The key skill to becoming a Strategic Business Partner
As an Assistant, you play a crucial role in supporting your Executives and ensuring the smooth functioning of the team and the organisation. However, sometimes it can be challenging to prove your value as a strategic partner, especially when the outcomes you deliver are not directly tied to monetary results. In a recent masterclass, we shared insights on the key skill to becoming a Strategic Business Partner. Building relationships can be a vital phase in becoming a strategic business partner and how it can help you gain the respect and recognition you deserve.
Relationships are the foundation of any successful partnership. As an Assistant, you interact with various stakeholders, including your immediate team, the support team, and everyone else in the organisation. Building relationships with these stakeholders can help you establish a network of trust and collaboration, which is essential in becoming a strategic partner.
The wider organisation
Let’s start with everyone else in the organisation. Take the time to get to know people from different departments and levels in the company. Show genuine interest in their work and goals, and find ways to collaborate and support them. This can help you build a positive reputation as someone who is approachable, reliable, and willing to go the extra mile to help others.
The support teams
Moving up to the support team, it’s crucial to establish strong relationships with colleagues who provide you with support and resources to perform your role effectively. This includes IT, HR, Finance, and other departments that play a critical role in your day-to-day activities. Building a collaborative relationship with them can help you streamline your workflow, resolve issues efficiently, and ensure smooth coordination and communication across different teams.
Your Executive
Finally, building a strong relationship with your immediate team, especially your Executive, is crucial in becoming a strategic partner. Take the time to understand your Executive’s work style, preferences, and priorities. Anticipate their needs, provide proactive support, and go beyond your regular responsibilities to add value to their work. By doing so, you become an indispensable asset to your Executive and the team, and your value becomes evident in the results you achieve together.
Now, you may wonder how to prove your value when the outcomes you deliver are not directly tied to monetary results. One approach is to conduct a time audit of your Executive’s day and calculate the hours you save them by taking on tasks and responsibilities. Divide your Executive’s salary by the number of hours in a month and multiply it by the hours you give back to them. This can help you quantify the value you bring to the organisation by freeing up your Executive’s time to focus on more strategic initiatives.
The impact of your work goes beyond just your Executive. By streamlining processes, resolving issues, and collaborating with different teams, you contribute to the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the organisation. This can result in cost savings, improved team morale, enhanced collaboration, and better decision-making, all of which add value to the bottom line of the organisation.
Building relationships is a critical phase in becoming a strategic Assistant. By establishing trust, collaboration, and proactive support with your immediate team, the support team, and everyone else in the organisation, you can gain the respect and recognition you deserve. Additionally, by quantifying the value of your work through time audits and recognizing the broader impact of your contributions, you can demonstrate your value as a strategic partner, even when the outcomes you deliver are not directly tied to monetary results. So, invest in building relationships, and watch your role as a strategic Assistant flourish!
Establishing a successful partnership is essential to becoming an effective strategic business partner. The value that Assistants bring to the organisation should be recognised and has great potential to drive success; by building relationships and creating a network of trust with stakeholders, you can move from an administrative role to a strategic one.
Delivering results despite the challenges posed by limited resources requires the ability to foster meaningful collaborations, something which we encouraged in our masterclass. So if you are looking for ways to leverage your role as an Assistant and become a valued part of the organisation, sign up for our Strategic Business Partner Online Course today! It’s never been easier for Assistants to hone their skills and make sure they stay ahead of their peers. By investing some time in personal development, you will equip yourself with the necessary tools and knowledge that will take your career as an Assistant further than ever before.
