<div class="post-img-wrap"><img decoding="async" src="https://yourteamsuccess.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/TeamSuccessPodcast_SevenWaysToBuildAStrongSupportPartnership_ep313.jpg" /></div> <div class="podcast-text"> <p>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.</p> <p><strong><a href="https://yourteamsuccess.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/TeamSuccessPodcast_SevenWaysToBuildAStrongSupportPartnership_transcript.pdf">Download Episode Transcript</a></strong></p> <p><strong>Show Notes:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Your Strategic Assistant is not there simply to take orders but to help manage the moving parts of your business and life.</li> <li>The best support relationships start with knowing each other’s strengths, needs, and natural working styles.</li> <li>Profiles like Kolbe, PRINT^®, CliftonStrengths^®, and Working Genius^® can help you understand your own style and your assistant’s strengths.</li> <li>The Communication Builder is a great tool that helps you understand how each of you prefers to give and receive information, especially under stress.</li> <li>This is a relationship, not a transaction, so commitment and mutual respect are non-negotiable.</li> <li>Frequent communication creates better support, fewer misses, and a much smoother day-to-day rhythm.</li> <li>Daily huddles, project check-ins, and regular strategic meetings keep both of you aligned.</li> <li>Your Strategic Assistant should have enough context and clarity to help manage the details that keep you moving forward.</li> <li>Be willing to be managed because support partners often see the timing, structure, and follow-through more clearly than you do.</li> <li>Your Strategic Assistant is an essential “Who” on your team, often helping with the work that makes everything recur smoothly.</li> <li>Great partnerships are built on humor, grace, and a willingness to learn when things don’t go perfectly.</li> <li>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.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Resources:</strong></p> <p><a href="https://www.kolbe.com/kolbe-a-index/" style="text-decoration: underline;">Kolbe A^™ Index</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.workinggenius.com/" style="text-decoration: underline;">Working Genius</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/253868/popular-cliftonstrengths-assessment-products.aspx" style="text-decoration: underline;">CliftonStrengths</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.personality-insights.com/" style="text-decoration: underline;">DISC</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.paulhertzgroup.com/what-is-print/" style="text-decoration: underline;">PRINT</a></p> <p><a href="https://uniqueability.com/" style="text-decoration: underline;">Unique Ability^®</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.strategiccoach.com/resources/tools-and-worksheets/the-communication-builder" style="text-decoration: underline;">The Communication Builder</a></p> <p><a href="https://whonothow.com/" style="text-decoration: underline;"><em>Who Not How</em></a> by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy</p> </div>