Identifying Your Preferred Work Style
So for me, as a Virtual Executive Assistant, I really had to identify my preferred work style. In order for my work production to flow smoothly and stay organized, this was a huge deal for me. Do you know your work style? How are you with intertwining it with your own client?
While an ability to be organized, efficient, and flexible are important qualities for someone such as myself, there are also some unique qualities that I or you will bring to the table based on your own experiences and personality. Your work style is a reflection of you and your personality, and it probably influenced your client’s decision to hire you. There is no need to try to act the part of someone you are not. So many people fail quickly trying to be someone they see or admire.
However, you should have an awareness of your personality and work style, any strengths or weaknesses, and be prepared to modify your style based on the client’s needs. It’s easy to get caught up in a pattern when you’re used to working a certain way and having success with it. If you find in a particular instance that you’re not getting the results you want with a particular client or that they are “difficult” (they are requiring more contact than you’d agreed on, for example), before you think about terminating your contract, try thinking outside the box and using a new approach. :-)
For me, I’ve had to learn to adjust in some situations. Some may need to have a daily report on all work done in order to feel in control of the situation, or they may prefer that I don’t email them because they never get a chance to check their inbox or they have a 9-5 and it’s just easier to get an update or ask/answer a question via text. Depending on their needs, some clients may require that I be more hands-on in making suggestions about their business operations while others will prefer I handle just the tasks that are assigned to me. Part of this will be up to me and how well I am able to read my clients and what they need. We will all get better at accommodating our client’s work style as we gain more experience. You can also ask the client what they are most comfortable with if you are unsure, and this is something that can be revisited as well, as you establish a trusting relationship over time based on what your product or service is.
Of course, there will also be times when your personality and work style just don’t mesh well with the client, and only you can make the decision about whether or not the relationship can be productive and worthwhile or not. I know that it would never be productive for me to send a daily report every single day for a client with a contract that booked 5 hours per month. It’s just not efficient. I would waste an hour each month creating control reports. Thumbs down for me! LOL It wouldn’t be productive for me or the client that wants to micromanage time, they only want 5 hours per month, but they send a great deal of emails per month and call me almost daily. I manage this by constantly reminding clients of expectations and tweaking strategy until we reach a good mid-point. If the client is persistent in using their time on communication and we’re not getting anything accomplished, I release the client from their contract so they can find someone else with a working style more similar to theirs. Sometimes that may be the direction to go. Don’t ever be afraid to do what’s best for both you and your client but never be so rigid that you are unable to accommodate clients that may function a little different than your usual. You’ve got this!
Till Next Time!
~RB
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