Elevating personal performance and creating engaged and empowered teams – a new year and a new beginning! Executive and lifestyle coach Shannah Kennedy shares invaluable advice for EAs to get 2025 off to a flying start.
“I recognise and celebrate the invaluable contribution of executive assistants in the workplace. Their dedication, organisational skills and ability to manage multiple complex tasks, often simultaneously, make them indispensable and exceptional human beings. I love coaching them!” says Shannah.
“They often serve as the organisation’s backbone, ensuring that everything runs smoothly and efficiently. Their proactive problem-solving abilities, attention to detail, and unwavering support are critical to the success of any executive or team, and I am here to celebrate them and guide them on how to create their own plan.”
In today’s super-fast-paced business world, EAs play a critical role in the success of their organisations. Beyond managing schedules and tasks, you have the potential to elevate personal performance and create engaged and empowered teams. Often, the management and leadership team create personal plans, or they should have them as they are all high-performing humans. However, EAs and PAs also need a personal high-performance plan. This is a guide on how to start a personal plan that encompasses self-awareness, self-leadership, and self-management.
Self-awareness: the foundation of personal performance
Powerful questions: Self-awareness starts with asking powerful questions that delve deep into your motivations, fears, strengths, and weaknesses. Consider questions such as:
- What are my core values?
- What is most important to me?
- What are my biggest fears, and how do they hold me back?
- What are my greatest strengths, and how can I leverage them more effectively?
Reflecting on these questions can help you better understand yourself, providing a solid foundation for personal growth. High-performing humans have clarity.
Know your values: Understanding your values is crucial for aligning your actions with your true self. Your values act as a compass, guiding your decisions and behaviours. Take time to identify your core values and ensure they are reflected in your daily actions. This alignment will help you stay motivated and resilient, even in challenging times. High-performing humans know their values.
Breathwork: Breathwork is a powerful tool for enhancing self-awareness and managing stress. Techniques such as deep breathing, mindfulness meditation, and diaphragmatic breathing can help you stay grounded and focused. Regular breathwork practice can improve your emotional regulation, mental clarity, and overall well-being. High-performing humans are exceptional at breathwork.
Self-leadership: crafting your vision and goals
Your 10-year vision: Having a long-term vision is essential for personal and professional growth. Imagine where you want to be in the next 10 years. What kind of life do you want to lead? What achievements do you aspire to? Write down your vision in vivid detail, creating a mental picture of your future. This vision will serve as your North Star, guiding your actions and decisions. High-performing humans know where they are going.
Setting goals: With your 10-year vision in mind, break it down into smaller, actionable goals. These goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). Set short-term (1-2 years), mid-term (3-5 years), and long-term (5-10 years) goals that align with your vision. Regularly review and adjust your goals as needed to stay on track. High-performing humans have personal and professional goals.
Self-management: cultivating habits and planning for success
Developing effective habits: Habits are the building blocks of success. Identify the habits that will support your goals and work on cultivating them consistently. Whether it’s waking up early, exercising regularly, or dedicating time to learning new skills, these habits will contribute to your overall productivity and well-being. Remember to ask yourself, what habits no longer serve me? It is often easier to just stop doing what is not working for you than to start of heap of new ones! EAs are like athletes, so it’s time to teach how to warm up for the day, pace the day, and cool down – we are all athletes of life and business at the end of the day, and our routines will make us or break us. High-performing humans have finely tuned habits.
Planning and time management: Effective planning and time management are essential for achieving your goals. Planning in quarters and/or seasons, which are 12-week blocks, is the most effective way to plan. Regularly review your progress and adjust your plans as needed. High-performing humans block and plan time personally and professionally.
Finding happiness and celebrating achievements: Happiness is crucial in maintaining high performance and motivation. Identify activities and practices that bring you joy and incorporate them into your routine. Additionally, don’t forget to celebrate your achievements, no matter how small. Recognising your progress and rewarding yourself can boost your morale and motivate you. High-five yourself every day! High-performing humans celebrate all the small wins to keep momentum for the big ones.
Creating engaged and empowered teams
Your EA role extends beyond personal performance. You have the opportunity to foster engagement and empowerment within your team. Here are some strategies to help you achieve this:
Fostering a positive work environment: Create a positive and inclusive work environment where team members feel valued and respected. Encourage open communication, provide constructive feedback, and recognise individual contributions. A positive atmosphere fosters collaboration and boosts team morale. Ensure you also have strong boundaries to protect the asset which is yourself. High-performing humans are inclusive and have personal boundaries.
Encouraging professional development: Support your team’s professional growth by encouraging continuous learning and development. Provide access to training programs, workshops, and resources that help team members enhance their skills and knowledge. When team members feel invested in their growth, they are more likely to stay engaged and motivated. Ensuring there is a personal coach to upskill and elevate team members is usually the most effective pathway for results. High-performing humans are always learning, growing, and developing, and they have support.
Empowering team members: Empower your team by delegating some responsibilities and trusting them to make decisions. Encourage autonomy and provide opportunities for team members to take ownership of projects. When individuals feel empowered, they are more likely to take initiative and contribute their best efforts. High-performing humans are not martyrs, and they are good at making simple requests of others.
Promoting work-life balance Help your team achieve a healthy work-life balance by promoting flexible work arrangements and encouraging regular breaks. Recognise the importance of personal time and well-being, and lead by example. A balanced team is more productive, creative, and satisfied. High-performing humans have high-performance recovery for longevity in their careers. They embrace the pace and refuel regularly.
Celebrating team successes: Celebrate team achievements and milestones collectively. Acknowledge and reward the hard work and dedication of your team members. Celebrations, whether big or small, foster a sense of unity and pride within the team. High-performing humans celebrate every point, every small win personally and professionally.
Elevating personal performance and creating engaged and empowered teams is a journey that begins with self-awareness, self-leadership, and self-management. In your role as EA within an organisation, you have the potential to not only enhance your own performance but also inspire and uplift your team. By focusing on personal growth and fostering a positive and empowering work environment, you can drive success and fulfilment for yourself and those around you. Start today by crafting your personal plan and watch as it transforms your professional and personal life.
