Leaders: It's Time to Confront Your Trust Issues - Priority VA

Leaders: It’s Time to Confront Your Trust Issues

Do you feel like you are constantly bogged down by the minutia of your business? Do you feel like you can’t take a step back and focus on what’s important because you’re too busy with day-to-day tasks? If so, it may be time to consider hiring an Executive Assistant.

Leaders often struggle with trust issues — they don’t want to let go of control and they don’t want to delegate tasks. However, if they want their business to scale, they need to confront these trust issues and learn to delegate.

In this blog post, we will talk about why Leaders should trust their Executive Assistants and how doing so can help them grow their business.

An Executive Assistant you can trust is worth their weight in gold. They can help you free up your time so that you can focus on the things that matter most to you.

Trust is the lifeblood of any relationship — without it, the relationship will wither and die. The same is true for the relationship between a Leader and their Executive Assistant.

If a Leader doesn’t trust their Executive Assistant, the working relationship will be strained.

Here are signs of distrust in a Leader-Executive Assistant relationship:

  1. The Leader is constantly micromanaging their Executive Assistant or looking over their shoulder.
  2. The Leader is unwilling to let go of certain tasks or delegate authority.
  3. The Leader is afraid to give their Executive Assistant any responsibility that might lead to them making a mistake.
  4. The Leader requires final approval on everything — even if they are the bottleneck

All of these signs indicate that the Leader doesn’t trust their Executive Assistant to do their job.

If you’re a Leader and you find yourself exhibiting any of these signs, it’s time to confront your trust issues.

So, how can a Leader learn to trust their Executive Assistant?

It starts with understanding that trust is given and earned. Just because someone is qualified for the job doesn’t mean that the Leader should immediately start trusting them. It takes time to develop trust — it’s not something that happens overnight.

Our advice is to start slowly. You don’t have to give your new assistant free rein to everything in your business. Start by delegating small tasks and see how they handle it. If they do a good job, then you can delegate more and expand their influence.

For example, a Leader might start by asking their Executive Assistant to handle one aspect of scheduling. If they perform this task well, the Leader can then invite them to take on more responsibility for managing the calendar.

As trust grows, so does the capacity for delegation. The Leader may start to feel comfortable trusting their EA with important tasks. This increased trust can allow the EA to assume more leadership responsibilities within the organization.

There will be spilled milk. No one is perfect — not even Executive Assistants.

Trust doesn’t mean that mistakes won’t happen. There will be spilled milk, missed deadlines and other errors along the way, but these should not be viewed as an excuse to stop trusting your EA entirely. Instead, use them as opportunities to conduct an autopsy without blame: what went wrong and how can this error be prevented in the future?

Work to close any training gaps with your EA. Can they develop a plan to avoid similar mistakes in the future? By taking these steps, you can build trust even in the face of occasional mishaps.

It’s important to remember that trust is a two-way street.

As the Leader, you need to be open and honest with your Executive Assistant. They need to know what your expectations are and they need to know what you’re comfortable with them handling.

When your assistant does work on your behalf, give them feedback. Let them know what you liked and didn’t like. This will help them understand your preferences and it will help them improve their work.

Lastly, we want to leave you with this thought: trust starts with hiring the right person from the start. When you’re interviewing candidates for the position of Executive Assistant, look for someone who is trustworthy.

Do they have a strong work ethic? Are they reliable? Do they have integrity? Do they align with your vision and values? What is their character?

These are all qualities that will help you build trust with your new assistant.

Feeling Stuck? 

If you’re looking for an Executive Assistant that you can trust, reach out to us. We know you’re busy. You don’t have time to waste vetting candidates that might not be the right-fit for your business.

Let us help you. During our free strategy call together, we help you identify your ideal teammate. If you’re ready to hire, we do the heavy lifting for you. We vet candidates for you and make sure they have the skills and experience necessary to help your business grow.

Stop wasting time on the wrong candidates and work with a team of experts who can help you find the perfect person for the job. Schedule a free strategy call today.

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