Today’s PA Survey: Top Ten Skills PAs wish to improve

As part of our recent Today’s PA survey, we asked “Which skills do you feel you need to improve most?”. And, as always, our respondents surprised us. Their answers highlight how the PA role is constantly evolving to take advantage of new technologies and new opportunities. But their answers also reveal the ever-increasing range of skills needed to cope with the demands of the 21st century business environment.

In order, here are the top ten skills as voted for by over 370 PAs from a cross-section of organisations in all three sectors:

1. Strategic planning

In today’s workplace, PAs are being seen as ‘business assistants’, taking on work that would traditionally have been done by their managers. Because of this, PAs and EAs are now increasingly aware of their bosses’ priorities and objectives, and as a result, directly engaged in the work of the organisation. Developing your strategic planning skills allow you to share your manager’s ‘bigger picture’ view and ultimately become more involved in shaping your employer’s future direction.

2.           Technology skills

This comes as no surprise! With technology moving at a blistering pace (and showing no signs of slowing down) learning how to make it work for you is vital.

Humans are creatures of habit and we all tend to stick to what we know. When it comes to IT, that means using those same few familiar features of, say, Outlook, Excel or Word. Because of this, we miss out on the true benefits of the technology we work with every day. Improving our IT skills and discovering what else these programs can do will help you increase productivity, streamline your routine tasks – and save you time.

3.           Project management

Managing a project can, at first, appear so daunting that it’s little wonder our respondents marked it as one of their top three skills to be improved! To run any project efficiently requires detailed planning, preparation, costings, progress monitoring, and QA procedures. Equipping yourself with the skills and knowledge to manage a project through its entire lifecycle will stand you in good stead, whatever size of task you need to take on.

4.           Assertiveness

PAs often find this difficult. It’s in our nature to help others in the office, to solve problems, and to seek compromises. In situations where we do need to be assertive, we can start to struggle.

Handling constant interruptions, dealing with difficult people, or taking control when needed all require an effective yet tactful approach. Assertiveness is a real-life skill, and for PAs it can mean moving out of your boss’s shadow to deal confidently and decisively with any situation. 

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