Soft skills to Look for in a Virtual Executive Assistant
Emotional Intelligence (EI) is familiar concept and a basic prerequisite for success in the workplace. Especially in a virtual world. Soft skills including Emotional Intelligence and professionalism go hand in hand. If your Virtual Executive Assistant (Virtual EA) has a good handle on EI, they will be able to interpret their own emotions accurately and recognize their meanings and relationships as well as perceive the emotions of others and apply this to business. Your Virtual EA will have excellent business acumen and social skills and find success in effectively managing relationships in addition to providing you with senior level support!
Your Virtual EA will have the ability to understand and manage their emotions appropriately as well as identify the deeper aspirations or intentions of others.
The importance of an Executive Assistant's soft skills and how they fare in a virtual world that is a little less intuitive and a bit more complicated cannot be understated. Here are eight particularly important soft skills inherent in a senior-level Executive Assistant:
Self-Aware: They are aware of their own emotions and their effects, and they know how to recognize and manage them. They are aware and can evaluate the emotions of others. They are confident and capable. They are sure of their values, and your success is very important to them.
Listening: They are approachable and engaging and successfully recognize your aspirations and needs. They will have an ear for purposeful listening.
Communication: Of the many ways to communicate, using video conferencing platforms to bring people together from all corners of the world has the advantage of participants being able to share and detect visual cues and body language in addition to the verbal communication exchange. An Executive Assistant with solid communication skills will be intentional and careful in communicating to ensure the right information is being given and received in all methods of communication: video, phone, email, text, in-person, or in team collaboration platforms.
Business Acumen: In a profoundly changing world, the Executive Assistant remains intellectual and is able to analyze and identify trends in real time and apply proactive processes in a variety of business-related situations. They will be able to draw on their years of industry experience necessary to provide high level support.
Empathy: Empathy between colleagues fosters a cohesive team that is productive and innovative. An Executive Assistant with this quality will be sensitive and compassionate to company culture and have the ability to understand the perspective and needs of others and execute.
Social Skills: An Executive Assistant with excellent social skills will have the ability to be a trusted liaison with your clients and to successfully build, maintain and sustain these relationships. They will have the ability to read a situation and respond to meet others’ best interests. Collaboration and cooperation are key elements in your Executive Assistant's toolbox.
Adaptability: They are equipped with the flexibility to adapt to new or changing situations and balance multiple directives. An adaptable Executive Assistant has an open mind and can adjust processes and improvise on a dime. Learning is embraced and considered a lifelong gift.
Transparency: An Executive Assistant possessing transparency will be candid and authentic and exhibit honesty, integrity, and honor, and come to work as their “real self." Demonstrating behavior that is easy for others to interpret and working for the good of the organization comes naturally to them.
These attributes in a support representative of your organization can be significant to your business and bottom line. Your Executive Assistant will exhibit these soft skills and have a positive attitude in his or her approach to their work and interactions with clients and colleagues.
I would love to meet you for a free consultation and discuss the many ways I can help you accomplish your business goals and save you time and money. Book your consultation now and let's start transforming your business together.
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