42 Degrees - Business from a different angle

The relationship between boss and PA is unique. It's unlike a normal business relationship because it is so intimate. And it's unlike a friendship or marriage because it is, or at least should be, essentially professional with all the restraint that implies. Like any successful relationship it needs to be worked at and nurtured. But it is striking that fine balance between intimacy and distance, professionalism and humanity that is key to making it a success.

The main difference between a PA and secretary is the amount of initiative you can expect. A secretary will type your letters, a PA will draft them. It may not seem much to you, but it is that ability to exercise judgment that PAs really value. You forget that at your peril.

Senior PAs often represent the company at the highest levels and even deputise for their boss. If your PA is underperforming not only will you be achieving less than you might, so may the entire company. That's why it is so important to get the relationship right.

Obviously a good relationship starts with recruitment. My experience is that the most productive relationships occur when the PA complements rather than replicates the boss's skills and aptitudes. So if you are temperamental they should be steady. If you are a people person, your PA needs to be more self contained and task-focussed.

Unfortunately gentlemen, long legs, blond hair and a fine figure are not necessarily guarantees of competence. In fact increasing numbers of PAs are men. So pick someone you feel you can work with, but try to think with your brain not your trousers. A ditzy clothes horse in the executive suite sends out poor messages to other members of staff, not to mention customers, suppliers, shareholders and the media.

You don't have to like them and you don't necessarily have to be able to go to the pub together after work. In fact it helps to keep some distance between you because it helps to maintain a professional relationship. But it is vital that you believe that you are both equal, maybe not in status, but in terms of how important your role is within the relationship.

Having hired the right person, it is important to invest time at the beginning of the working relationship letting your PA come to terms with your personal style, your ambitions and expectations. They aren't mind readers, although they may become one eventually.

Every PA and every boss has their own modus operandi so you have to have agreed ways of working that suits you both. It'll save you both months of frustration as you learn each others little foibles.

An important part of the time investment needs to be an induction into the business. In order to support you fully they need a thorough grounding in how the business works, its objectives and strategies, the principle people in other departments and how the departments all work together.

The key to success is to maintain perfect communication between you. So you do need a catch up session at the beginning of each day. It doesn't need to be very long, just a few minutes will maintain clear, accurate and concise understanding. If possible you should also hold a short session at the end of the day to review what has happened and plan for tomorrow.

Finally a few tips on keeping your PA sweet. Presumably the PA you have chosen is competent - otherwise why have you hired them? In which case give them the room to do their job properly and do not waste your time doing their job for them. It's undermining and deeply irritating to be chivvied about whether a car has been a arranged for the trip to the airport or the restaurant booked for the client lunch.

Just as annoying is a boss who has constant unrealistic expectations about how long jobs take and how quickly things can be turned around. Although a good PA will move mountains to help you, you will only get the best out of them if you can manage yourself and your own work load in a reasonably orderly fashion.

Thank yous are great. But I believe a boss should be sparing with praise. If every small achievement is met with outpourings of gratitude, it devalues the importance of a kind word.

And don't pinch their ideas. A good boss has the confidence and generosity of spirit to give credit where credit is due. Occasionally do something that shows you value their involvement.

For instance, a good PA will remind you of your children's birthday, your partner's birthday and even your wedding anniversary. However there is one important date they will not remind you of and that is their own. That's your job. It's an opportunity for you to show genuine appreciation and believe me, it will be noted. Get it right and she will be your beck and call girl for ever.

GET THE BEST FROM YOUR PA - 11 POINTERS

1. It's a unique and therefore difficult relationship that you have to work at to get it right.
2. Don't forget that PAs prize their freedom to exercise judgement.
3. If your PA is underperforming, you are underperforming.
4. Don't hire in your own image. Get a PA who complements rather than replicates your strengths.
5. Remember the best looking candidate isn't always the best man for the job.
6. Spend time at the beginning of the relationship getting to know each other and helping your PA know the company.
7. Maintain open honest respectful communication at all times.
8. Don't keep a dog and bark yourself. Obsessing about details only undermines your PA.
9. Be realistic in your expectations about how long tasks take.
10. Be sparing in your gratitude. That way they know you mean it.
11. Remember their birthday. Its probably the only birthday you'll have to remember. Your effort will be rewarded.