Skip to content
For VAs

Being the Pulse of the Team

5 min read

Being the Pulse of the Team

You're the CMO's early warning system for team issues. By the time they hear about it from you, you've already thought about what to do.

Why the VA Sees Things the CMO Doesn't

Your CMO talks to clients, leads strategy sessions, and runs meetings. They see people in "performance mode" - presenting, reporting, pitching. You see the in-between moments. The Slack messages at 11pm. The delay before someone responds. The sigh before they say "yeah, it's fine."

People tell the VA things they won't tell the boss. They are not hiding anything. The VA feels safer. Less judgment, less career risk, less formality. That makes you a bridge between the team and the CMO. Connect both sides while keeping trust.

Signals to Watch For

Team health rarely announces itself with a crisis. It shows up in small shifts over days and weeks. Here's what to watch:

SignalWhat It Might Mean
Response times slowing downOverwhelmed, disengaged, or dealing with something personal
Shorter replies than usualFrustrated, rushed, or checked out
Someone stops joining optional meetingsCould be prioritizing, could be withdrawing
Tone shift in Slack (less casual, fewer emojis)Stress, conflict with a team member, or burnout
Asking fewer questionsEither they've figured it out or they've stopped caring
Delegating everything to a juniorMight be developing their team, might be avoiding work
Going quiet entirelyThe biggest red flag - people don't go silent when things are good

None of these signals alone means something is wrong. Two or three together over a couple of weeks? That's worth flagging.

Checking In Without Being Intrusive

You don't need formal 1:1s or survey forms. The best check-ins happen naturally:

  • "Do you have what you need for the Brightline deck? Anything I can take off your plate?"
  • "I noticed you've been burning the midnight oil on the Acme campaign. Everything going okay, or is the scope bigger than expected?"
  • "Quick heads up - the CMO moved the deadline for the quarterly report to Friday instead of next Wednesday. Does that work for your schedule?"

The pattern: be helpful first, observant second. People open up when they feel supported, not when they feel watched.

The Bridge Without Breaking Trust

This is the hardest part of the job. Someone tells you they're struggling, overwhelmed, or frustrated with a decision the CMO made. What do you do?

Rules for being the bridge:

  1. Never quote someone without their permission. "Alex told me he hates the new process" is a trust violation. "I notice some friction around the new reporting process. It might be worth checking in with the team" is a bridge.
  2. Translate feelings into actionable observations. The CMO doesn't need to know someone is "stressed." They need to know: "Acme deliverables take twice as long as planned. The team may need more help."
  3. Ask before escalating. If someone shares something personal, ask: "Want me to give the CMO a heads up, or will you handle it?" Respect their answer.
  4. Separate venting from problems. Sometimes people need to vent. That's not a flag. It's a Tuesday. The flag is when the complaining doesn't stop, or when it turns into disengagement.

Coordinating Across the Team

When multiple people work on the same client, things get messy fast. Two people update the same document. Someone makes a promise to the client that contradicts what another team member said. A task falls through the cracks because everyone assumed someone else was handling it.

You're the connective tissue. Keep a simple tracking habit:

"Switch to Acme Corp"
"Search memories for recent action items and who owns them"
Searching for team action items and ownership across clients
Searching for team action items and ownership across clients

When you spot overlap or gaps, flag it immediately. A quick Slack message saves hours: "Hey Alex and Jamie, you are both on the Acme social calendar. Want to sync before EOD to avoid overlap?"

Running Small Moments of Recognition

The CMO celebrates the big wins in team meetings. You celebrate the ones that happen between meetings:

  • "Hey team, Alex's Brightline blog post was featured in their industry newsletter. Nice work."
  • "Shoutout to Jamie for turning around the Acme emergency request in 2 hours yesterday. The client was thrilled."
  • "Quiet win today: we hit 90 days with zero missed deadlines across all clients."

These don't need to be formal. A Slack message, a quick note in the team channel. Make sure people feel seen for everyday work, not only the quarterly review.

Storing a team win so it surfaces in future meeting preps
Storing a team win so it surfaces in future meeting preps

Store wins so they're available for reviews and recognition later:

"Store a memory: Alex's Brightline blog post got picked up by MarketingWeek newsletter on March 15. Client mentioned it in their weekly call."

Flagging for the CMO

When you do bring something to the CMO, be specific and include your read on the situation:

Weak: "I think Alex might be unhappy."

Strong: "Alex worked late all week on Acme and missed team lunch. Scope grew beyond the plan. We may need to adjust the timeline or add support."

Do not only report problems. Give the CMO enough context to act. Include what you've observed, how long it's been going on, and what you think the next step should be. That separates an early warning system from a context-free alarm.

  • Morning Routine: Pull Your CMO's Daily Briefing: where team check-ins fit into your daily rhythm
  • The Personal Touch List - tracking personal milestones that affect team morale
  • Tracking Action Items Across All Clients - catching coordination gaps before they become problems