3 Tips To Manage Your Boss

No-one knows more about dealing with the whims of a difficult leader than celebrity PAs. That’s why we’ve asked them to divulge the time-saving, meltdown-reducing secrets that will help you stay one step ahead.

- AlexGorton

BUILD A LITTLE BLACK BOOK

“I’ve built up my own support system, and am nothing without my black book,” says Donna Coulling, freelance PA to Helena Bonham Carter and Rachel Weisz. Her go-to websites include missjonespa.com (a source of contacts, services and inspiration for business people—you can check out lbb.in, which keeps a tab on the hottest new places in India), notonthehighstreet.com for quirky gifts and, of course, Amazon Prime for, well, pretty much everything else. “I see my job as a research project. I find out as many things as possible in advance, so that when my clients want something, I can answer quickly,” says Donna. She recommends keeping the numbers of everyone from plumbers to painters, who are endorsed by friends (never Google), and swapping tips on forums specific to your industry.

TAKE NOTE Subscribe to niche publications (WHSmith list hundreds of trade titles on their website, which you can reap the benefits of, or newsletters within your industry. Want to expand your work social circle too? Attend talks and network with like-minded others afterwards (pledge to yourself that you’ll chat with at least three people, an easily doable number). Set up Google alerts for specific things you want to stay in the know about.