8 Ways To Get The Best Out Of Your PA

During that time, I have observed that the best PAs work for Managers who know how to delegate and how to get the best out of their PA. These Managers have leveraged themselves by empowering their PA to use their initiative, make decisions and take action on behalf of their Manager.

If you have a PA, or you are considering the merits of working with one to improve your productivity, then you might find some of the tips below useful. They have been given to me by top Sales Managers over the last 20 years.

1. Choose your PA carefully
   
   Make sure their temperament and 'personality type' compliments yours. Choosing someone who is just like you could be a big mistake. You need someone who can competently handle the tasks that you are not good at and/or don't want to handle. Usually the ability to handle details, remain calm under pressure and take charge will be part of their make up.
   
   
2. Be clear on what you expect of them and train your PA well
   
   It is important that your PA understands the 'big picture' of your operation, what your role is, what your goals and objectives are, and exactly their role in assisting you is going to be. Brief them well and have them document all of the common procedures that you expect them to handle for you. That way there can be no misunderstandings in either direction.
   
   
3. Be clear on the extent of the authority that you are giving them
   
   A good PA will save you time and improve your effectiveness by acting on your behalf and taking care of decisions which would otherwise occupy your time. Make sure your PA knows that you expect him or her to actually make decisions without the need to consult you. However make sure they are clear on exactly what matters they can make decisions on, and which ones they must come to you for a decision on.
   
   
4. Let them do their job
   
   Once you have trained your PA and they are clear on their job specification, their role, their goals and the extent of their authority to make decisions and act on your behalf, then get out of their way and let them get on with their job. The more they do, the more they will learn and grown, and the greater the load they will take off of you. Expect them to have some 'learning experiences' too. They will make some mistakes. When they do, ask them what they have learnt and how they will do it differently next time, and then reassure them that you have total confidence in their ability to do their job well.
   
   
5. Meet or teleconference with them daily to plan your day
   
   Do this first thing in the morning or the evening before. Discuss your appointments, phone calls, meetings, reports etc for the day and decide the best way that they can assist you in preparing and taking on some of the load from you. Also discuss their plans for the day as these plans relate to work in progress and projects they are managing for you. It's often a good idea to have a wrap up session too for a few minutes at the end of the day to discuss how they day has gone and briefly review the agenda for the next day. This allows some preparation to be done over night as well by both of you.
   
   
6. Keep your PA in the loop
   
   Keep your PA up to date with everything that you are doing. Make use of the cc and bcc on email and have them sit in on meetings too where appropriate.
   
   
7. Show that you care about them as a person
   
   Being a PA for a busy executive can be very stressful as it places demands on the person both during and outside of business hours. This stress and work load can impact on their personal life. Make sure your PA knows that you are aware of this and care about this impact. Make sure they know they can rely on you for support and understanding too if they need it. However make sure that they know where the line is drawn between a professional relationship with you, and a personal relationship with you. Make sure that you are clear on this too. Stepping over the line can have obvious disastrous consequences and lose you a good PA, marriage etc etc. (Don't laugh, you know it happens!)
   
   
8. Share your successes
   
   You and your PA are a team. When you enjoy successes and receive praise from above, make sure you share the credit and recognition with them. Also praise their efforts and successes indirectly by telling others how much you appreciate what they do. When these comments feed back to them they will know that you really appreciate them.

A good PA can boost your success and multiply your efforts. Once you find a good one, look after them and they will look after you.

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