The most valuable work is often the hardest to explain. For executive assistants [EA], this challenge becomes clear during performance reviews. EAs manage complex, demanding schedules and nonstop decisions. But when it’s time to capture your impact, where do you start to transform performance reviews?
EAs often perform their most valuable work for multiple executives, making it difficult to describe their true impact during performance reviews. For the most demanding executives, EAs handle complex, fast-paced schedules and nonstop decisions. But when asked to capture this impact, it can be hard to know where to begin.
invisible contributions
EAs operate at the intersection of execution and strategy, managing leadership teams, workstreams, and workflows, and organizational dynamics. How do you quantify the complex meeting with multiple top leaders that was strategically scheduled, which led to a breakthrough in an operational decision? The crisis you prevented through proactive thinking when you noticed the executive’s visa was expiring before their international trip? The relationship capital that was built through scheduling follow-up calls?
This is where agentic AI [artificial intelligence] can act autonomously, in partnership with humans, to amplify the work we do.
from data to narrative
EAs can build an AI assistant specifically designed for performance reviews. The process is simple: articulate the instruction for the agent to follow, attach your achievement tracker as knowledge, and the assistant seamlessly incorporates a comprehensive narrative of where outcomes excelled. Nothing gets missed. Key data points support both volume and velocity of contributions.
This new step makes the performance review truly transformative. The AI assistant translates between two different forms of intelligence: the employee’s knowledge of what was accomplished and the formal framework that decision-makers use to evaluate. It turns unrecognized efforts into measurable impact.
why this matters now
EAs who don’t have a system to capture their achievements face a time crunch when mid-year and end-of-year evaluations are due. Trying to recall months of contributions from memory can be exhausting and can miss an overlooked dynamic. Don’t undersell the work because that one key contribution may be the one that is missed when you try to write under deadline pressure.
AI assistance can do more than save time. It reveals, in the outcomes, what’s possible when we shift our mindset. By learning from patterns across contexts, these tools can:
- Identify the impact that is overlooked as “part of the job.”
- Surface development opportunities aligned with evolving skill set.
- Demonstrate value in simple language that resonates with leadership.
the bigger picture
Not everyone finds it easy to promote their strengths, resulting in missed recognition. Career advancement relies on visible performance and effective self-advocacy. AI helps ensure every contribution gets recognized in your performance review.Â
looking ahead
This is the beginning of expanding how we think about capabilities. As these systems learn from patterns, they’ll help us see not only what can be accomplished, but how we can position ourselves for what’s next. For instance, Microsoft Copilot enables users to enhance their experience through capabilities.
The question isn’t whether to adopt these tools. It’s about adapting to be future-ready. An environment where contribution becomes visible, valued, and strategically leveraged to create the impact everyone is uniquely positioned to build.
Outstanding achievements and key contributions deserve recognition. Transform your performance review and reveal the thunder with a new thought partner. Keep rising!
