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Happy 4th Birthday Athena!

It’s Athena’s 4th birthday this week! Four years ago, we incorporated. And how are we faring? All in all, well. We are grateful.

This business has always “worked from home”, whether it’s me the CEO in a two-bedroom condo near Alki Beach in Seattle, WA (oh yes, our lifestyle altered many weeks ago!) or it’s any of our great team who have always worked from home.

We did take a hit, losing a third of our clients in the last month. (Which leaves us with really strong, already-proven, remote EA talent available now!)

So now we pivot. Not pivoting what we provide, but perhaps who we serve. We’ve always served the “swamped and successful”. But who is now “swamped”? It’s not the keynote speakers and event planners, but rather the doctors and health organization managers scrambling to keep up. It’s perhaps not the start-up executive producing their new product in China, but rather managers involved in food distribution or financial advisors who are now on the phone eight hours a day.

So, we scan the horizon for the next ship captain that needs our help. We are here for you! (Usually I scan my crystal ball. But it’s broken. And the ball repair shop is closed until further notice.)

Be Well. Stay Safe.

 

 
Learn more about our services and schedule time with Athena CEO, Gina Cotner:  athena.ginacotner@gmail.com

 

 

Managing people remotely

Athena has always been a work-from-home company. 100% virtual, from Day 1.
 
 
But what does it take to manage your staff from home? There’s a lot that has come out in the last week or two on tips for working from home. But how do you manage your team, while sitting at your dining room table?
 
 
Our tips:
 
  • Have regularly scheduled check-ins.
  • Use video. Face to face check-ins are best.
  • Have an agenda for the call, even if it’s just to say, “On each of our calls, we’re going to cover X and then Y.”
  • Be prepared for your “check in” time with them. What will you be discussing? Treat it like a meeting. Take notes. (Depending on the culture of your company, you may want to construct a more formal or more casual check-in meeting. Doing the dishes while talking with your staff likely doesn’t set the precedent you want.)
  • While “checking in” on projects and work, don’t forget to check in on the human being. People are impacted by the times we find ourselves living in. Allowing them to simply be in communication makes a difference in their mental well being, and thus their productivity.
 
Given the unusual times we find ourselves in, if managing people remotely is new or uncomfortable for you, and you would like to get some input from our CEO on your particular situation, she is happy to speak with you.
 
 
Learn more and schedule time with Athena CEO, Gina Cotner:  athena.ginacotner@gmail.com

 

 

Work From Home Tips

Are you new to telecommuting?

Our contractors love the flexibility of working remotely. They also are extremely adept at virtual work and staying on task.

With the escalating health crisis in our world today, you may be new to working from home. This article via GeekWire gives some great tips and ideas about setting up your home office and how to effectively get things done in a virtual environment.

Actually finding work-life balance

We love helping clients truly find that balance between their work and personal life. Our team of virtual assistants make it possible for clients not only to get more done, but to be more fulfilled and satisfied with the work that they do themselves.

This article offers some great advice on how to create that balance that is so important! 

“Work-life blend doesn’t mean that everything is happening at the same time, all the time. It’s about finding a way to fit together the important pieces.”

Read more via Medium

 

 

The Power of a Brilliant Assistant

Business legend and entrepreneur, Sir Richard Branson, knows a thing or two about effective delegation and what it takes to succeed.

This article is from a few years ago, but his points still ring true. Having a smart phone is great, but having that right-hand person who always has your back is even more important.

“Sometimes I feel that assistants work harder than the people they are working for and show unbelievable diligence – all of my assistants over the years certainly have.” 

We couldn’t agree more! 

Things I Carry: Smart Phone? I Prefer a Brilliant Assistant

The productivity issues we now have, due to real-time-all-the-time communication

Very interesting article about “the problems with real-time-all-the-time communication,” and the value of “asynchronous communication,” which is when you send a message without expecting an immediate response. “This trend toward near-constant communication means that the average knowledge worker must organize their workday around multiple meetings, with the time in between spent doing their work half-distractedly with one eye on email and Slack.”

Read on about the productivity issues that may come with real-time, team messaging apps.

Asynchronous Communication: The Real Reason Remote Workers Are More Productive