Building seamless collaboration when working in a hybrid environment
As an Assistant or Administrative professional, building rapport with your Executive is crucial for both their success and your own. Whether your Executive is on-site, remote, or constantly traveling, establishing a strong working relationship is essential for effective communication, mutual understanding, and seamless collaboration.
In this article, we will explore some examples of strategies you can implement to start building seamless collaboration when working in a hybrid environment and ensure a successful partnership.
- Understand their pain points: The first step in building rapport with your Executive is to understand their primary pain points. What keeps them up at night? What challenges do they face in their role? By identifying their pain points, you can proactively work to address them and reduce immediate noise, allowing your Executive to focus on more strategic initiatives. This could involve prioritising tasks, streamlining processes, or providing solutions to common problems.
- Provide regular updates: For remote Executives or those who are frequently traveling, it’s essential to establish a communication cadence that keeps them informed about your work. This could involve sending them a weekly status report or using an instant messaging platform to provide updates on your progress. Even if there are no action items for them in your status list, sharing what you’re working on gives them a sense of connection to the office and keeps them in the loop.
- Be their connection to the office: If you are located in the primary office location while your Executive is remote or traveling, you play a crucial role as their connection to the office. This means not only reporting out to them about what’s happening in the office but also representing them in the office. For example, you may need to ensure they are included in team meetings, celebrations, or other events that take place in their absence. By being their eyes and ears in the office, you help them stay connected and involved, even when they are not physically present.
- Establish communication boundaries: Communication is key in any Executive-Administrative Professional relationship, but it’s important to establish boundaries to ensure a healthy work-life balance. Find out what communication style your Executive prefers, whether it’s daily check-ins, regular updates, or as-needed communication. However, it’s also important to set boundaries for yourself, such as specifying your online hours and availability. This way, you can manage your Executive’s expectations and prevent work from encroaching on your personal time.
- Act as a representative and support: As an Assistant, it is worth noting that you do operate independently of your executive; however you are also their representative and support. This means that you need to be in the know about the conversations and commitments your Executive is making, both internally and externally. If your Executive is making promises of their time, ensure they loop you in so that you can manage their calendar and commitments effectively. This ensures that you are aligned with your Executive’s goals and can support them in the best possible way.
Working with an Executive in a hybrid environment can be challenging at first, but also rewarding for you and your Executive. This article is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to successfully partnering with your Executive and improving communication in a hybrid environment. To learn more about strategies to create an effective working relationship that are tailored to your specific scenario, please consider enrolling on the Assistant Mindset Online Course. The course offers detailed guidance and support to develop trust between you and your Executive while providing essential skills required for success as an Administrative and Office Professional. Participating in this program provides excellent opportunities to set yourself apart from the competition while building strong professional relationships.
