I need an executor. Not someone to kill me but rather someone to handle the details. I paint the outline and my assistant paints within those lines. Trouble is, I can not for the life of me find someone who is:
- Consistent
- Friendly to my contacts
- Willing to follow instructions
- Truthful w/High Integrity
- Fast – in both thoughts, ideas and action
Here I am, slowly losing what credibility I have left because I’m not linking up with the right person to compliment my unique skill sets. I want to make meetings, be on time for meetings, follow up on contacts and deliver on promises
Unfortunately I can only force myself to concentrate on these things for so long and then I sort of peter out. It’s not natural to me, although it is very, very important and germaine to the survival of my business.
Now what? I’ve been told to conduct a “Strengths Finder” test on any potential new hires. I’ve also been told to just hang in there and keep looking. Good help is hard, hard, hard to find. One plus from this whole admin round-robin: I’ve become much more specific about what I want in an assistant.
- I recorded a short video detailing what I want.
- I created a flow chart listing all the activities required along with details.
- I’ve updated my CRM system with the contact information of all my key people.
As I write this something just came to me. I’ve been focusing on English-as-a-first-language admins because it’s really tough to try to wade through someone else’s accent with all of my deadlines and fast-pace work flow. But maybe I can break up the non-telephone tasks and give them to people who aren’t from the U.S. Frankly, I’ve had the most success with workers from Eastern Europe and the Philippines. Good idea! I think. I’ll try it out and let you know how it goes.
Alright, have a fabulous evening and I’ll chat with you again real soon.
