How to Leverage Your Executive Assistant Skills and Lead with Confidence
As an executive support professional, you bring unique skills that offer immense value to the business. Your experience and expertise can provide an excellent platform for leadership. Yet, insecurity or fear of failure can easily undermine these skills, leaving you feeling like you cannot fully step into your power.
It's in these moments when you need to embrace your expertise. Acknowledging your vast experience also allows you to take charge and add positive momentum within your role and the organization while earning respect from colleagues along the way. Overthinking an issue is not helpful. It takes self-awareness and the knowledge that you have agency to move forward confidently.
What does it mean to have 'agency'?
Agency is the ability to take ownership of your work and make decisions; it's the capacity to approach challenges with confidence and clarity. Developing agency empowers you to take greater control of your career trajectory and create change within your organization.
Your executive assistant skills provide you with the insight, tools and aptitude to craft your own narrative within a role that can drive tangible value within an organization. Put yourself in control of how you're perceived - adopt confidence as your superpower and let your unique contributions be known. Taking pride and valuing what YOU bring to the table is essential!
How can you leverage your experience to lead with confidence?
Assess Your Strengths and Weaknesses to Add Value
Take stock of your existing knowledge and experience; identify any gaps in knowledge so that you can bridge them if necessary. Knowing what you know (and don't know) will help you make better decisions for yourself and the organization. It's also essential to understand how others work, as well as their strengths, weaknesses, motivations, and expectations; this will help you approach them in a mindful manner when collaborating on projects or tasks.
Knowing what works best for each individual helps build relationships without sacrificing productivity or efficiency. The key is to be organized while still being flexible enough to accommodate different personalities—this is where understanding yourself comes into play.
Recognize What You Bring To The Table
It takes confidence and conviction to remain steadfast in your beliefs even if everyone else disagrees with you. In this regard, you must know when it is appropriate (and not) to voice your opinions.
Learn how best to present ideas, so they are more likely to be considered. Be open-minded about other people's views but also confident enough in yours; having the ability to compromise without sacrificing core beliefs goes a long way towards fostering positive relationships at work.
Rather than trying too hard to please everyone, focus on offering something valuable based on your own unique skillset and learn how to make data-driven decisions. By doing this consistently, you'll gain strong allies in the leaders you support, who will quickly recognize the importance of having someone who is strategic and can think outside the box when needed. Showcasing your strength and problem-solving abilities will position you as an invaluable asset to the workplace. You'll be seen as a key player and a trusted advisor who can add value through creative solutions that move things forward.
Stepping into your Power
Stepping into your power is an opportunity to unlock your greatest potential and make a meaningful impact in your workplace and career. It's about recognizing that you have unique strengths and courageously owning them so that you can show up confidently for yourself and others around you. Harnessing this personal power gives us the freedom to be authentic, allowing us to advocate persuasively and confidently.
Don't sell yourself short - as an executive support professional, you bring unique skills that offer immense value to any organization. Take time to regularly assess your strengths and weaknesses to continue adding value through decisive decision-making based on sound judgement - this will earn you respect amongst colleagues while providing much-needed direction during times of conflict or change.
Reframe a confident mindset: trust yourself enough, not just believe in yourself but also stand up for what is right - then watch others come around. When done correctly, leading with confidence is something that should come naturally. Embrace the potential of your skillset and unleash a new level of confidence that will enable you to lead with authority. Unlock greater success in leadership by utilizing all that is within you!
Unlock your highest potential with our Global Assistant Programs. Our cutting-edge online courses and best-in-class coaching programs are built to help you tap into the tremendous store of knowledge that lies within - enabling career success today, tomorrow, and far beyond!