Building a Collaborative Partnership with your Executive

In this article, we will dive into the secret sauce of how you and your Executive can become a highly effective team—building a collaborative partnership with your Executive. It goes without saying that our role is the backbone of our Executives’ success, and working together collaboratively is the key. But what does building a collaborative partnership with your Executive actually mean for Assistants? You can enhance your collaboration skills and work effectively in building a collaborative partnership with your Executive in many ways. In this article, we will share practical tips to ensure you bring out the best in each other.

Understanding Effective Collaboration

We are going to look at several practical strategies you can implement to improve your collaboration, but before we do, let’s look at the key elements when building a collaborative partnership with your Executive.

Effective collaboration is more than just working together; it’s about creating a synergy where the strengths of the Executive and the Assistant complement each other. When you can collaborate effectively, you notice that you are both working more productively and can achieve more in your roles. Here are seven critical elements of building a collaborative partnership with your Executive:

  • It is crucial to maintain open channels for communication, including two-way feedback. You and your Executive should feel comfortable providing and receiving feedback regularly to address issues promptly.

  • Information should flow like a river between you and your Exec. Surprisingly, only 54% of people feel this happens in their workplace, so there’s plenty of room for improvement.

  • You and your Executive should be on the same page, working towards common goals. This means you should be aware of their objectives and goals. This level of awareness will keep misunderstandings at bay and efficiency levels high.

  • Attend as many strategic planning sessions as you can. Ensure you are invited to meetings where decisions affect your work and your Executive. Seeing the big picture helps you contribute effectively to the goals.

  • Trust is the glue holding your partnership together. Your Executive should trust you with important tasks, and you should be made aware of high-level strategic decisions that might affect your role and the work you both do.

  • Use Slack, Microsoft Teams, Asana, and Trello to streamline your work. Though the effectiveness of these tools can sometimes be a bit “meh,” they are essential nonetheless and must be utilized to make building a collaborative partnership with your Executive effortless.

  • Organizations should strive to create a culture that supports open collaboration, with senior leadership modeling collaborative behaviors.

1:1 Meeting Template for Executives and Assistants

The template you need to maximise the time spent with your Executive.

The 1:1 Meeting Template for Executives and Assistants gives you the steps to ensure that when you have a one-to-one meeting with your Executive, you get through all the work you need to cover and maximise your time together.

    Why Collaboration is Key for Assistants

    Effective collaboration isn’t just good for you and your Exec; it really is the heartbeat of a successful organization. Atlassian recently conducted some research into organizational collaboration and released some interesting stats:

    • 83% of decision-makers say better communication is crucial, and 73% believe interdepartmental collaboration is more critical now than ever.

    • Firms that nail open collaboration see benefits like improved team unity, better customer experiences, more revenue, and the ability to attract top talent.

    But here’s the kicker—only 41% of organizations actually prioritize this. This gap is where we can swoop in and really shine. If you focus on building a collaborative partnership with your Executive, you can show the potential to the rest of the organization, not just how valuable the assistant-executive partnership can be but also collaboration as a whole.

    Improving Your Collaboration Skills

    Working collaboratively with your Executive is absolutely a two-way street, but you also have to look at your own skills and see where you can potentially improve so that your side of building a collaborative partnership with your Executive is firing on all cylinders. Here are just a few traits that help with collaboration:

    • Proactiveness: Always be a step ahead. Anticipate needs and take initiative without waiting to be asked.

    • Adaptability: Roll with the punches and keep a positive attitude. Flexibility is key for Assistants.

    • Emotional Intelligence (EI): Understand and manage your emotions and those of others. Check-ins and sharing how you feel can foster a supportive environment.

    • Regular Check-Ins and Updates: Communicate constantly with your Executive. Discuss projects, deadlines, and roadblocks to stay aligned.

    • Set Clear Expectations: Define roles and responsibilities clearly to avoid misunderstandings.

    • Encourage Open Dialogue: Be approachable and open to feedback. Your openness sets the tone even if your Executive isn’t always on board.

    Enhancing Your Collaboration Skills

    Now that we understand what traits we need when building a collaborative partnership with your Executive, let’s look at some strategies and tactics you can employ to make your collaborative efforts really zing.

    The Five Whys Method

    The Five Whys Method is a simple yet effective problem-solving tool designed to drill down into the root cause of a problem by repeatedly asking “why.” Here’s how to use it:

    1. Identify the Problem: Start with a clear problem statement.

    2. Ask Why: Keep asking “Why?” until you drill down to the root cause, usually about five times.

    3. Agree on the Root Cause: Make sure everyone’s on the same page.

    4. Develop Solutions: Address the real issue, not just the symptoms.

    Implementing the Five Whys with Your Executive:

    • Set aside time to discuss the issue or problem you are experiencing.

    • Document your discussion and create a safe space for honest dialogue.

    • Use tools like Trello or Google Docs to keep you on track regarding the decisions that you are making.

    Personal Knowledge Management System (PKMS)

    Our next suggestion is to use the PKMS method when building a collaborative partnership with your Executive.

    A PKMS is a framework for collecting, organizing, and retrieving knowledge and information. Benefits include enhanced efficiency, improved decision-making, increased productivity, and better collaboration. Here’s how to develop a PKMS:

    1. Identify Your Needs: Determine what info you need to manage.

    2. Choose the Right Tool: Pick a tool that suits your style—Evernote, Trello, Notion, OneNote, or Google Drive.

    3. Organize Information: Create a structured system with folders, tags, and categories.

    4. Regularly Update Your System: Keep it fresh by updating and archiving old info.

    5. Share with Your Exec: Keep your Executive informed about your PKMS and share relevant information.

    Ready to level up? Join our Managing Up Accelerator Online Course today. Together, we’ll build the skills to excel and support our Executives like never before. Let’s do this!

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    Nicky Christmas

    I'm Nicky, the Founder and CEO of The EA Campus. Let’s continue the conversation over in our communities.

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