Start-up Seeking A Part-Time Executive Assistant

UPDATE 7/27/2020: This role has been filled.

If you or someone you know fits the description below, I would love to connect. ~Aaron (Founder/CEO of Growth Simplified, LLC)

Does this describe you:

               1. I have a servant’s heart. This is the foundation for everything else. A rockstar executive assistant wants to serve—and not just the company or organization. A rockstar EA wants to serve and be the right hand of the CEO. Whether the task is big or little, I achieve my goals by helping the CEO achieve his. If potential you don’t have this quality, no problem. But you probably should look for a different opportunity.

               2. I am a natural leader. I consider myself an air-traffic controller. I enjoy coordinating resources and people to continually progress the projects and initiatives to completion. I am trusted to act on behalf of the CEO all day long—things he wouldn’t even think of or do because he just don’t have the bandwidth.

               3. I have personalized expertise. A rockstar EA is like a second brain. I know what the CEO likes and doesn’t like. I know where they are and where they need to go. I know when to schedule meetings and when not to. A rockstar EA will gather as much of this information as possible as early as possible—and proactively keep learning.

               4. I am the master of the calendar. In business we live and die by the calendar. Deadlines, appointments, meetings, presentations, calls—the calendar is the flight plan that keeps all these moving parts from crashing into each other. And don’t forget scheduled commitments at home. I am a master at helping to fully leverage my team’s available time.

               5. I anticipate needs. A rockstar EA sees in advance what an executive needs and plans accordingly. If it’s lunch before a meeting, reports emailed to a client, whatever, I’ve already seen the need and addressed it. Anyone can take direction. But a rockstar is already moving and has it handled.

               6. I prioritize the personal. I know that protecting the CEO’s personal time lets him maximize his professional time. A rockstar EA knows that and helps guard that time.

               7. I am willing to push back. A good EA will keep the team from burying ourselves. The term “calendar czar” is about right and that’s exactly what you know is needed. At any given moment, the CEO might not know the full range of our commitments, obligations, and initiatives. He doesn’t have to, because ‘I got this’, it my job—and I’m a rockstar—I am are aware and know what we have going on and will push back when he starts getting overcommitted.

               8. I create and master systems. I know that effective performance depends on a certain number of set preferences and procedures. What works best for the CEO and his team? A rockstar EA will document and systematize these things so we not always reinventing the wheel.

               9. I know what’s on the team’s plate. We all have too much on our plates. I make it my responsibility to know all that the team is dealing with and what’s critical to their success. If I know that, I can keep the team focused on the high-leverage activities and decline or delegate the rest.

               10. I respect confidentiality. A rockstar EA will have all sorts of personal information and access. It’s critical I have integrity and a sense of discretion. It’s also important I be able to spot when people are trying to get insider access or influence.

               11. I have great communication skills. A rockstar EA will help facilitate communication in the organization—especially if the CEO is bottlenecking things. Whether it’s email, calls, or other communication, a rockstar EA will accelerate response times and keep the messages moving.

               12. Positive disposition. I focus on what is possible and controllable. Constraints are an opportunity for creativity and problem solving.

               13. I am tech savvy. I am not in IT but I am unafraid to figure out how to make the tools that I use do what I want or seek out what technology is needed to get the job done.

               14. I am comfortable with the unknown. If there is one consistency in a start-up, it’s a lack of consistency in what is being worked on from day-to-day.

If see yourself in the above description, here are some details to help decide if this is a good fit for you:

Next Step: PM me if you or a friend/relative/peer is interested in the details or in starting a conversation.

Best,

~Aaron P. Johnson

www.gsimplified.com

(Credit for much of the above description goes to the author Michael Hyatt.)