Behind every great leader, there is a great (and sometimes even greater) personal assistant. Here are our top five traits that make an exceptional PA.

1. Interpersonal skills

A good personal assistant should be able to interact and communicate easily with anyone in the company. You should be able to work with calmness and courtesy while keeping in mind that listening is an integral part of interpersonal skills. Meeting different expectations, and being able to predict, understand and manage your own and others’ emotions is the key part of successful communication.

2. Discretion and loyalty

Discretion is a fundamental ‘must have skill’. Demonstrating discretion – coupled with trustworthiness and reliability – in all communications regarding the supervisor or the company is expected at all times while staying focused on the task at hand.

3. Organizational skills

A good personal assistant is always well organised and detailed oriented. From planning events, minute taking, scheduling people, organizing and managing meetings, she or he will bring order to chaos.

4. Multitasking skills

A normal working day for a personal assistant involves dealing with many deadlines that demand immediate attention. It is important to be able to handle multiple tasks and challenges at once. While multitasking is a ‘soft skill,’ it can be learnt through experience.

5. Resourcefulness

Resourcefulness is an intangible, instinctive ability that all great personal assistants need to have. It is about being able to make the impossible possible by anticipating and taking appropriate action and using all the available resources at hand to find the best solution.

A job of a personal assistant is complex but at the same rewarding and unique.

Photo by Antonino Visalli on Unsplash