Downtown Los Angeles, CA – Commenting on the Harvard Business Review’s guide to balancing parenting and work stress, Mackenzie Doheny, owner of the eponymous virtual executive assistant firm, notes that many of the recommendations for balancing parent and work stress can be addressed by hiring a virtual executive assistant.
From the HBR article:
Work differently. Invest significant time in training and mentoring a junior colleague so they can run the budget meetings without you. Make friends in the business development team so that you know about the big local client projects coming up and can volunteer for them early (no business travel!). Be as physically visible in the office as possible — taking the long way to the coffee machine — so colleagues consider you to be around and available, even when you’re at the pediatrician’s office again.” –
“When an executive is travelling or not plugged in, but their assistant is,” Doheny notes, “everyone still feels their presence. The assistant is accessible even though the executive is not, and we become the go-to in times of their absence. We know the best way to reach them for questions while they are out, so important things do not get neglected. And more usually, we know the answer without having to ask and can help field requests and take traffic away from the executive so they don’t have to come back to it.”
“We also know how to present the items that need follow from up the executive when they return in a concise and organized manner, so they don’t come back to an overwhelming inbox, voicemails, or a daunting to-do list.”
“Yes, invest in your junior colleagues. But also invest in the assistant who can be an extension of you, knows how you think, and could “take over” for you while you are out.”
From the HBR article:
Manage the village. If it takes a village to raise a child, your job is to build and manage that village the same way you would a project team at work. Get enough people on the team, and make sure their skills are complementary. Communicate clear priorities and ensure the team can act reliably in your absence. Give clear feedback — and demonstrate appreciation for a job well done. And put the village on speed dial: Make sure all your child’s caregivers and support are immediately and easily reached.
“Virtual assistants are not just available for business tasks,” says Doheny, “Virtual executive assistants can manage school conference scheduling, nanny pick up and drop offs, doctor’s and dentist’s appointments, and more. They can do behind-the-scenes planning for volunteer events, birthday parties, even larger events like Bar/Bat Mitzvah’s, and graduation parties. The assistant can manage a grocery list, meal plan, holiday parties, birthday gifts, anniversary gifts and reservations, and vacation planning for families.”
From the HBR article:
Think long-term to stay in the game. … The baby’s got the flu, the employee hasn’t slept in three days, and the annual department budget is due to the CFO’s office. The situation feels insurmountable and endless, and so, desperate for relief, the employee decides to make a drastic change and quits. The decision is human, and eminently understandable (what working parent hasn’t faced the same type of situation?). But resilient working parents constantly remind themselves to see through immediate rough patches, to long-term payoffs … This “short-term/long-term” thinking allows you to weather the toughest spots on the working-parent journey, stay in the game, and maintain your motivation. Repeat to yourself: This hard part will be over soon, and my long-term payoff is coming.
“Find the assistant who will stay around, and loves what they do,” advises Doheny, “Invest in them, nurture them and give them a place in the organization, hold them up and let others recognize how valuable they are to you. The assistant will be there with you through the long run and he or she will have the history and the background – at some point you could leave the office for a week or two knowing your assistant is there and has it covered.”
Mackenzie Doheny has over 15 years experience as an executive assistant in both for-profit and non-profit organizations. She has supported numerous company presidents, CEOs, management teams, and entrepreneurs; she also has experience onboarding, training, and managing teams of other executive assistants. For more information on virtual executive assistant services, visit Mackenzie Doheny: Virtual Executive Assistance, or contact them to schedule a consultation.