply them in real situations. Having participated in numerous interview panels across a range of roles, I have consistently observed that many applicants possess strong qualifications and […]
Cultivating a diverse network opens doors to international opportunities with introductions, leads, and referrals. Establishing a diverse network allows for deeper relationships and fosters understanding. These types of benefits encourage empathy, self-awareness, and additional soft skills for professional, social, and business development. How can professionals develop global networks and communities to take advantage of these opportunities? How can professionals utilize resources to sustain and grow […]
Managing your 168 (the number of hours you have in one week) can be difficult. Managing multiple 168s can be maddening. For the people who manage multiple people and responsibilities, it can all become overwhelming. If youâre busy in all facets of your life, the tendency is to take it all onâŚat one time. Hereâs how you can still be productive […]
1. An Assistant Works WITH Their Manager FOR the Success of the Organisation This is the basis for any managerâAssistant relationship. Just like every other employee, an Assistant is there to enable the success of their organisation. It doesnât matter what âlevelâ people are at; they all bring different skills and qualities to the company which, together, […]
Why is the sky blue? Why do birds fly south in the winter? Why do I have to grow up? If youâve ever spent time with a toddler, youâve heard the question âWhy?â a hundred times a day. Their constant curiosity means they are learning, exploring, and trying to make sense of the world. Then, something strange happens as […]
If you keep projects on track, spot risks before they explode, or calm a tense room with a single sentence, youâre doing far more than âsupport.â Youâre leading. Your email signature may read Assistant, but the influence you wield shapes decisions, culture, and results every single day. You are the leader behind the leader. How many times have you […]
You worked for years to attain the top title in your job classification, and it felt great to finally achieve it. So, when review time rolled around, you didnât think much about it. After all, youâd only held the title for a year. But as you prepared for your annual performance review the following year, you realized that you might be […]