The Art of Anticipation: Mastering the Second Rule of Assisting

The Power of Checklists and Reminders

• 📝 Checklists and reminders are crucial for training replacements and ensuring tasks are carried out, whether temporarily or permanently.
• 💡 The content of these checklists will vary based on role and industry, but common starting points include daily, weekly, and monthly overviews.

Preparing for Meetings

• 🧠 Effective meeting preparation is a key differentiator for successful individuals.
• 📅 This involves understanding meeting objectives, identifying necessary paperwork, and determining when prep can be completed.
• 🎯 For those being supported, scheduling dedicated prep time, like 30 minutes before a meeting, is essential.
• 📄 Assistants can significantly help by drafting talking points or summarizing project status reports (e.g., red, amber, green status sheets).

Managing Deadlines and Tasks

• ⏳ Backward planning is vital for meeting deadlines, considering not just the final date but also the individual's availability and work preferences.
• 🗓️ Assistants should proactively identify and schedule time for tasks, as unscheduled work is unlikely to be completed.
• 🤝 Identifying and communicating with all necessary stakeholders for a task ensures smooth execution.

Leveraging Context for Productivity

• 📍 Understanding context (defined by available tools, presence of individuals, or location) is key to maximizing productivity.
• 🚗 For instance, recognizing that a person has hands-free car time allows for making phone calls during commutes.
• ✈️ Similarly, identifying work that can be done on planes or in hotel rooms helps utilize travel time effectively.
• 📞 A call sheet is a practical tool for executives to make calls during downtime, such as waiting for meetings or during travel.

The Assistant's Role in Problem-Solving and Support

• 💡 Assistants should always consider what work can be done to support their principal, even if not perfectly.
• 🧱 The analogy of the bricklayer highlights how focusing on core tasks (laying bricks) is more efficient when the assistant handles preparatory work (stacking bricks).
• 🏛️ Assistants can contribute to larger goals by seeing themselves as part of building a "cathedral," not just performing individual tasks.
• 🤝 Understanding who will be in meetings allows assistants to prepare their principal with relevant talking points or reminders for specific individuals.

Calendar Management and Proactive Adjustments

• ⚠️ Identifying calendar clashes is critical, not just for simultaneous events but also for insufficient preparation time.
• ✈️ Assistants should plan for vacations by ensuring coverage and minimizing the need for the principal to check in while away.
• 🔄 Reviewing daily updates (overnight emails, phone messages) and proactively addressing potential issues is a hallmark of anticipation.
• ❓ When faced with uncertainty, the question isn't what should be done, but what can be done, encouraging action and initiative.
• 🚀 Being proactive, seeing around corners, and game-planning scenarios are essential skills for great executives, achievable through practice and a focus on anticipation.