Frequently Asked Questions
You may be new to hiring a virtual team member or have been burned by previous experience. We understand and are here to walk you through the process.
We want you to be comfortable and know what to expect. We have pulled together these Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to help you understand how Olinda Services operates. Review as many as you can before scheduling your appointment.
An Executive Business Partner functions as your Executive Virtual Assistant but delves deeper into your organization. As we partner together, strategies are developed that grow your business and strengthen your key stakeholder relationships. Lisa Olinda is the Chief Chaos Whisperer with Olinda Services. She oversees all tasks completed to ensure they meet her strict guidelines. Lisa’s background is as a C-Level administrative professional. She works from her home office in Delaware. She works on both Windows 10 and Mac platforms and has the tech required for any on the road or client-based meetings. This tech includes board meetings complete with audio equipment, a projector, screen, supplies, laptop, etc.
Lisa Olinda is licensed in the State of South Carolina, United States.
Advice for Working with an Executive Business Partner
If you delegate in steps, you allow the trust to be built, and even with step one, you should find some relief.
Step One – Do exactly what I ask.
This is where you ask your assistant to only do a specific task. EXACTLY what you ask them to do. Nothing more, nothing less. Be very specific.
Example; make 500 copies of the digital file sent to via email at XYZ copy center and mail them to the XYZ venue.
Step Two – Research and report.
This is where you see if they can research a need and find a solution. You are not asking them to decide, just report back to you the information they find.
Example; find a vendor where we can get 500 copies of a digital file printed and couriered to the venue. How much will it cost? How long will it take?
Step Three – Research, Report, and Recommend.
Here you are asking them to evaluate the research they did and make a recommendation based on their preference.
Example; same as step two but you are asking for their preference. This allows you to evaluate their decision-making skills.
Step Four – Decide and Inform.
When you reach a certain level of trust, then you can give more latitude with assignments. Just require that they inform you of the decision made so you are not caught off guard. Don’t micro-manage the decision. If you have given complete information, trust their decision. Often, when we are frustrated with a decision, it is because we did not give clear expectations or guidelines.
Example; We need 500 copies of the digital file printed and couriered to the venue. We can only bill the client $250. Anything over $250 comes out of our pocket.
Step Five – Decide.
This is the ultimate freedom for you. You have built the level of trust where your assistant can just make the decision, leaving you free to focus on higher-level tasks. To accomplish this, they will need to have access to information.
For example. They will need to access the contract where they can see the budget, who needs what, and when.
If you have read through this and are ready to discuss your needs, schedule a call today.