In today’s tech-savvy world, in which 24/7 high-speed connection is almost a given, many leaders mistakenly think they are more productive and independent than ever. They have come to believe that either they really don’t need an administrative assistant, or worse, they wind up not leveraging the assistants they have to their fullest.
In my work with leaders, I have found one thing they have in common across industries and sectors: They all feel like there are not enough hours in the day! Time is a hot commodity. If you are one of those leaders constantly feeling pressed for time, then modifying your approaches to work and, more importantly, refocusing how you work with your assistant can give you back some of that precious commodity. You then can focus on areas of your work that carry greater strategic impact or even—dare I say it—be truly present and experience more of your life outside of work.
Most leaders, but particularly those at the senior level, face high demands pertaining responsiveness, client service, revenue generation, overall quality, and effective team leadership. Many of them are overwhelmed with all they have to do. If you looked at any one of their calendars, you would see no white space whatsoever and would see many slots double or triple booked. Does this scenario sound all too familiar?
There are several baseline, effective ways to increase productivity, from better managing your e-mail in-box and being more selective about meetings to instituting morning rituals that start you off more focused and energized. One of the best ways to increase productivity is to better leverage your administrative assistant.
The Importance of Understanding Productivity Styles
More than 35 years ago, Ned Hermann pioneered the concept of Whole Brain thinking and developed a model called the Whole Brain model. The Whole Brain Model is a multidimensional cognitive style model and is designed to examine how the brain perceives and processes information.
Carson Tate, nationally known productivity expert and founder and principal of Working Simply, has built on Herrmann’s Whole Brain model and explored the relationship between thinking and the organization and execution of work. As a result, she has developed four Productivity Styles:
- Prioritizer
- Planner
- Arranger
- Visualizer
The Prioritizer’s thinking style is characterized as logical, analytical, fact-based, critical, and realistic thinking. To make decisions, Prioritizers gather the facts and argue rationally. They can complete significant amounts of work and effectively prioritize tasks, and they are exceptional problem solvers, decision-makers, and critical analyzers.
The Planner’s thinking is characterized as organized, sequential, planned, and detailed. To make decisions, Planners look at historical precedence, are conservative and procedural, and use practical approaches. Planners maintain detailed lists and frequently complete work in advance of the deadline. They are exceptional at finding overlooked flaws, approaching problems practically, and organizing and keeping track of data.
The Arranger’s thinking is characterized as supportive, expressive, and emotional. To make decisions, Arrangers involve others, use their intuition, and understand the interpersonal and emotional aspects of the decision. Arrangers maintain detailed visual lists, often using color, and intuitively know what tasks must be completed.
The Visualizer’s thinking is characterized as holistic, intuitive, integrating, and synthesizing. To make decisions, Visualizers play with ideas, explore and embrace risk taking, and look to the future. Visualizers manage and juggle a large variety of tasks and projects well.
So what does this have to do with better utilizing your assistant? In working with one senior leader (who we will call Jane), it was clear that her dominant cognitive style is that of an Arranger. She likes being hands on with her team and her clients. A warm and inviting office atmosphere is important to her. Jane is expressive and high energy. She enjoys the “rush” of the marketplace and the wins that come with her tenacity and hard work. It is easy for her to move from one thing to another quickly and she does not worry too much about the “nitty-gritty.” Because of her ability to think strategically and connect the dots quickly, Jane often is tapped for additional roles within her organization. Despite her love of lists, color-coded for better planning, she feels like she is losing her ability to be in control of her time and energy and, ultimately, her effectiveness.
Jane was using her assistant (Sue) for the basics such as travel, appointments, expenses, and calendar, not understanding her assistant was capable of so much more. Sue’s preferred style is that of a Planner. She has a different approach than Jane for receiving, organizing, processing, and taking action on tasks. Sue prefers to be given instruction in an organized and sequential manner, often focusing on how something will get done versus why it needs to get done. She plans her time well, is detail oriented and concise, and prefers to complete assignments rather than leave them open-ended. Sue is methodical and systematic.
As you can tell, Jane and Sue have very different styles. And cognitive styles do, in fact, influence work strategies and task management. The way in which Jane and Sue approach everything from organizing to distributing to getting work done is different. Jane was rarely still long enough to think through how she might better utilize Sue. And Sue, while she knew the relationship was not as effective as it could be, was not sure how to better meet Jane’s needs.
In coaching Jane, it became clear that it would be more helpful and powerful to include Sue in coaching sessions about productivity styles. By including Sue, she and Jane were able to talk about the differences and similarities in each of their styles, along with the potential impact. They were able to talk about how the challenges of their different styles were showing up in their ability or inability to get things done with minimal miscommunication and frustration. In doing so, each gained a better understanding of the others’ preferences, goals, and expectations. Consequently, they could better harness the strengths of each style, and when necessary, adapt their own preferences to maximize output. The result: Both Jane and Sue have not only increased their productivity, but also their respective impact as they are both more fully engaged.
As greater understanding about each other has strengthened, so, too, has their trust. Jane has a much broader view of Sue’s capabilities and desires relative to the work she is doing and wants to do. Understanding and embracing the diversity of their styles and approaches is promoting a quality of collaboration that is increasing both results and fulfillment for them. Not only is Sue providing the “usual” administrative support, she is now acting as a liaison among Jane’s colleagues and others who request time on Jane’s calendar. Together, they have created a strategy that gives Jane blocked time for strategic and creative thinking. Sue is filtering out e-mails for Jane and continues to color code them the way Jane likes to have them. She is conducting research on topics Jane is working on or are in her “nice to do” file versus her “have to do” file. All in all, Jane has gotten three to five hours a week back and is using them for more strategic thinking, relevant networking, and re-energizing. Sue is busier knowing she is making a real difference and working on things that better utilize her abilities and increase her level of fulfillment.
In today’s world of rapid change, increasing demands, and frequently, over-reliance on technology, there is no greater asset to a leader than an effective administrative assistant. As a result of better understanding productivity styles, priorities, and goals, leaders and assistants can make formidable teams. While Jane still wishes for more hours in a day, the ones she does have are better utilized with higher rates of productivity and even better results.
So what does this mean for you? How can you harness the productive power of your brain and organize your work based on your Productivity Style? Contact us today at info@workingsimply.com to take the Productivity Style assessment and to work with Gail Angelo, managing principal of Gail Angelo Coaching and Consulting. For more information, visit www.gailangelo.com.
