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It feels like, at least in small and mid-sized companies, there is a rush to get an "assistant". Like it's a rite of passage... As I'm talking with people at trade shows or events I constantly overhear, or have it said directly to me, things like "I'll have my assistant set up a meeting" or "I'll have my assistant send this over to you". I absolutely understand that people are busy. I'm busy myself. But I can safely tell you that I will never have an assistant. I'll explain why...

First, technology is so prevalent today that we can get so much more done in such less time. I don't have to go track down files. They're right in the groups that I'm a part of, or in my email, or on my laptop to where I can easily locate and send or edit. I don't have to worry about where a file folder is or where that hardcopy contract has gone. When I need to sign something, a neat little notification pops up on my phone, I click it, and sign. Done. When I have a meeting, a notification pops up as a reminder. If I forget to go the store, my wife sends me a message yelling. It all works out... Bottom line, with Outlook (or your choice of mail client), OneDrive (or your choice of file storage), and alerts, I'm completely self sufficient. I also have EVERYTHING I need on my phone: calendar, important contact information, reminders, email, files, instant message, etc.

The second, and this is the real reason, is that I don't want to lose touch. If I have an assistant, that's the person that gets my calls. That's the person that responds to some of my emails. That's the person filing things and managing my day to day. When my clients call, I want them to get my voice on the other end, not someone who has to then put them on hold and find me or let me know they're holding. If a client is happy, that's one way to irritate them. If a client is irritated, that's one way to anger them. No way but down on that one. I got into consulting to deal with good people, make a difference, feed a passion and have fun. There's no need to add a layer of management into that.

If I get to a point where I feel like I'm so overloaded that I won't take a client call, then some things need to come off of my plate. The focus needs to be on the people and tasks that link directly to the money (a separate blog post to come). My most valued clients are the ones that know their phone call will be answered and know that I'll be on the other end. And frankly, vice versa.

The focus for a leader of a company needs to be on the things that link directly to the money (watch for an upcoming article about that) because without clients, there is no company. So many leaders forget that.

Lastly, an assistant costs money. No a little money, but a healthy amount. Someone has to pay for that. Usually, that flows back to the customer by way of higher prices. To me, that seems like BS...