Seven Ways To Build A Strong Support Partnership

Are you treating your Strategic Assistant® like a task-taker or as a true support partner? In this episode, Shannon Waller shares seven practical ways to build a stronger working relationship so you can save time, reduce friction, and create more ease in your day-to-day business. Download Episode Transcript Show Notes: Your Strategic Assistant is not there simply to take orders but to help manage the moving parts of your business and life. The best support relationships start with knowing each other’s strengths, needs, and natural working styles. Profiles like Kolbe, PRINT®, CliftonStrengths®, and Working Genius® can help you understand your own style and your assistant’s strengths. The Communication Builder is a great tool that helps you understand how each of you prefers to give and receive information, especially under stress. This is a relationship, not a transaction, so commitment and mutual respect are non-negotiable. Frequent communication creates better support, fewer misses, and a much smoother day-to-day rhythm. Daily huddles, project check-ins, and regular strategic meetings keep both of you aligned. Your Strategic Assistant should have enough context and clarity to help manage the details that keep you moving forward. Be willing to be managed because support partners often see the timing, structure, and follow-through more clearly than you do. Your Strategic Assistant is an essential “Who” on your team, often helping with the work that makes everything recur smoothly. Great partnerships are built on humor, grace, and a willingness to learn when things don’t go perfectly. The goal isn’t a short-term arrangement, but a long-term relationship that grows with you and strengthens your productivity and impact over time. Resources: Kolbe A™ Index Working Genius CliftonStrengths DISC PRINT Unique Ability® The Communication Builder Who Not How by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy