The way an Executive Assistant supports a Visionary is going to look very different from that of an Integrator. We’ve
learned this firsthand at AssistPro™ and it all comes down to getting the right type of assistant for you.
“There are different types of assistants. If I were to switch assistants with Faustina (our Integrator) it would not
work.” – Jenna Spencer, Founder & Visionary, AssistPro
Although there are different types of assistants, they are all equally beneficial, it just depends on how you work with
your assistant.
The Integrator
Integrators tend to struggle more with having an assistant as they are so process-oriented and already have task
management locked in. It might be hard for them to “let go of the vine” and delegate the tasks that they enjoy doing,
but it is crucial to let go to grow.
The Visionary
A Visionary tends to need emotional support, to talk things through with an assistant. It’s easier for a Visionary to
see the benefit of an assistant right away as a Visionary is all over the place with ideas and can quickly benefit
from an extra organized hand.
It All Comes Down To Communication
Besides the difference between a Visionary and an Integrator and how they evaluate the value of having an assistant
and utilizing an assistant’s help, another big difference is how they communicate with their assistants.
An Integrator will have a process to communicate with their assistant but a Visionary might communicate differently
each time. Assistants are incredibly valuable to each in different ways. Visionaries are having ideas and moving
fast, so they need more of a keeper of all the things, someone to chase them down and give them regular reminders.
The difference in communication styles is one of the clear reasons why you will need to find the right assistant for
you.
“My assistant loves the chaos that I create and organizing it whereas an Integrator’s assistant would go insane with
that! Having the right style of assistant for you is important.” – Jenna Spencer
Eventually, you’re going to need both your Visionary’s assistant and your Integrator’s assistant to work together,
and that is when you’ll really see some differences come up and also the benefit of having different types of
assistants.
No matter what your role is in your company, the key is always going to be delegating effectively to free up more of
your time. Delegating tasks to your assistant can be done effectively or ineffectively, here are a few tips for both
Visionaries and Integrators alike to master delegation and grow with an Executive Assistant.
Save more time now with these actionable steps for both Visionaries and Integrators
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Avoid delegating tasks one at a time, which will just turn you into a “taskmaster”. Instead, take regular or
recurring items and delegate them to free up your time not once, but consistently – it will buy you time
every week which compounds for the year, freeing up your time to work on bigger things.
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Delegate the responsibility of regular tasks, so your assistant can own the execution and just come to you if
they have a question, we have a tool that you can utilize called The Responsibility Clarifier™.
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Get beyond the calendar and inbox. A lot of people assume when you hire a virtual Executive Assistant that
you’re just handing out tasks, but they can still do the same things as an in-office assistant. We’ve had
assistants find house-sitters, and dog sitters, and even handle dry cleaning pickup and delivery through a
3rd party service. Everything can be done remotely, even making copies can now be done remotely.
The most growth happens for Visionaries and Integrators working with assistants when they empower their assistants to
be problem solvers instead of waiting for instructions.
The last thing you want to do is get stuck in a “do this, do that” mentality, which only frees you up momentarily but
not in the long term.
Allow your Executive Assistant to take responsibility for an umbrella of similar tasks, and your assistant can
automatically take care of them.
Let us find the type of assistant that fits your style.