To stay on top of your game a PA / EA needs to be both strategic and resilient. Resilience is an essential core skill for any Assistant. We are super-connectors and master jugglers by default as our role often results in us having to throw our to-do list up in the air and catch it in a completely different order. We need resilience in order to stay calm under pressure and effectively do this.
The Importance of Strategy
Resilient people are also optimists with a strong sense of self belief. They reframe bad news as an opportunity and when they fall off the saddle they get back on with renewed vigour. JK Rowling was turned down 12 times before ‘Harry Potter’ was published. Walt Disney was turned down a staggering 302 times…..but they both ‘believed’.
The remit of our roles is all encompassing and evolving so a resilient attitude is a must to cope with challenges, changes, set back and disappointments. We can’t control everything and need to take this on board.
Strategy
None of us are super human and it’s only natural that we will come up against a difficult situation, constant change and feel defeated – we need to persevere and adopt strategies to remain positive so we have the energy and drive to see things through.
By effectively communicating with your manager and colleagues and adopting strategic thinking you will be better equipped to tackle a crisis. We already know the power of networking and how the sharing of best practice and information can be invaluable.
The Three P’s
We need to subscribe and practice ‘real time’ resilience and keep things in perspective and focus on our circle of influence (what we can do) as opposed to a circle of concern (outside our control). It all boils down to the 3 P’s:
- Personalisation – Who is to blame?
- Perseverance – How long will it last?
- Pervasiveness – How much of my life does this affect?
Resilient people never think of themselves as victims – they focus their time and energy on changing the things that they have control over. Be accountable and avoid victim thinking loops and embrace positive thinking and proactive action.
We can habit stack for a healthier life and use the power of cues, routine and reward to change a negative habit to a positive one. We can also acknowledge vital cues such as time, emotion, place, presence of certain people and preceding emotions.
To summarise resilient people are independent, goal orientated, accountable, strategic, have a support system, surround themselves with positivity, believers in CPD and work/life balance, embrace failure and learn from it. Are you a resilient PA?
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Jennifer Corcoran is the CEO and Founder of My Super Connector, where she helps Executive and Virtual Assistants, small businesses and entrepreneurs to polish their online profiles and connect with finesse.
Published by Eventopedia
