You know that your business is only as strong as your team. It doesn’t matter how big or small your business may be, you need the right people in the right seats to help it grow. 

Not only do you need the right people, you need people you can trust. Trust is vital in any relationship and this includes the one with your Executive Assistant or core team. Building trust with your team takes time, but it is crucial to your success!

This blog post will explore what trust entails in the workplace. We will also explore why trust is one arm of the “The Magic Triangle,” a three-part approach that we use to help Leaders build teams.

Teams You Can Trust

Trust touches every area of business. According to Harvard Business Review research, workers at companies where trust is high reported:

• 106% greater energy in the office, 
• 74% lower stress levels, 
• 76% greater engagement, 
• 50% more productivity, 
• 40% less burnout, and
• 13% fewer sick days

We at Priority VA advocate for leaders like you to build a team you can trust. Without trust, the team (even a team of you + 1) will not feel empowered to create solutions for you and your business. 

“Without trust we don’t truly collaborate; we merely coordinate or, at best, cooperate. It is trust that transforms a group of people into a team,” said Stephen Covey, author of “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”

We know that building a team you can trust isn’t easy or intuitive. That’s why we deliver a three-part approach called The Magic Triangle to make team-building simple for business owners. 

The Magic Triangle = Trust + Training + Traction        

When you work with Priority VA we create partnerships that hold space for all three sides of the triangle.

Trust 

To build a trusted team, you have to trust the third-party provider helping you source your talent. Here is why our clients trust us. We screen candidates on all three parts of the mind: cognitive (thinking), conative (acting), and affective (feeling) using established and dependable technology — not gut feelings. Not hunches. Real science.

We pride ourselves on profoundly knowing our clients and their business. We’re not interested in putting a warm body in a seat. We believe in serving the whole person, which means weighing candidates against your vision, values and culture and assessing their 4 Areas of Fit: Passion, Purpose, Proficiency and Pizzaz.

With more than 66 years of combined experience in this space, we do our damndest to find your Ideal Teammate the first time around, to reduce churn. 

“The people when rightly and fully trusted will return the trust.”

– Abraham Lincoln

Training  

Successful EA placements are not plug-and-play. Our ideal clients are willing to equip their EA with training on how to work with YOU and the company.

You have been at your work for years. You built it from the ground up with blood, sweat, and probably more than a few tears. You know your company well. 

Your Executive Assistant is going to come in like a wrecking ball with knowledge on how to do their jobs. But, your new team member needs to know your business nearly as well as you if they are going to be able to read your mind and be an extension of you. That institutional knowledge best comes from you directly. 

As we said, we don’t believe in plug-and-play placements. At Priority VA, we offer onboarding support and mentorship to facilitate a seamless transition with your new assistant. We offer Kolbe A to A™ assessments to get you off to a strong start, as well. 

Traction  

We believe traction with your new team is made possible by the 4Es. Yes, this arm of The Magic Triangle requires your participation, as well. When onboarding your new assistant, we encourage you to commit to:

Equipping them: Giving your Executive Assistant the tools they need to do the job. 

Empowering them: Letting your EA do what THEY do best because that’s why you hired them! 

Encouraging them: Treating them like a member of the team, not a cog in the wheel, sharing wins and challenges the way they need to hear it.  

Engaging with them: Yes, this means meetings and you may hate them, you may want to cancel them, but they are a prerequisite for success.                      

“Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships.” — Steven Covey

Trust is vital in any relationship and this includes the one with your Executive Assistant or core team. Building trust takes time, but it is crucial to success! We hope you have found these tips useful for successful team building, whether that’s on your own, or with a partner like Priority VA. 

If you want help building a team with trust, training, and traction, apply for a Free Strategy Call with a member of our team today. We would love to help you!