Behind the walls of corporate America, an executive assistant [EA] is a pivotal force that drives executive effectiveness. Raising the bar as strategic partners, EAs are essential for navigating complexities and ensuring that what matters most is crossing over into bodies of work that were traditionally tasked to chiefs of staff. With an ever-growing volume of busywork, direct inquiries, and the constant need to learn new ways of working, the importance of a proficient EA cannot be overstated.
Regardless of the era and new technology, the expectations and responsibilities of administrative support evolve to align with the organizational direction and mission. EAs create an unparalleled experience not just for the executive but also for the entire team. This involves a deep understanding of compliance, protocols, policies, and technology use standards. The advent of AI and other technologies has indeed provided quick access to information, but it also necessitates stringent safeguards to ensure the accuracy and truthfulness of the information shared. With the introduction of Perplexity.ai, the way we discover, access, and consume knowledge online will change. This is where EAs can expand their digital literacy and deep learning—crucial to an EA’s expertise, knowledge, and confidence to help simplify operations and maintain efficiency. Their role encompasses not only the management of day-to-day tasks but also steering the executive towards strategic initiatives, preserving their time and energy for what truly matters. They need all the innovations and breakthroughs in technology to bolster their productivity. This is not cheating, this is being smart about how to leverage the resources and tools, in particular machine learning language models, to perform at a higher level.
Maximizing productivity and focus: Chiefs of staff and EAs play a pivotal role in enhancing an executive’s effectiveness. Bringing structure and managing the executive’s day-to-day operations boosts productivity, which is no easy feat when improper planning disrupts the flow of the rhythm. Ensuring timely flow and differentiating between important and urgent tasks involves prioritizing tasks, managing schedules, and ensuring the executive’s time is spent on high-impact, valued activities.
Understanding the role: Despite the critical function of the chief of staff and EA, the inner workings of these roles are often not well understood, leading to varied practices and structures across different companies. Administrative support, whether it be chief of staff or EA, must continuously adapt and refine their approaches to meet the specific needs of their executives, tapping into the strategic areas that make them successful. This also means allowing room for managing through shifts or unforeseen/unexpected changes in the environment, forces of nature, or planned travel. Few roles in corporate America intersect with as many facets of the organization as an EA, who excels at mastering disruption with lightning speed and possesses a knowledge base in all areas.
Strategic and tactical: Effective administrative support, regardless of title, must excel in both strategic and tactical activities. This dual capability allows executives to focus on long-term goals while managing immediate priorities. This involves ensuring that time is allocated to activities that align with the organization’s strategic objectives, thereby amplifying the executive’s impact on the organization.
Reflecting priorities: A well-managed calendar creates not only the optimal experience for the executive but also doubles down on effectiveness. Planning is essential at top executive levels over 12 to 18 months, allowing room to balance urgent and important unforeseen tasks in the immediate term. The reality is that not all levels have the ability to reflect due to competing priorities and not enough hours in the day. This creates a domino effect throughout the organization when leaders are not provided the opportunity to skillfully plan and execute on deliverables that keep operations moving forward in a sustainable and prudent way. Not only is calendar engineering important to effectiveness, but it is also pivotal to the existence of positive energy at peak times where needed throughout the day. EAs play a crucial role in managing the executive’s schedule to ensure they are “highly alert” during critical moments, facilitating key meetings, and protecting time for strategic thinking and personal commitments.
Creating a rhythm: Being out of sync with the organization’s rhythm can disrupt your own momentum more than anything else. Beyond managing appointments, the calendar should reveal a rhythm that is balanced between internal and external engagements, influencing the business and growth, one-on-one discussions to steer the direction of the sails, reflection time, and personal activities. This rhythm aligns the executive’s energy and focus while ensuring they have time for strategic reflection, innovation, and personal well-being.
Prioritizing requests: It’s okay to say no. There should be no judgment placed on anyone who redirects an ask that is better equipped to be performed by the subject matter experts. One of the most important tasks for administrative support is to screen and prioritize requests, often having to say no to keep the focus on strategic areas. This requires an effective partnership with the executive and an agreed understanding of their key concerns, non-negotiables, and priorities. EAs must demonstrate confidence in their decisions and communicate effectively to maintain this trust.
Managing schedules: The executive’s schedule is a moving target, requiring EAs to be adept at juggling anticipated demands while remaining flexible for unexpected events. This adaptability is crucial for managing the dynamic nature of an executive’s responsibilities effectively. EAs must be proactive and responsive to ensure that the executive’s time is always optimized, especially when traveling across different time zones. Forward planning with the team and activating delegates during these times sets the operational efficiency to move forward.
Cognitive cost of busyness: The world of business is typically seen as the world of action. Leaders drive performance and deliver results. However, it is important not to mistake motion for effectiveness. Computer scientist professor, Cal Newport highlights that many people mistakenly view “busyness as a proxy for productivity.” Learn how to adopt a deep work strategy outlined by ToDoist in this article. Want to dive deeper into cultivating a practice of focusing on what matters most without distraction, check-out Cal Newport’s book here.
“DEEP WORK makes a compelling case for cultivating intense focus, and offers immediately actionable steps for infusing more of it into our lives.“
Adam Grant, Author of Originals and Think Again
Signs of busyness abound and remain an area of discussion because at the end of the day you may be productive, but how well did you accomplish everything? Studies have been performed and documented through the years, but the Harvard Business School study showed some compelling stats on how executives spend their time in meetings and on the phone or at public events, leaving little time for other tasks like email, reading, and reflection. This constant busyness incurs a cognitive cost, contributing to burnout as executives often handle employee inquiries outside of typical work hours. The human brain has natural limits in its ability to pay attention, remember, and process information. Multitasking breaches those limits faster. EAs play a crucial role in mitigating these cognitive costs by managing the executive’s schedule, prioritizing tasks, and ensuring that their time is spent on high-value activities.
The role of administrative support is integral to the success of corporate executives and, by extension, the organization as a whole. By managing the complexities of daily operations, safeguarding the accuracy of information, and steering executives towards strategic initiatives, skilled administrative support can create an ultimate executive experience that fosters long-term success. As technology continues to evolve, the administrative role whether a chief of staff, EA or hybrid of both will only become more crucial in navigating the modern corporate leadership landscape. Applying new principles, no matter the title, a highly skilled professional who embraces the role, will significantly enhance executive effectiveness and create the ultimate experiences for them behind the walls of corporate America.
