Assistants know this better than anyone. You can deliver excellence all day long, and it still goes unseen.
Assistants know this better than anyone. You can deliver excellence all day long, and it still goes unseen.
That board meeting where every document was prepared, indexed, and waiting at the executives’ fingertips? Done.
That offsite where the venue, the catering, the tech, and the travel all ran like clockwork? Seamless.
That schedule you rebuilt three times in a day because priorities kept shifting? Sorted.
That inbox you cleared of hidden landmines before your executive even logged on? Handled.
And what happens? Silence. Because flawless execution is expected. It fades into the background as “just part of the job.”
But the one mistake? The catering order that arrives short on vegetarian meals. The confidential attachment left off an email. The wrong dial-in link on a calendar invite. That’s the part people remember. That’s the part assistants get measured on.
No wonder the weight of perfection feels crushing.
And you’re not imagining it. A recent study shows 3 in 10 employees say perfectionism is damaging their mental health. For assistants, whose work is often only noticed when something slips, the stakes can feel even higher.
Perfection is the most dangerous of KPIs.
It’s the only measure where 99% isn’t good enough.
It breeds anxiety, erodes confidence, and keeps you trapped in the shadow of your own achievements.
So let me remind you, your value is not measured in the absence of mistakes. It’s in the thousand unseen things you make possible every single day. The business keeps moving because of you. Executives look competent because of you. Teams stay focused because of you.
Perfection was never the KPI.
Impact is.
And your impact is written across every decision, every meeting, every outcome that simply would not happen without you.
