Good help is hard to find, but not impossible. It takes a while to weed through the mediocre resumes. Eventually, you’ll find a few (or at least one) diamond in the rough.
Choosing an admin who meets your company’s needs AND meshes well with your leadership style is no easy feat. It could take months or even years to find the right person(s) for you and your company.
If you’re unsure of your administrative assistant’s effectiveness, take a closer look at their performance by recognizing these 11 signs that your admin is actually crushing it at work.
They're always on time.
Timeliness is a universal rule of good conduct in business. Punctuality shows that your admin respects the business and or company and wants to keep their best foot forward. Making an effort to arrive early, even if it’s only 15 minutes, gives a person more time to settle into their routine and prepare for the day.
They take initiative.
This isn’t always the best approach, depending on your leadership style. Still, if you’re an employer who encourages your employees to work ahead and explore possibilities on their own, you’ll appreciate someone who regularly takes the initiative to further the company’s goals.
They have impeccable follow-up and follow-through.
It sucks when things fall through. It sucks even more when you find out they didn’t have to. It’s not uncommon for connections, relationships, or opportunities to suffer due to a lack of follow-up and/or follow-through on a particular task.
Let’s say Company Aye and Company Bee met and proposed starting the community garden in the first quarter. However, no one was delegated to manage the project on either party’s side. Now it’s the second quarter, but nothing else has happened on either side, and plans are behind schedule. If an admin from Company Aye or Company Bee had decided to send a follow-up email or make a call regarding the meeting, the window of opportunity could have been preserved. If your admin is great at following up and through, you may have a winner on your hands.
They can diffuse situations.
Picture this: A heated staff meeting erupts out of the blue. Voices elevate. Faces redden, curls uncoil, eyes roll, and deep, loud breaths are taken. But somehow, the meeting ends on a calmer note. Your admin’s quick thinking and ability to gently diffuse the situation saved the day! If this sounds familiar, stop reading and tell your admin “thank you.”
They have great people skills.
More than anything else, it’s not necessarily the products that keep people coming back; it’s the service. In our book, great service puts you over the top every time. If your admin displays outstanding customer service and company care on all accounts, you have a keeper.
They take direction and criticism well.
It’s impossible to live life without offense coming your way, so it’s important to manage your reactions when it does. An admin who can take direction and criticism well and still execute the desired results or better (while maintaining a good attitude) is worth keeping.
They listen.
Sounds simple, but listening is a skill that not enough people possess. If you’ve ever felt unheard, you know how important it is and how good it feels when someone acknowledges (and understands)your idea, plan, and voice.
They're a team player.
You can only be the star player for so long. An admin who welcomes and encourages collaboration is in it for the long haul. Working well with others shows commitment and leadership.
They're accountable for the good AND bad stuff.
Up or down. High or low. Own up to your stuff. Administrative Assistants who are accountable for their wins AND failures are golden employees. If you have this type of person in your organization, you’ve not only found good help, you’ve found a person of integrity.
The display leadership skills.
An admin who effectively manages and leads your team is an asset. This is someone you can trust to lead and carry out responsibilities when you’re away or need to delegate more off your plate. Win.
They go the extra mile
The extra mile is not required. Your assistant didn’t have to stay late to finish the project, but they did. They didn’t have to send Christmas cards to all the company’s top clients, but they did anyway. An admin who chooses to do more to stand out from the rest should be valued, appreciated, and seen as worthy of investment.
The right help to support your business can be hard to come by. If your admin checked all or most of these boxes, don’t overlook the gem who can help you achieve your goals.
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