Managing Multiple Men (or women)

Sometimes being a PA to one director can seem like a big enough challenge, let alone looking after multiple people. However in many companies it is becoming increasingly common for PAs to look after more than one person. I’m currently PA to three board directors, having previously looked after seven at one time, so I thought I’d share with you my top 5 tips that I find help me manage:

1. Lists, lists, lists! Personally I don’t understand how people get anything done without having to-do lists. I tend to have two lists – one for my directors and one for other projects that I’m working on. It also helps to code your lists so you know what’s important and what has to be done sooner. Give yourself deadlines and stick to them where possible.

2. Prioritising. It’s really important to know what’s important! Many directors say that something is urgent and needs to be done right away but learning to be confident enough to ask them if it really is that urgent is a skill that every PA needs to have. You also need to prioritise the work that each director gives you based on importance, time it takes and when it’s due. This is where the lists come in use!

3. Managing expectations. If you’re super busy then let them know, politely say that you are currently working on “xyz project”, so you may be slower in responding to everything but it will all get done ASAP. It’s better to push back rather than take on too much and then disappoint people. In most cases you’ll end up getting it done before you said you would anyway so everyone wins. Good communication with your bosses is vital, they don’t need to know every detail but just make them aware of what you have on if you’re especially busy.

4. Egos. They all like to think they’re your number one priority and making sure you keep them happy is important. It’s all about juggling them and their workloads, some are more busy than others so try to divide your time accordingly. Not everyone works the same so it’s good to figure that out when you start looking after them.

5. Catch ups. Where possible try and make the time to meet with each of your directors at the start of your week. I’ve previous tried to plan time in the diary for scheduled catch ups but sometimes it’s not possible if they’re always in back to back meetings. Generally try and grab them at the start of the week where you can. Slot yourself in between meetings just so you know what they need done that week.

It’s hard to say no when you’re a PA, your instinct is to want to help with everything but you’d be there till midnight every day! It’s all about prioritising and organising your time as well as theirs. I couldn’t survive without my colour co-ordination and lists. It really helps having a great PA support system. At my company we all meet regularly and always there to help each other – whether it’s during pitches, providing holiday cover or just generally on one of those days when everything goes wrong!

Juggling multiple bosses can be challenging but in the end it’s very rewarding and really helps you learn how to communicate and work with different types of people effectively. Personally I’ve got two new directors who have just started so I’m looking forward to building and shaping those relationships... Though I'll always have my favourites!

In case of emergency...

I find it highly amusing (or tragic) that I have memorised the boss man's mobile number.

Every time I call him without having to look up the number I do wonder what am I doing with my life. I can safely say that after three and a half years of trying my hardest to not remember his details they are now engraved into my brain. I can recite his mobile number and home address without having to think about it.

I don't even know my own blackberry number without looking it up!

If I got stranded without my blackberry or mobile (god forbid!) the only people I could call for help are him and my parents. Tragic.

Some say that it is vital information a PA must know. I say it's just plain sad, but let's hope I can count on him when/if I get kidnapped by blood-thirsty vampires... it could happen!

Christmas Party Planning

Do you ever wake up in a cold sweat thinking about work?

This happened to me on Sunday morning. My subconscious rudely awakened me (and ruined my lie in) with thoughts of the upcoming Christmas party I'm organising for my team. It dawned on me that I had just less than 3 weeks to sort it all out. I'd obviously already booked the venue MONTHS in advance to get the date I wanted (Thursday 8th Dec - prime Christmas party time) but other than that nothing had been finalised. I still need to pay the deposit, sort out the budget, finalise the theme and most importantly plan my outfit!

Thankfully this mini semi-conscious epiphany helped kick me into gear! I immediately Googled outfits for the theme that I had been thinking about since September - having found plenty of inspiration I decided to go for it. I decided to make sure that I pencilled in some time to focus on the budget on Monday afternoon whilst the boss man was in meetings (always the best time to get things done) and I pulled out my beautiful spread sheet from last year and went about updating it.

So today I'm feeling way more prepared. The guest list has been updated with everyone who has confirmed, budget is sorted and best of all I sent an email this afternoon telling everyone our theme which is... Prohibition - the roaring 20's! Well if it's good enough for Made in Chelsea!

I also sent them all a couple of links to help inspire them. Think Bugsy Malone and Broadwalk Empire!

So we're now back on track and hopefully I'll be able to get a good lie in this weekend.

Being a PA in Media and how to get there

I recently did a guest blog post over at Secsinthecity about being a PA in Media, talking about what it's like and my tips for getting a job within the media industry. You can check it out over here and feel free to comment and ask me any questions.

Whilst you're over there check out the other blog posts, they've had tons of great PA's doing guest blogs on various different subjects with PA's from many different industries. My personal favourite is The Secret PA and she's on Twitter as well. Talking of Twitter you can follow me on twitter/lulubell13.

Organised fun?

So I decided to start a new blog dedicated to all things PA related... and anything else that comes into my head. If you're looking for my beauty blog then it's over at Lipgloss Voodoo. Here you'll find various tips, tricks and rants to do with my career as a PA in media. So I hope you enjoy and I'll try to behave myself!