Behind the walls of corporate America, professionals who connect the dots can turn ambiguity into results. Experienced administrators and knowledge workers excel at spotting patterns. Over time, they learn executive communication styles, preferences, unspoken expectations and know their value proposition.
Rethinking our path to impact and updating our code to fit modern work will naturally bring our the workforce along. Because when we remain curious, we unleash the futurist mindset and the innovation needed to scale for years to come.
performance
When performance is the focus in an organization, accurate evaluation is essential. However, it’s hard to measure roles where the most important work isn’t easy to quantify. Too often, the most valuable contributions are the hardest to explain, and not everyone gets recognized in their year-end review. Measuring the impact of every role is key to making the most of everyone’s strengths.
Today’s EAs operate under the administrative umbrella, with various performance arcs. Ranging from basic admin tasks to the strategic partners who manage complex, demanding schedules and nonstop decisions, to the elite who master the executive’s presence when they step in as chief of staff in the absence of one in the organization. They are the force multipliers for the executive suite, serving as architects of operations who turn strategic insight into action.
This disconnect between an EA’s impact and the organization’s ability to recognize it highlights the gap in the evaluation framework. It should be one that can capture the complexity and value of their work.
integrating systems thinking and AI for human-centric evaluation
The solution to the performance review cycle lies not in subjective assessments but in a shift that combines direct alignment with job descriptions and the analytical power of AI. This approach represents a commitment to leveraging technology to augment human capability.
Systems thinking forms the foundation of this approach. It connects people, technology, and data to help organizations work clearly and efficiently. It highlights how workflows are designed and managed and provides a clear picture of operations.
In this approach, it’s important to separate what people do best from how AI performs. People bring judgment, understanding, and responsibility. AI simplifies the discovery of patterns and the optimization of processes. By combining human agency with AI, we can rewrite our value proposition to include how we drive strategy, planning, and innovation.
operationalizing insights
This approach centers on operationalizing performance insights. It marks a shift from subjective, infrequent reviews to a continuous, data-driven process of feedback and development. In a well-designed system, reviews should never be a surprise but the result of an ongoing, transparent dialogue grounded in clear, accessible data that reflects each person’s contribution as a system architect. To align with the future, here’s a few key principles to consider:
Start Somewhere with AI: This is an iterative process, not a one-time discussion. Trying to memorize every prompt is like trying to remember the password you reset two minutes ago. The goal is to build systems, starting with small, targeted AI integrations that build momentum and demonstrate value.
Empower Learning and Innovation: The most effective architects are those empowered to experiment. The process of testing and learning is one of the best ways to disrupt traditional ways of working, allowing EAs to discover new efficiencies and lead the way to improved operational models.
Embrace Digital Integration: The evolution of administrative support is tied to technology. Digital tools are becoming embedded in daily workflows, shaping the future of work in ways we are only beginning to understand. With new principles aligned with the current tech era, organizations can build a system that moves beyond surface-level execution to become a true engine for expanding operations.
fostering trust
Implementing an AI-powered system delivers transformative benefits that extend far beyond the individual employee. It creates a virtuous cycle of transparency, support, and strategic alignment that strengthens the entire organization.
The primary outcomes of this data-guided approach are clear and compelling. When performance insights are operationalized, leaders gain clarity, teams gain trust, and the workforce gains empowerment. This clarity for leaders is the direct antidote to the strategic debt that accumulates from poor situational awareness.
A thought-out system elevates the EA’s function as a vital strategic partner and radar extender for the executive office. In their capacity as architects of operations, EAs build systems that drive data-informed decisions and surface critical insights that might otherwise be overlooked. This helps leaders move forward with confidence, knowing decisions reflect true operational capacity.
leading the evolution of executive support
The evolution of work requires leadership adoption. The path forward means rethinking impact and staying alert to early signals of change within organizations. These subtle shifts invite bold moves and pinpoint operational disconnects or untapped potential that a data-driven performance system reveals.
Let’s look at a journey from identifying a critical organizational challenge to implementing a powerful, technology-enabled solution:
Adopt a New Paradigm: Embrace systems thinking and AI to create a human-centric framework that makes invisible work visible.
Operationalize Insights: Shift to a continuous, data-guided process that empowers EAs to move from task execution to system design.
Reap the Strategic Benefits: Foster a culture of clarity, trust, and empowerment that enhances decision-making and strengthens the entire organization.
By investing in an AI-powered system and properly training their workforce on how to use it, leaders will strengthen their organization’s resilience and adaptability. They are empowering their workforce to be futurists, enabling them to adapt and adopt an intelligent enterprise. Go from lost to found in less than 30 days with a simple system.
get started today
Reflect on recent months and document key areas, experiences, patterns, wins, and bottlenecks. Doing so helps you build a simple system that demonstrates your value and strengths. There may be times when others do not see your worth, but never let it be you! It’s time to lift and shift to a new approach that reveals your true worth through a value proposition aligned with who you are.
homework
- Document the key experiences and patterns behind your strengths. If you are not sure where to start, read this article: https://eainsights.biz/how-ai-can-transform-performance-reviews/. This is an iterative process with AI to connect the dots between who you are and what you do.
- Summarize the areas where you created the most impact. Create two categories that clearly articulate your wins and bottlenecks.
- Use the outcome to create your action plan. Visualizing your impact will simplify the path to execution.
simple steps
Step 1: Start by giving the AI tool context about you and what you do. Copy the text below and paste it into a new chat. Replace the ‘job title’ and ‘industry’ with your own before you hit send.
“Act as an analyst in the administrative support function. Based on my role as a [your job title] in [your industry], ask me 5 nuanced questions that will help me identify these areas about me in my role: strengths, key experiences, natural ability to problem solve through the patterns I take to break down complexity, areas where I create the most impact and the work I do that AI can’t replicate. If any of my responses are ambiguous, ask me follow-up questions to clarify.”
Pro Tip: Take time to articulate your answers so that the insights will build your simple plan connected to how you operate.
Step 2: Based on your responses, let’s have the tool create the value proposition. Copy the text below and paste it into the same chat session.
“Based on the context above about me, help identify my value proposition. Keep the language simple for me to understand and comprehend in today’s world.
- an executive summary that explains to me in 3 sentences what makes my work valuable
- a simple breakdown that highlights my key strengths, experiences, and the situations where I create the most impact
- list the bodies of work I perform that can not be automated or replace me”
Pro Tip: Before you move on to the next step in creating your action plan, ask for a professional value proposition elevator pitch to use in conversations with your people manager.
Step 3: Now that you have clear insights into your value, ask the tool to outline the practical actions you can perform. Copy the text below and paste it into the chat session.
“Using the executive summary and our conversation from above, suggest a simple, realistic 30-day action plan that helps me use my strengths more intentionally. Explain the concept clearly and concisely, using analogies and real-world examples. For each bullet point, ask me socratic-style questions to assess and deepen my understanding of how I can apply the practical actions without exhausting my time.
- a new habit each week I need to adopt in my daily work over the next 30 days
- the top 3 areas of opportunity to strengthen a skill I already have
- a new action each week to help me extend my visibility across the team”
