Streamlined CEO

Prioritizing High-Level Clients and Responsibilities

• Karalee Gault • Season 2 • Episode 10

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Struggling to juggle high-level clients? On this episode of Streamlined CEO, I'll reveal the strategies that keep everything running smoothly. With my background as an executive assistant and operations manager, I offer insights into prioritizing effectively, communicating clearly, and automating tasks with tools like ClickUp. Learn to identify bottlenecks early and manage your workload with expert precision.

Beyond the basics, we delve into the Weekly Review method, setting boundaries, and mastering prioritization. Plus, there's an open invitation to share your expertise by guesting on our show. Tune in for transformative advice on handling demanding clients.

Key Takeaways:

  1. Prioritize with Precision: Learn to identify and focus on what truly matters.
  2. Communicate Effortlessly: Adopt strategies for seamless and effective communication.
  3. Embrace Automation: Utilize tools like ClickUp to save time and streamline tasks.
  4. Conduct Weekly Reviews: Implement a game-changing method to boost client satisfaction.
  5. Set Celebrated Boundaries: Discover how to establish respected limits with clients.

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Speaker 1:

Welcome back to the Streamlined CEO Podcast, where we help online coaches and service providers ditch the overwhelm and create more space in their business to focus on what matters most. I'm your host, cara Lee, and today's topic is all about mastering the juggling act. This is prioritizing high-level clients and responsibilities as an executive assistant or operations manager for multiple CEOs. So you wear many hats You're the CEO's right-hand person, the calm in the storm, the master of organization. You keep the wheels turning, anticipate needs and ensure everything runs smoothly. But what happens when your workload starts to include managing even more high-level clients in your own business? Oh, what happens when you're scaling your business? Essentially, their needs can be complex, demanding and time consuming right? If you're the right hand person, you are very important to them, and that takes a lot of time and capacity, right? So suddenly your plate feels very overloaded. How do you prioritize these high-level clients without neglecting other crucial responsibilities? But don't worry, I've done this for a hot minute and I've got your back All right. So we're going to start with a story, though, because I love injecting stories and perspectives into as many things as I can. So I actually just encountered this issue this year 2024, where I have several high-level executive, assistant and ops clients that all need my attention. All of them All are running a small agency. So how did I adjust from having one high-level client to three this year and we brought on the second two in the exact same month, just for some perspective here. So first, I'm going to acknowledge that this can be a challenge. Okay, high level clients often require require.

Speaker 1:

First, let's acknowledge that this is a challenge. High level clients often require a different level of service, which also means a different level of experience and time. They may be more frequent communication of experience and time. They may need more frequent communication, customized solutions and deeper understanding of how they can utilize you. You know your own skills and so having communication with the CEO that you are working closely with is huge, and this doesn't always happen overnight. All right, I've been working with one of these higher level clients for oh my gosh nine months and we are just now getting to really really utilizing me in the most most efficient, best way. Ok, so it takes some time, so prioritization is huge here.

Speaker 1:

So how do we keep those, all of these things, all the balls, in the air? And here are some of those. Here are three key strategies I'm going to share with you actually four. There's four here. So the first one here is clarity is key. All right, before diving in, have a clear understanding of all of the overall priorities, right? So in order to do this, you need to work with the CEO to define what these key performance indicators are those are also known as KPIs which will help you determine where your time is most valuable. Okay, because as an executive assistant or ops person, you have a lot of skills, and so trying to figure out where things are and how you can help them the most is going to be incredibly valuable. All right.

Speaker 1:

So number two is communication is essential, right. I think I say this every single podcast about something about communication, but open, consistent and streamlined communication is absolutely essential for a good working relationship. That means regular check-ins, a clear way to give additional tasks and raise any issues that they're experiencing or that you're experiencing. All right. So creating this amazing working relationship with the CEO or whoever you are supporting, is going to be huge for you, and it's going to be able to help you prioritize things better as well. So number three is we're going to embrace automation. Okay, technology is your friend. All right, it totally is your friend. So look for tools that can automate repetitive tasks and free up your time. Explore scheduling softwares, communication platforms and project management tools that can streamline communication and keep everyone organized. Okay, sometimes you get to be the biggest problem solver there is on the team all right. And so when we get to embrace automation, that means we get to embrace more free time and rely more on technology All right.

Speaker 1:

And this fourth one which I love to talk about is identifying bottlenecks, and bottlenecks are where things slow down significantly. For you or the CEO or the team to significantly, they slow down a great amount. So, depending on your specific role, this may be essential for you to be able to identify and then provide solutions. So these are different processes. Or maybe there's a team member, there's too many team members working on the same tasks or project. We just need to make it more streamlined, more smooth. There's so many different ways that this can come into play, but clarity is key. Communication is essential. Embracing automation and identifying bottlenecks are going to be four key ways that you can help yourself prioritize well with the CEO, okay.

Speaker 1:

So here are some of my go-tos for success all right, being an executive assistant and operations manager for your on or an online business isn't always simple. I know this from experience being being a service provider, being a service provider in general. There's a lot to it. You're juggling their business tasks and your own business tasks, especially if you're still trying to scale your own business. You're being able to prioritize everything efficiently is essential for you to not feel overwhelmed and burnt out, right, and this takes in a whole bunch of other things as well.

Speaker 1:

But, in order, here are some of my go-tos. I have three of them for real, three of them this time. So set up your schedule to allow enough time for each client, depending on the needs that week. That could look like blocking time on your calendar. Maybe it's creating a list of to-dos and categorizing by client. Okay, I have.

Speaker 1:

I believe I shared on one of the podcast episodes. I'd have to go back and look, but I literally create a. I have ClickUp as my sole. You know projects and all the things are in there. But each week at the beginning of the week, I actually sit down and I categorized my to do list, which is on paper. It's in a notebook and I categorize what the priorities are for that week to make sure there's enough time blocked off to be able to actually get those done, or if I need to reprioritize a few things. So being able to have that ritual every single week is super, super helpful, all right.

Speaker 1:

So number two here is for a go-to, for success is mapping out the tasks, due dates and priority levels for everything. Like I just said, I use ClickUp for this. It makes it simple and efficient. I'm not rewriting the same things 500 times either, which is nice. This also minimizes micromanagement from the CEO. All right, they can see what you're doing and the priority levels, and you can even go as far as letting the CEO know your overall goal for the week to help alleviate pressure from them. They want to make sure that that things are getting done and that they're prioritized properly, so we talked about making sure you had open communication. This is a great way to do this, for sure, and we need to definitely alleviate the stress from them. That's why you're here. You're here to help them be more efficient and get to their goals even faster without adding more time to their plate, right?

Speaker 1:

And so my favorite which I'm going to be going into detail more next week all right, next week's podcast episode is all about this is the weekly review method, and I've turned this into a routine every single week that I implement with my clients. This allows them to know what was completed, what's in progress and the hours used that week, and so I'm going to dive into this whole routine, this whole method, next in next week's episode. So make sure that you, if you haven't subscribed, make sure you subscribe so you don't miss that one. But this weekly review method has been game changer for me and for clients. All right, you're even going to get to hear from some of the clients what they think. All right. So here are some bonus tips because I love to give bonus tips around here that I've learned over the years.

Speaker 1:

So I may have only had these high level clients for the last nine months to a year, but I have been working as a service provider for almost five, all right, just in different capacities. And so the two biggest things I want to share with you today is some of the things that I've learned over the years. So number one is going to be setting boundaries. Now, I didn't really set boundaries until like year three, so the last two years have been much easier. So just understand that these don't happen overnight.

Speaker 1:

So how you do this is you're going to evaluate your capacity for more tasks, right? Especially if it will go outside of the usual number of hours you have available for those clients, right? This is how you set boundaries with clients, especially if you're in an executive assistant or ops role or a virtual assistant, where they put a lot of tasks on your plate and you have to decide if you have the capacity for more tasks, especially if it goes above the normal number. So the normal number of hours or time you have available, right. So learn to say no and no is a complete sentence for the record but learn to say no when your capacity doesn't allow it for that week.

Speaker 1:

Now, I'm not just going to leave you hanging, you're not just telling people no all the time, but you're going to provide additional solutions, right, and this is something that I have said, or I have worked through with many clients and I'm going to share it with you. So, even if it's just this, I would absolutely love to support you with this task. However, this week is full with the other tasks I've been assigned or working on. In order to complete what you're asking, I would need to move something to next week. Would you like me to move this new task to next week or bump one of the current ones that are of less priority? Okay, so you're giving them a solution and also making sure that they're in the driver's seat to where you can prioritize properly for them. So you're not a yes machine. All right, even if you feel like you need to be, you already moved.

Speaker 1:

I'm going to tell you this right now. As a service provider like this, you already moved mountains, and you may not even know it, so please take your own capacity into account. When someone adds additional tasks, okay, they are business owners too. They are prioritizing things to keep the communication loop open, provide solutions and you guys will all work together really, really well, all right. So bonus tip number two here this one's my favorite, because this is something that's supernatural for me, and so become an expert and I'm going to go into detail, because I'm not an expert being an expert OK, but invest time in understanding the specific needs and goals of your high level clients. Ok, really become invested in this. The more knowledgeable you are, the faster and more efficient. The more knowledgeable you are, the faster and more efficient you can serve them. Plain and simple.

Speaker 1:

This could look like paying attention to their working hours. Do they tend to put more tasks on your plate when they have a fuller week of meetings? Or maybe there's tasks they're struggling to delegate? Yet you see, very clearly, they could easily be delegated and then get whatever they truly desire back. Right, is it time, is it? You know, uh, and you get truly what they desire back. So have this conversation and create an open communication loop.

Speaker 1:

I've said this like five times already Communication is absolutely essential for any good working relationship, especially with high level clients. So this relationship takes some time to mold, and being intuitive to their needs without disregarding your own is absolutely essential. All right, nothing is worse as someone with a team and as someone that has worked with high level CEOs right? Nothing is worse than finding out that maybe you weren't quite doing things in a really good way. Maybe they didn't realize that they were putting too much on your plate because you just didn't say anything. Right? No one feels good to come back and go. Well, I could have done things differently had I known. Right, this, you can also apply that one into personal life. Most of these, actually, you can as well.

Speaker 1:

So just think having an open communication loop and really keeping, really getting to know your clients is going to be absolutely huge, make a huge difference and even set you apart as to why someone would want to hire you over someone else. Because you're not a number, they're not a number, nothing like that. You truly want to believe in what the CEO is doing in their business and you truly want to support them. That's my goal whenever I'm becoming, whenever I take on another one of these clients, I really truly have to believe in what they're doing. Otherwise, we're just not going to be a good fit, right? Because I need to honor my capacity and what I am able to give and if I'm not feeling into what they're doing, I'm not going to be able to give the right capacity. So now, remember we're going to jump back here.

Speaker 1:

Now, remember, you are the master of organization, right? Otherwise you would probably not be an assistant or a manager of any sort, right? You're the master of organization and, with the right strategies and tools, you can effectively prioritize high level clients and your other responsibilities, right? Whether you're a mom, whether you are scaling your own business, whether you are a wife or a husband, like whatever, mom, dad, you know all these things right. It doesn't matter what other hats you're wearing. Like you will be able to effectively prioritize these things when you bring in the organization and the strategies and the tools and you really use them efficiently. So bottom line is is don't be afraid to delegate tasks, to leverage technology and communicate openly with your CEO.

Speaker 1:

Don't be afraid to do this. Don't be afraid to bring them solutions right. Be like hey, I know you've been doing this like this and I really think that we might be able to do this a little more efficiently. What do you think about this? 90% of the time, they are super open to streamlining things. Right, so give them your brain and ensure that you are doing what is best for them, because, ultimately, when you save them time, you save you time, and if you're doing something repetitively and you're like I'm just like I could do this so much more efficiently, bring it to their attention. Ok, so by mastering the art of prioritization, you'll create a smoother workflow for everyone Right, everyone. And ensure you're always providing the exceptional service your clients deserve, right?

Speaker 1:

That does not mean that you're going to be perfect. I could literally have an entire podcast episode about how I have messed up, even just in 2024. But the biggest thing is is that I go oh, that happened. And now what am I doing to make sure either it doesn't happen next time or putting something into place to where it makes it simpler for me to make sure it doesn't happen. Whatever that looks like, I am jumping into solution mode because that didn't feel good and I messed up and it's on me, or whatever it is, and we're going to make sure we do things differently.

Speaker 1:

That's actually how the weekly review came into play that I'm going to be talking about next week. So, yeah, if you have any questions, all right, head to the show notes and send me a text, or you could. Or if you'd like to share your own tips on prioritizing high level clients and responsibilities, or anything else that you think would be a good fit for this podcast, I would love for you to be a guest, okay, and in order for you to be a guest, you're going to have to head to the show notes, and there's a guest application link in there as well. You can fill that out and I'll reach out if I feel like you're a good fit for the podcast. All right. So that's all for today. See you back next week and I share my weekly review routine, the method that I created that I do with clients in my own business every single week. Bye for now.