My new assistant, Elizabeth, started today for 3 hours. I am always both anxious and excited on a new hire’s first day. Excited that I can get help and some tasks can be lifted from me or others. Anxious about will they fit in? Will they pick up on things quickly? Bottom line…did I hire right?
Even I have to remind myself I will not have all of the answers immediately. I had already updated the job description (I’ve had assistants in the past), which I used in the interview. I showed her the layout of the office – where the “stuff” is (supplies, files, etc.), how I organize my computer files, and how I track what tasks need to be done today. We completed the typical new hire administrative functions like timesheets, how to make coffee and how to answer the phone.
I pulled some tasks from the job description we could actually finish today. Yeah! Some work got done (that I didn’t have to do) and I was able to let go long enough to have a phone meeting with my marketing support analyst. In the process, Elizabeth used Outlook, ACT!, Word, Excel and Yahoo Maps. She learned the voicemail system and how to print labels with the label maker.
I’m feeling pleased! Pleased that some work got accomplished this morning and pleased with myself for being ready to grow again, through others. The journey won’t always be easy, but you’ve got to start it. Let’s give it a week and see how we both do!
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Good for you!! We all know how hard it is to delegate when we want it all done right…AKA perfect. 🙂
Best to you both…Ann
Debbie —
I’m happy to receive this weblog and learn from your experiences and thoughts. My relatively new assistant is coming in today and the same concerns and issues exist for me … also the relief at having the great support and seeing evidence of her competence. She has also just become someone I send out to implement organizing jobs I have assessed and for which I’ve developed recommendations for action. It occurs to me, as I anticipate her appearance in my office today, that I’m going to have to be careful to get the office support I want as we also negotiate the client services we provide. I think we can figure out the boundaries but the advantage of not meshing these two roles (of hers) is more obvious to me now than it was before I stepped into it. Thanks for including me in your promo mailing.
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