6 ms·

I wouldn't bother hiring a PA that wasn't proactive to the point of doing that sort of thing

by 6nf 5y ago

diordiderot 5y ago
Proactive! More like telepathic
- burnished 5y ago
  Maybe thats the 'executive' part of 'executive assistant'? They are taking action based on a abstract goal rather than a concrete wish. At least, that is my interpretation!
  - krapp 5y ago
    No, the 'executive' part of 'executive assistant' refers to the assistant typically working for an executive, or performing more advanced executive duties as opposed to an administrative assistant, whose role may be more general across a company. No one's livelihood should depend on having to read the room like a geisha.
    - totony 5y ago
      >No one's livelihood should depend on having to read the room like a geisha. Why not? Isn't that most jobs? Seems to me a lot of jobs require you to "read the room" in one way or another. If some work doesn't need that, then a machine should just do it since that's what human excel at.
      - krapp 5y ago
        >Why not? Isn't that most jobs? No. In most jobs, employees know specifically what their employers' requirements are, they have specific tasks and itineraries and boundaries. "Know what I want before I want it" isn't an appropriate expectation to have of any assistant.
        ABeeSea 5y ago
        I certainly would expect, for example, a senior or staff engineer to have far more autonomy in setting the requirements, specific tasks, and boundaries. Being able to predict the technical needs of the company before they are needed is a big part of those roles.
        bigyikes 5y ago
        At a certain price point, it certainly is an appropriate expectation. Even at my job, where all my work is laid out for me in the form of Jira tickets, fulfilling unsaid (or unknown) desires is hugely beneficial for my team, company, and career. Sure, I’m technically paid to solve problems, but really I’m paid for the ability to think creatively and execute autonomously.
        vasco 5y ago
        Most jobs like you described are super low paid. The more agency you're supposed to use in your job to take decisions, generally the higher paid you'll be. It's like you want everyone to be a drone or else they're being exploited.
      - Rastonbury 5y ago
        People who expect EAs to read minds are watching too many movies with butlers or pepper pots like secretaries. Imagine asking your EA why they didn't do something you expected them to do without being explicit about what you want.
        zeven7 5y ago
        Maybe some people are flexible and just like to have a random day off every once in a while and don't care so much exactly if it's a certain day or not
        burnished 5y ago
        Why would they do that in this scenario? There is a world of difference between trusting someone to clear your schedule and tell you that you are taking a day off, and silently expecting them to do that on a specific day.
        kortilla 5y ago
        Imagine asking a software engineer why they shipped code so slow it made a system unusable when “don’t slow the software down 1000x” wasn’t explicitly in the requirements. This is exactly the same thing. Assistants are there to help people and to know what to do with high level directives. “I want to take a stay at home vacation next week” should not require explicit instructions to reschedule everything and notify people…
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
  - tharkun__ 5y ago
    If you think about it, this feels like the assistant version of a good developer. From a good senior developer I expect initiative. I expect them to have a high level view of the system while still working on the 'in the weeds' stuff. They proactively create a ticket for later to do that refactoring they think is really needed but we don't have time for right now and they ninja it in on Friday afternoon because they were done early with the work on the feature. Did I have to say anything about that? Nope! They just did it and I give them positive feedback about it when I notice it on Monday.
    - krapp 5y ago
      It seems like you want one person to be willing and eager to fill the role several employees, including half of your own. Or a genie.
      - kortilla 5y ago
        That’s the bog standard description of senior software engineers at any top tier companies. You get paid a shitload of money because you’re not just parsing requirements in the bare minimum and building the wrong thing. That’s what outsourcing companies are for.
      - abstract_put 5y ago
        A personal friend is this form of executive assistant. I think that's effectively exactly what they signed up for - a very wealthy couple pays them to do whatever needs to be done. Delegating everything explicitly seems like it would significantly reduce the value of an assistant. My understanding is once the trust is built in these kind of roles, the assistant is a professional/personal boundary crossing extension of the employer and is prized for their ability to resolve concerns without those concerns having to surface. Agreed that it can be a demanding, temperamental, unpredictable job.
        Godel_unicode 5y ago
        There are a lot of people in this thread who seem outraged because someone is expected to have skills they don't have. I personally know both people who are, and people who have, this type of help. There are people in this world who are very good at empathizing and very good at organizing, and those people can make a ton of money as what used to be known as being a majordomo. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majordomo https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majordomo
- sulam 5y ago
  I’ve been working with this person for three years. It’s not telepathy, it’s shared context and experience.
actually_a_dog 5y ago
Well, I want days off when I want days off, and I wouldn't want that.

I wouldn't bother hiring a PA that wasn't proactive to the point of doing that sort of thing

by 6nf 5y ago

I wouldn't bother hiring a PA that wasn't proactive to the point of doing that sort of thing

diordiderot 5y ago

Proactive! More like telepathic

burnished 5y ago
Maybe thats the 'executive' part of 'executive assistant'? They are taking action based on a abstract goal rather than a concrete wish. At least, that is my interpretation!
- krapp 5y ago
  No, the 'executive' part of 'executive assistant' refers to the assistant typically working for an executive, or performing more advanced executive duties as opposed to an administrative assistant, whose role may be more general across a company. No one's livelihood should depend on having to read the room like a geisha.
  - totony 5y ago
    >No one's livelihood should depend on having to read the room like a geisha. Why not? Isn't that most jobs? Seems to me a lot of jobs require you to "read the room" in one way or another. If some work doesn't need that, then a machine should just do it since that's what human excel at.
    - krapp 5y ago
      >Why not? Isn't that most jobs? No. In most jobs, employees know specifically what their employers' requirements are, they have specific tasks and itineraries and boundaries. "Know what I want before I want it" isn't an appropriate expectation to have of any assistant.
      - ABeeSea 5y ago
        I certainly would expect, for example, a senior or staff engineer to have far more autonomy in setting the requirements, specific tasks, and boundaries. Being able to predict the technical needs of the company before they are needed is a big part of those roles.
      - bigyikes 5y ago
        At a certain price point, it certainly is an appropriate expectation. Even at my job, where all my work is laid out for me in the form of Jira tickets, fulfilling unsaid (or unknown) desires is hugely beneficial for my team, company, and career. Sure, I’m technically paid to solve problems, but really I’m paid for the ability to think creatively and execute autonomously.
      - vasco 5y ago
        Most jobs like you described are super low paid. The more agency you're supposed to use in your job to take decisions, generally the higher paid you'll be. It's like you want everyone to be a drone or else they're being exploited.
    - Rastonbury 5y ago
      People who expect EAs to read minds are watching too many movies with butlers or pepper pots like secretaries. Imagine asking your EA why they didn't do something you expected them to do without being explicit about what you want.
      - zeven7 5y ago
        Maybe some people are flexible and just like to have a random day off every once in a while and don't care so much exactly if it's a certain day or not
      - burnished 5y ago
        Why would they do that in this scenario? There is a world of difference between trusting someone to clear your schedule and tell you that you are taking a day off, and silently expecting them to do that on a specific day.
      - kortilla 5y ago
        Imagine asking a software engineer why they shipped code so slow it made a system unusable when “don’t slow the software down 1000x” wasn’t explicitly in the requirements. This is exactly the same thing. Assistants are there to help people and to know what to do with high level directives. “I want to take a stay at home vacation next week” should not require explicit instructions to reschedule everything and notify people…
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
- tharkun__ 5y ago
  If you think about it, this feels like the assistant version of a good developer. From a good senior developer I expect initiative. I expect them to have a high level view of the system while still working on the 'in the weeds' stuff. They proactively create a ticket for later to do that refactoring they think is really needed but we don't have time for right now and they ninja it in on Friday afternoon because they were done early with the work on the feature. Did I have to say anything about that? Nope! They just did it and I give them positive feedback about it when I notice it on Monday.
  - krapp 5y ago
    It seems like you want one person to be willing and eager to fill the role several employees, including half of your own. Or a genie.
    - kortilla 5y ago
      That’s the bog standard description of senior software engineers at any top tier companies. You get paid a shitload of money because you’re not just parsing requirements in the bare minimum and building the wrong thing. That’s what outsourcing companies are for.
    - abstract_put 5y ago
      A personal friend is this form of executive assistant. I think that's effectively exactly what they signed up for - a very wealthy couple pays them to do whatever needs to be done. Delegating everything explicitly seems like it would significantly reduce the value of an assistant. My understanding is once the trust is built in these kind of roles, the assistant is a professional/personal boundary crossing extension of the employer and is prized for their ability to resolve concerns without those concerns having to surface. Agreed that it can be a demanding, temperamental, unpredictable job.
      - Godel_unicode 5y ago
        There are a lot of people in this thread who seem outraged because someone is expected to have skills they don't have. I personally know both people who are, and people who have, this type of help. There are people in this world who are very good at empathizing and very good at organizing, and those people can make a ton of money as what used to be known as being a majordomo. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majordomo https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majordomo
sulam 5y ago
I’ve been working with this person for three years. It’s not telepathy, it’s shared context and experience.

actually_a_dog 5y ago

Well, I want days off when I want days off, and I wouldn't want that.