I speak with leaders all the time who are overwhelmed in their businesses and finally do what they believe is the right thing by hiring a virtual executive assistant. They’ve heard over and over again that they need to take themselves out of the day-to-day administrative work so they can focus on other areas of their business and create more freedom. However, bringing on an executive assistant doesn’t always bring about those changes.
The Reality
Most leaders find that they are still in the weeds. They are still answering questions about tasks and remain involved in projects. Instead of feeling a true sense of freedom and having a load taken off their plate, they find themselves just as involved as they were before bringing on support. They may feel some relief, but not to the extent they expected.
Why This Happens
Many leaders don’t take the time to think through what support should look like before hiring a virtual executive assistant. As I shared in Why Delegation Fails — and What Leaders Need to Have in Place First, having support without a clear plan often leads to frustration instead of relief.
They know they need help and are feeling the weight of overwhelm, so they want immediate relief and hire without a plan. As a result, there is no structure for how they want to be supported, no clear expectations, and no defined ownership of tasks.
What Needs to Be in Place
To ensure a successful outcome when working with a virtual executive assistant, a few things need to be in place. You need to know what stays with you and what gets delegated to your assistant. You also need to have clear expectations around the types of decisions your executive assistant can make without needing to come back to you.
Hiring support should create space, not keep you in the middle of everything. If you’ve brought on an executive assistant but still feel just as involved in the day-to-day, it may be time to take a closer look at how your support is set up. If you’re unsure what needs to change or how to make support work the way you expected, let’s have a conversation. We can help you assess your current approach and identify what needs to shift so you can finally experience the relief you were looking for.
