Successful executives in the tech space are often described as visionaries. They are future-oriented and skilled at seizing opportunities that others don’t see.
The key challenge that future-oriented execs face is staying on top of the day-to-day details that keep projects moving forward. If they are not careful, they can quickly become overwhelmed by the requests for information and guidance that come across their desks.
“Tech execs can often feel under siege by the requests that are constantly thrown their way,” says Jessica Vann, Founder and CEO of Maven Recruiting Group. “They are often seen as the chief decision maker, which means they are inundated with tasks that aren’t truly driving the mission of the company or of their department. Those are the tasks that should be deflected or delegated so that execs can align their energy with their highest value and highest priorities.”
Maven Recruiting Group is a recruiting firm that focuses on connecting highly skilled executive assistants (EAs) with top companies and individuals across the country. The team, led by Vann, believes that support staff are crucial to the success of companies in Silicon Valley. Maven has spent the last decade promoting the value of executive assistants and helping executives learn how to work with them efficiently.
Vann is an influential leader in the administrative support community, known for hosting the podcast REACH – A Podcast for Executive Assistants that has over 228,000 listeners. Her success with Maven Recruiting, which was founded in 2010, has been recognized by several reputable publications including Business Insider, Inc Best Workplaces, Inc 5000 Fastest Growing Companies, and San Francisco Business Times Top 100 Woman Owned-Businesses.
“Every executive is different, but they all know the frustration of doing things that aren’t the best and highest use of their talent,” Vann says. “When they are regularly doing things that don’t truly require their time, value, and expertise, they have arrived at a place where they would benefit from working with an executive assistant.”
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Understanding the role of EAs in the tech space
EAs are generally expected to increase the executive’s bandwidth. They advance the executive’s agenda by making sure that important players are communicating with each other, meetings are efficient and effective, and project deadlines are met.
In the tech space, EAs play an important role in achieving the level of organization that is critical for success.
“Success in the tech world has a lot to do with how you present yourself and your company,” Vann explains. “There’s a lot of interface with investors and the board. If the image coming from your executive office is one of chaos — if you’re unprepared, if you’re late, if you’re sloppy and unresponsive — that’s not a good look. One of the primary roles of an executive assistant is to ensure that the executive is well represented to the external as well as the internal world.”
EAs also play a key role in orchestrating the multitude of meetings that must take place for tech firms that are developing products and courting investors. They take the lead in scheduling, establishing agendas, preparing board decks, and ensuring that key people are at the table.
“Those meetings don’t just miraculously happen,” Vann says. “Getting 20 people in a room despite their challenging and ever-evolving schedules and making sure there’s a clear agenda that gets worked through is a massive undertaking. That’s one of the many responsibilities that EAs manage.”
Finding the ideal EA for tech execs
While hiring the right EA can significantly increase an executives capacity for success, hiring the wrong EA can be disastrous. That is why so many companies turn to Vann and Maven to help them make the right connection. Their expertise and experience is backed by an inquisitiveness that goes below the surface to make sure that there is actual alignment between the executive and the EA.
“What is their currency and the things they care about? What excites them? What makes them uncomfortable? We know the questions to ask both the executive and the prospective EAs to ensure the proper fit,” Vann says. “Over more than a decade of making great placements we have refined our proprietary process to a point where it can effectively discern the need and map out the right connections.
