The never ending acts of kindness that the executive assistant [EA] performs on any given day are countless and often times referred to across the organization as magic. The top notch EA comes with an arsenal of skills to tap into–the commitment to learning and acquiring new skills is far from magic. It is determination and hard work!
The EA role has elevated over the years as technology leaps us forward into the future of work. According to research, EAs are assigned not only two but three to four executives to partner with. This prompts the question of the importance of quality vs. quantity? The seasoned EA is more than capable of supporting multiple executives but this limits the ability to dive deeper into the broader world of the executive.
As we move forward to new ways of working, there’s an opportunity to look at support models because one size does not fit all. By offering specialized executive assistant roles that range from master schedulers to strategic partnerships will attract a broader talent pool. A new approach will be a pivotal step in refining business operations as technology is driving increased automation and fundamentally changing how the back office operates.
In this article, The Top 10 Mistakes Leaders Make With Executive Assistants, Michael Hyatt breaks down areas where EAs can effectively keep an executive organized and focused on what matters most.
An EA is only as good as the working relationship.
Michael Hyatt
Managing multiple calendars is limited to focusing on schedules and logistics. Time does not allow for the opportunity to peel back the task to determine the validity or an alternate course of action. When you look at the number of hours executives are spending in meetings with back-to-back calendars this begs the question, can this change? Yes!
How do we change and break the cycle? It starts with ensuring meetings are scheduled with a purpose or intended outcome. With this approach, the EA can help improve the daily schedule by allocating time to the right meetings, confirming the intent [i.e. brainstorm ideas, decisions required, next steps aligned, etc.], time to prep if needed and length of time spent in each meeting.
When organizations understand the various roles EAs can perform, adopt a new approach and weave DEI into the field, then talent mapping for the position is refined and effective partnerships begin to form.
