EA Mentor

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  • New year, fresh start

    New year, fresh start

    Hello admin pros! Grab a cuppa and check out my 2026 Strategy & The Workflow Audit.

    The Messy Truth

    2025 was a whirlwind year. In total, I provided support to nine Directors and one VP, due to a team change in April. Two EAs were on mat leave for half the year. The lead EA left Amazon 2 months after I arrived. I was voluntold to be the VP’s interim EA, which lasted 5 months. In September, I transferred my VP to the new Lead EA. In November, I onboarded a new Director. In December, the EA team was restructured. At this writing, I’m supporting two Directors in very different business units.

    Additionally, Amazon announced it was deprecating Chime and Quip in favor of Office 365, SharePoint, and Zoom. There was a series of rolling corporate office team restacks from April to October, across the US and Canada.

    I use rules and various folders in Outlook to manage email. In the process of managing incoming meeting requests and emails, my system became a bloated mess. I spent far too much time searching shared drives for documents.

    The New Year Reset

    My goal was to clean up my inbox and rules during the week between Christmas and New Year’s, but a shocking number of people were working that week, all wanting new meeting series. I was able to convert my executive’s standing meetings from Chime to Zoom, but that was as far as I got.

    I created a new workflow to manage calendars for 2026 to audit existing meetings and streamline my mechanisms, and determine the value of where my leaders and I spend our time.

    Personal & Business Goals for 2026

    • Personal goal: learn French at the B2 level. This will improve my Permanent Resident application score. I’m currently around A1.
    • Work goal: Reclaim 4 hours of deep work per week. I’ve got several ideas that will greatly improve my executives’ lives.
    • EA Mentor goal: increase my subscribers by providing new EA tools and content.

    The original mission of the EA Mentor was to build my coaching business. However, since I’m unable to generate income beyond my Amazon job, I’ve re-evaluated my goals for the site. I will continue to provide a manual for making that EA work visible and strategic, sharing data-driven mechanisms and contextual intelligence case studies. Subscribers will have exclusive access to checklists and tools useful to working EAs.

    The Workflow Audit

    In 2025, my time was spent on tactical calendar management and documenting org communication. My Lead EA will ultimately determine org mechanisms. The org suffers from silos that extend from leadership to the EA team.

    In December, I handed over the Director I onboarded with another Director. I worked hard last month to earn trust with my new team, but I have a lot to learn about the business. The new Director wants a partner, so I’ll focus more on strategic work and less time on the energy-draining churn.

    Not my actual desk since I work in a paperless office; it’s how I felt at the beginning of the year.

    As for Tools, my goal is to reduce the number of apps I use to manage work and essential documents. I don’t pay for apps at work. Instead, I use what the company provides. I’ll be offloading Asana, which my current org doesn’t use. Slack is heavily used for scheduling. I find this difficult to manage and prefer email. I’m going to investigate Slack workflows and see if I can create or modify a scheduling workflow.

    What I will stop in 2026: documenting interactions with my coworkers. My Lead EA asked me to provide documentation in Q4. There is more than enough material for her to run with.

    Now it’s your turn: What is the one task you are officially firing this quarter?

    Q1 Audit Workflow Checklist. I’ve created a Q1 audit checklist. Enter your email in the form below to get your copy.

  • The first 90 days on the job

    The first 90 days on the job

    Starting a new job as an EA can be both exciting and overwhelming. In your first 90 days, you have the opportunity to make a positive impression on your new leader and the team, as well as set yourself up for success. In this blog post, I provide my thoughts for what to focus on in the first 90 days.

    Responsibilities & Expectations

    In a perfect world, someone is assigned to help you get situated in your new role, understand your responsibilities and expectations, how you fit into the EA team, who is your Lead EA, get your workstation set-up and hand over key information for the job. It may be the outgoing EA or an onboarding buddy.

    If you’re fortunate enough to get a hand-off from the out-going EA, ask for guidance on how to prioritize the work, who are the key players, the leader’s proxies, where are the documents kept. Otherwise, check with your lead EA. Your onboarding buddy may know some answers to org-specific questions if they’ve served as back-up.

    I’ve rarely had a transition as the incoming EA but I like to leave a place better than I found it. For each job, I create a playbook with key info, contacts, leader and team information.

    Whatever the case, you’ll need a clear understanding of your job. Depending on the leader or time of year you join the team, you may be able to dedicate a lot of time in the first couple of weeks to learning the ropes. If you’re thrown into the deep end, block time on your calendar for regular review of new material while you hone the basics.

    Set up your email and calendar mechanisms, get access to the tools and systems you need, get delegate access to your leader’s resources, review (or create) the org chart and take any mandatory training. Take time to explore the team website and whatever shared files are available as well as the company intranet. Start collecting resources you’ll use regularly like travel, expenses, and procurement. Get a corportate credit card if it’s available.

    It’s going to take some time to understand the team’s language. I am a huge fan of joining all the meetings you can, asking questions and taking notes. Your exec needs you to learn the business and will probably allow, if not encourage you, to sit in on meetings.

    As the newbie, you get a free pass for at lease 6 months to ask all the questions. Do it! You may be asking questions other people were afraid to ask because they’ve been there a while they feel they should know the answers. In the process, you gain trust because you’re brave enough to ask questions.

    The first meeting with your leader

    Even when you get a hand-off, it’s up to you and your leader to figure out how to work together. Just because the last EA ran things a certain way, doesn’t mean you need to keep those processes. Use these as a starting point, but it has to make sense to you and your leader.

    Schedule a weekly sync with your new leaders at soon as possible. Depending on the leader and business, you may need more frequent touch points, such as 10 minute morning huddles. This is for you two to work out in the first meeting. You’ll probably touch base every day in some fashion.

    The first meeting is where you re-introduce yourself and collect the basic information you need to work with them: delegate access to the resources you need, meeting and delegate questions, their preferences, key stakeholders, meeting rules and personal information.

    Meet & Greets

    During your first month on the job, get to know your new leader’s colleagues. Schedule one-on-one meetings with their directs and key stakeholders to introduce yourself and learn about their role and how they interact with your leader and the org.

    Ask questions, take notes, learn their names and job titles. You’re going to work with these people moving forward so build a solid foundation to help you work effectively and efficiently.

    Learn the company culture

    Understanding the company culture is important for fitting in and working effectively. Observe how people communicate, dress, and interact with one another. You have to strike a balance between being yourself and fitting in. For example, I work in a very casual, warehouse environment but I’m a suit kinda gal.

    At my interview for my current job, I wore what I thought was pretty casual: a Universal Standard ponte blazer and their Geneva dress (a tee shirt knit fabric). I hit it off with the leader and at the end of the interview, she told me: you’ll need to dress way down for this job or take a lot of guff from the guys. Jeans and a tee shirt are not the most flattering for me but I don’t like to stand out either so I split the difference by wearing a blazer with my jeans & tee or sweater with my slacks and blouse.

    If you didn’t research this information before your interview, learn about the company’s values and mission, and how they are put into practice. If there is an employee handbook, read it to understand the company’s policies and procedures.

    Identify opportunities

    Take a critical look at your current skills and identify areas for improvement. Discuss your goals with your supervisor and lead EA and develop a plan to achieve them. Taking a proactive approach to your professional development will help you grow in your role and make a positive impact on the organization.

    Start building your internal EA network, initially with the EAs you’re most closely connected to. Over time, you can expand your network further. You never know where your next job will be or when you’ll need help finding a new role. Your internal network will be your lifeline when shit goes sideways.

    Establish your brand

    Intentionally creating a reputation that showcases your skills and strengths. While EAs share the core responsibilities, each EA shapes their role to suit their skill set and leaders. What do you want to be know for?

    For example, projects and data are my jam. My leaders think of me first when they need a quick turnaround on data analysis or a project. For the longest time, I dreaded event coordination. While I still lean toward opportunities that use my strengths, I’ve come to appreciate event planning because my team is dispersed across the US. The only time I see them in person is during our team summits. Still not getting super excited about event planning, but I have trackers and lists to jumpstart planning the next team summit.

    What sets you apart from others and how you can contribute to the team? How do you want to be perceived? Take the initiative to offer your help and expertise, and look for opportunities to showcase your skills. You can’t directly support everyone on your executive’s team but you can be a teacher and coach. Or as my friend Candace says, “teach them to fish.”

    The first 90 days on the job as an EA are critical for establishing yourself as a valuable member of the team. You were hired because you have a valuable skill set. Taking time to get to know your new leader and colleagues, understanding your responsibilities and expectations, asking questions, learning about the company culture, identifying areas for improvement, and establishing your personal brand, will set you up for success in your new role. Remember to stay positive, be flexible, and own your professional development

  • SMART Goals

    SMART Goals

    Hello office pros! Today is the last in the series of my Top 3 Tools for EAs: SMART goals. Goal-setting is important but if the goals are not specific, relevant or achievable, you won’t be motivated or possible able to continue. If there is no deadline, it will never get done. Life is hard enough.

    SMART, which stands for:

    • Specific
    • Measureable
    • Achievable
    • Relevant
    • Time-specific

    This is a great for goal-setting. It helps you to consider all the variables, work backwards to set milestone dates, determine your data points and decide if a particular goal is going to serve your career or needs.

    The SMART format is also great to use when you’re considering a job or career path change. Taking the time to put each of your work projects and achievements in this format will help you develop compelling and cohesive stories for the interview.

    I hope you found this series and the tools helpful. Let me know how you’re using the SWOT, Priority Matrix and SMART tools.

  • SWOT Analysis

    SWOT Analysis

    Hello office pros! In part two of the three part series on my top 3 tools for EAs, I’ll examine the SWOT analysis tool.

    SWOT stands for:

    • Strengths
    • Weaknesses
    • Opportunities
    • Threats

    Traditionally used by business executives to make informed choices, say for a product launch, the SWOT tool has other uses as well. I find it useful to assess the current state of my career as well as prepare for a job change.

    Strengths and Weaknesses are pretty obvious categories. Opportunities are the people or resources that can support your strengths; Threats are people or resources that are barriers or the negatives (for example, taking a pay cut or demotion).

    For example, let’s say you are working in tech and are considering a lateral job change to a nonprofit organization making the world a better place. Noble idea, of course, but before you jump into a new industry, take time to deep dive the world of nonprofits. Nonprofits are very different from corporations. There are plusses and minuses to each. To make a good decision for you and your career, spend time doing research to find out what you’re really getting into. Changing industries is akin to starting over for EAs – you have no or limited knowledge about the new industry and business.

    You need to learn the language, new acronyms, and rhythm of business, so you may have to take a demotion or pay cut if you change industries. It’s better to know upfront than get through the interview process and receive an offer only to find out the salary is below what you are able or willing to accept.

  • Priority Matrix

    Priority Matrix

    Hello office pros! The next three posts will feature my favorite tools for EAs. I feel the most important skill a strategic EA uses is data analysis. The ability to compile, analysis and make data-driven recommendations to your executive will transform your career from a calendar jockey to strategic business partner. Today’s post about the Priority Matrix.

    Back in college, the financial aid office had a sign on the wall behind the desk that read: Your lack of planning does not constitute an emergency on my part.

    Effective prioritizing is key. Without it, you’re running around reacting to requests rather than taking stock and focusing on what is actually urgent and important.

    Everyday, you’re dealing with your stakeholders, direct reports, vendors, all manner of people who want your and your executive’s time. There are only so many work hours per day and none of us want to work 10 – 12 hours per day every day. Having a system to prioritize will help you work efficiently and efficiently. The last you want to do is spend days on a low priority/low urgency project, or as I like to call these: Someday Projects, which means they’re probably not going to rise in urgency or importance.

    The priority matrix pretty straightforward to use: take your list of tasks, drop them in the quadrants below based on your and your executive’s priorities. Then start working on the tasks in the upper right quadrant (high urgent & high important), next work on the upper left quadrant and so on.

    I find the Priority Matrix particularly useful when I’m having a bad day – maybe I’ve got a migraine coming on, didn’t sleep well the night before or it’s just a Bad Brain Day. Tools like the Priority Matrix help me focus and plan.

    I hope you’ll give the Priority matrix a try.

  • Note Taking

    Note Taking

    Today’s post is, as you might guess from the title, about note taking for administrative professionals. While it is not about taking meeting minutes, I feel the practice of note taking helps you take better minutes. If you’re interested, here is a link to my post about taking minutes on complex/technical topics.

    I started my note-taking journey early in my career. Perhaps I was influenced by the vintage rock star admin: Miss Della Street, who never went anywhere without her steno pad.

    It probably had more to do with the fact my first full-time admin role was the Program Assistant (equal parts receptionist, admin assistant and technical writer) in the Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) department at Fred Hutch. I had to quickly learn the basics of safety training, biohazard, radioactive and chemical safety because I took notes at the monthly safety committee meetings, wrote the monthly newsletter and proofread the safety manuals.

    All my learning was on the job by taking notes and asking questions. I’m curious by nature and I like to understand how things work and why. In my career, I’ve supported anywhere from 2 – 9 leaders at a given time and primarily supported doctors. They don’t have time to revisit anything – they need focus on patient care. I needed to develop a solid, repeatable, scalable note taking system.

    A quick Google search revealed very few people have eidetic or photographic memory, anywhere from 0-10%. It is unlikely you have a photographic memory. This is my first tip: don’t rely on your memory.

    EAs and other admin pros do a high volume of task switching every day. As people head back into the office, we’re returning to what I call: The Drive By – random people who stop by your desk throughout the day and interrupt you without bothering to acknowledge they’re disrupting your work flow. They’ll walk away and now you’re stuck trying to pick up the threads of what you were working on.

    I feel taking notes is key to being organized as an admin pro and a core skill. I’ve noticed that admins of any level (Receptionist to EA) who fail to take notes are not productive or effective. They apologize a lot, ask the same questions and struggle getting their work done on time. This cycle negatively impacts their confidence and fuels Imposter Syndrome.

    Make your job easier: take notes.

    Taking notes and minutes are skills to be learned and practiced regularly. I view notes as minutes for me. What helps me do my job efficiently is I treat notes much like minutes: summarize the instructions, identify due dates, task owners, resources, stakeholders, ask questions.

    If you’re groaning right now about having to take notes and how you hoped to be done with notes after finishing school. Sorry cupcake, the learning never ends for the admin professional. Don’t believe me? ChatGPT didn’t exist 1 year ago. Now, AI chatbots and sweet new ways to leverage them are a hot topic all over LinkedIn. Keep learning or get left behind.

    Here are the benefits of taking notes:

    • Time saver – by capturing all the details from the jump, you don’t have to procrastinate because you failed to take notes and have to go back to your executive because you can’t recall the details of the assignment. Now 2 people have lost productive work time.
    • Reference – by keeping notes for every meeting you attend, you can review them later, refresh your memory. My notes have saved my bacon countless times. Over time, they help me look around corners and see patterns that are otherwise missed without notes.
    • Documentation – everything from instructions or links for rarely used processes, performance, preferences, to post event notes on venues, catering, and hotels.
    • Reflection – take time reflect and summarize discussions, projects that went well and those that flopped, record key takeaways and lessons learned.
    • Taking notes will improve your minute taking. You’ll develop the ability to summary information as well as tracking team metrics, deadlines, owners.

    Note taking system

    You need a system for note taking in order to build your muscle memory. To keep things super simple, I recommend using the same system for note and minutes.

    Physical

    I started with paper and pen by creating a daily running list of tasks. Like a bullet journal, I transferred unfinished tasks to the next day.

    Ten years ago, I had carpel tunnel release surgery on both hands. As a result of carpel tunnel syndrome, I lost a lot of hand strength and muscle tone so my handwriting is illegible. Great for art journaling. Terrible for recording work notes.

    At the time, I wanted to convert to digital but my employer was a non-profit and didn’t offer OneNote as part of the standard computer install. Not wanting to purchase a license on my own dime, I searched for free options.

    Digital

    Outlook Tasks – it’s there and I tried it, but don’t like that my tasks are separate from other notes.

    EverNote. It’s simple and is organized like a binder so I could capture everything in one spot. I tried it for a while and still use it for my own personal note keeping.

    I tried TeuxDeux for a year. Nice as a task list, but I didn’t feel it was good for project or event management. Minutes were recorded elsewhere and I like to keep it simple.

    Goodnotes. Nearly every company I’ve worked for used Windows OS. At home, I use Mac and Goodnotes for personal journaling. It is easy to learn and use. I love that you can annotate pdfs and I keep a digital planner for myself.

    In my previous company, OneNote was part of the standard install so I adopted it and haven’t looked back. I love it because it integrates with other Office products. I can link meeting details in my minutes. A super simple, all in one solution. I’ve tried using special OneNote templates, but find they get in my way. I still prefer a hybrid of Bullet Journal & narrative style of note taking.

    Experiment

    Unless you know exactly what works for you, plan to experiment. Give each system time to work. You have to find your groove. And that’s ok. It’ll be fine. At the end of the trial, reflect on what worked and what didn’t in order to determine the next system to try. Repeat until you hit on what works best for you.

    Whatever method you choose, I recommend picking 1 method; otherwise, you run the risk of wasting time trying to find your notes. Is it in OneNote? On my note pad? On a Post It? Yes, sometimes you need to jot a quick note outside your system but create the habit of transferring that note into your system as quickly as possible.

    Embrace note taking as part of your admin toolkit. It will serve you well your entire career.

  • Top 3 ways to step up as a leader

    Top 3 ways to step up as a leader

    As an EA, our profession is often associated with the tactical skills, such as scheduling, coordinating meeting and travel, scribing meetings. However, the EA has evolved considerably in the past few years, and it is important to recognize you are a leader in your organization.

    You don’t have to be the Lead EA, manage others, or even be an EA. You could be any administrative professional and be a leader. Being a leader simply means taking ownership of projects and responsibilities, being proactive, and contributing to the overall success of the organization. In this article, I will discuss three simple ways EAs can step up to leadership.

    Develop a strategic mindset

    Admin professionals can become leaders in their organizations by developing a strategic mindset. Yeah, you probably hear that a lot, but what the heck does it mean?  It means understanding the organization’s goals, objectives, and long-term vision. Become aware of the challenges and opportunities facing your organization and be able to identify ways to contribute to its success. 

    These could be small opportunities. EAs have a lot of power but you may not know or fully appreciate it. You don’t have to ask anyone’s permission: be a trendsetter! Create your own process to solve whatever Your Big Headache is and use it.  People will see how great it is and adopt it. 

    To develop a strategic mindset, ask questions and seek out information about the organization’s and your leader’s goals and objectives. Stay informed about the industry and market trends that affect your organization’s performance. Do you know the top 3 products or services of your organization?

    With a basic understanding of the company, you can provide valuable insights and recommendations to your executive and demonstrate your leadership potential.

    Take ownership of projects and responsibilities

    Demonstrating leadership potential starts by taking ownership of your projects and responsibilities. This means going above and beyond what is expected and taking initiative to complete tasks to the best of your ability.

    I say this a lot: doing the minimum is not good enough. If you want to build a solid EA career, you have to consistently provide value that your executives didn’t know they needed until you delivered it.

    Be proactive in identifying areas where you can contribute and improve processes. Take the lead in organizing and implementing new initiatives, demonstrating your ability to manage projects and collaborate with colleagues. Again, you don’t have to ask permission: if you’ve got an idea to solve A Big Headache, then develop it and share it with your peers.

    Continuously improve skills & knowledge

    I am shocked each time an EA or other admin professional tells me that they just don’t want to learn a new app. Of course, being a professional, I don’t show that shock on my face. I get it. I’ve forgotten more apps than I currently use. Anyone remember WordStar? WordPerfect? No. Because they do not exist. These apps are no longer relevant.

    You become a leader by continuously improving your skills and knowledge. This means investing in your professional development and staying up-to-date with trends and best practices.

    Attend conferences, workshops, and training sessions to learn new skills, gain knowledge and network with peers outside your organization. Pursue certifications or advanced degrees to demonstrate your expertise and commitment to your profession. 

    There is a plethora of training opportunities, both in-person and virtual. Join a professional organization like IAAP, subscribe to Executive Support Magazine, sign up for webinars, work with a coach. 

  • Taking Minutes on Unfamiliar Topics

    Taking Minutes on Unfamiliar Topics

    Meeting scribe is a core skill for admin professionals at any level. In the course of my career, I’ve changed industries several times. For today’s post, I’ll share my five tips for taking minutes when the topic is complex and over your head: meeting review, question code, transcribe, note actions, and training.

    My first full-time admin role was in the Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) department at Fred Hutch. One my tasks was to record the minutes at the monthly safety committees, which were on a rotation between the Radiation, Biological, and Health & Safety.

    I have a BA in technical theater: stage management and design. My math and science skills were fine – I was a B student but I took very few science courses in college. Certainly nothing on any of these topics so I had to learn on the job. What I lacked in technical knowledge, I make up for with curiosity and a desire to learn near things.

    Every job I’ve had involved taking meeting minutes. After EH&S, I transferred to Public Health Sciences where I took notes on a wide range of topics: women’s cancer, cancer prevention, bone marrow transplant, cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, surgical sterile supply, endoscopy, surgical safety committee, data security, smoking cessation, corporate sales and reliability engineering.

    I started all of those jobs with zero knowledge of the topics but I developed a system. My meeting minutes have been repeatedly praised for their high quality.

    The purpose of telling you this is that you don’t have to start with an understanding of the topic, but over time, if you following these tips, you can become very good at taking minutes.

    Meeting Review

    Start with the agenda, whether you are responsible for creating it or you work with the Chairperson. The Chair wants good minutes. If you’re new, demonstrate you want to learn more and a willingness to improve. Take notes. In order to learn a new topic, you’ll need to listen, record and regurgitate the information. Schedule review time and they’ll probably be happy to answer questions – up to a point.

    After the meeting, clean up your minutes and ask the Chairperson to review, comment and make corrections. At first, you’ll get the acronyms wrong, you’ll misspell the lingo. That’s ok. You’ll learn so much from the review meetings. Ask specifically for feedback on your minutes then use that information to improve your skill.

    Over time, the reviews will go more quickly with fewer edits. Your Chair may decide you ready to fly free and skip the review.

    Develop your code for questions

    Note taking is a core skill, whether you’re taking minutes or making a note to complete a task later. If you’re not in habit of taking notes, start now.

    Develop your own code for asking questions – highlight text or insert a specific symbol to alert you that you need to ask someone for clarification. You may go back to the Chair or someone else in the meeting. Whatever the case, keep it simple to serve as your reminder to follow-up.

    Meetings tend to move at the speed of light and you may not be able to stop the meeting to ask the group what something means or ask people to repeat what they said – unless it is of legal or HR importance, then, yes, ask during the meeting.

    Use attendee initials if your meeting requires you to track who’s speaking.

    Transcribe the meeting

    I’ve tried several minute taking methods: hand written, typing and recording. I found I can’t write fast enough to take effective notes. Recording then reviewing the audio later was problematic for several reasons:

    • In a large meeting room, people far away from my recording device can’t be heard
    • When new or subbing for another admin, I don’t know most of the attendees so I can’t figure out who’s talking
    • There’s never enough time afterwards to spend 3 times the length of the meeting to listen to the recording

    I transcribe the meeting, like a court reporter, on a laptop.

    Don’t try to summarize the material DURING the meeting. Focus on recording.You already know what the agenda is about, you’ve asked the Chair your pre-meeting questions. Record the discussion, forget about grammar, spelling, formatting and punctuation.

    Develop a system that works for you. Use the agenda as the outline for the doc or just type and copy/paste the meeting notes into a new doc after you’ve cleaned it up. The point is, keep it simple so you can work quickly and send the minutes out quickly.

    I recommend blocking 1.5 – 2 hours after the meeting to finalize the minutes. Use this time block to clean the document up and write the summary. The meeting is still there in your short term memory. It won’t be there in the morning.

    Pay attention to tasks

    Whether or not your minutes serve as a legal document (board meetings, safety committees, etc), tracking actions is the most important function of minutes. Without group alignment on actions, that meeting should be an email or a document.

    During the meeting, pay close attention to call-outs and action items. If it’s not made clear during the discussion, speak up and ask for clarification on the action, owner(s) and deadline.

    Take basic training

    When I worked at EH&S, I started a habit: I took every basic safety course the techs were required to take: radiation, chemical, biological, general safety. Taking the training everyone else takes shows your sincere desire to understand the material, gives you an opportunity to ask more questions and you learn the language of your team.

    Learn about the topic. Find and sign up for training the rest of the group is required to take. If there isn’t training in that area, ask your Chairperson or executive to recommend reading or an online class. Chances are, if you’re learning for the job, your employer will pay for you to go.

    Then do the work, ask questions, request feedback. People want to tell you all about their own business. You can see it on their faces. They love to geek out on their specific area of expertise. Let them! You’ll learn so much, earn trust and who knows? You might find that you are fascinated by the topic and want to learn even more.

    Find a mentor. Perhaps your executive is too busy to be your mentor but there is someone in your group who would be happy to show you the ropes.

    Taking meeting minutes and notes are core administrative skills. Every admin joins their group with little to no knowledge of their team’s subject. Hold meeting reviews pre- and post- meeting with the chair. Develop your own systems to track questions to ask after the meeting. Transcribe minutes during the meeting. Listen closely for tasks. Be curious. Learn about the business.

    Understanding your executive’s business is a key skill toward becoming a strategic partner. You can do it!

  • What it takes to become an Executive Assistant

    What it takes to become an Executive Assistant

    When you read a job posting for an EA role, it sounds easy enough, right? These job descriptions are generic because each role is tailored to the executive needs and the specific EAs unique skillset. In today’s post, I’ll explore the top skills I feel are needed for an entry-level EA. This is a long post because the EA role is complex.

    I’m writing this post for 2 reasons:

    1. To educate non EAs about what this role is actually about.
    2. To educate people considering the role but don’t know what is required. It’s much more involved than people realize.

    Earn trust & related skills

    In the Earn Trust post, I wrote why it’s important to earn trust. It’s at the top of this post because without trust, you simply will not be an effective EA. A trust broken is very difficult to mend.

    Here is a short list of advice related to trust: do not gossip, under promise and over deliver, do your best work, ask for help when you need it and learn when to say no.

    While everything can be learned on the job, the more you bring to the table at the start will better positioned for success. This is by no means an exhaustive list and I could easily write more detailed posts on each.

    Calendar management

    Priorities are ever-shifting and need to be managed. Scheduling and rescheduling meetings is a fact of life and a core skill for EAs. You need to regularly review your executive’s calendar and proactively manage scheduling conflicts.

    Beyond meetings, leaders need time to do their work, take breaks, have lunch, complete pre-reads, process meeting information, travel from one meeting to the next, coach their directs, develop their network, and dream up the Next Big Thing.

    All day back-to-back meetings is the quickest path to burnout.

    EAs coordinate with other EAs to schedule meetings. You need to develop solid relationships with your peers in order to effectively schedule meetings. Don’t forget to effectively and efficiently manage your own calendar.

    Email management

    Managing an executive’s email may or may not be required. A high level of trust between you and your leader is required because you have access to highly confidential information.

    You need an effective system to manage your own inbox effectively. I recommend implementing simple automation tools, such as Outlook Quick Parts, to quickly generate repetitive email content.

    Apps, Policies

    In my opinion, EAs need to be at least intermediate users of word processing, spreadsheets, slides, org charts, instant messaging, and teleconferencing apps. As the people always in the office, EAs can expect to troubleshoot printers, copiers, computers, laptops, network connections. I’ve Google-searched and solved my own laptop issues on multiple occasions. Guess what?

    In addition, you have to learn and master the systems your company uses for expense reporting, procurement, customer/client management, travel, conference room booking, space and project management.

    EAs are expected to provide advice and guidance on company policies and procedures or know who to contact for such information.

    Travel coordination

    You’ll coordinate all aspects of your leader’s travel: flights, hotels, ground transport, restaurant reservations. Complex multi-city travel may require a spreadsheet to plan the trip. International travel may require researching and applying for visas, understanding local culture and customs, obtaining local currency, special charging cables/plugs for laptops and mobile phones.

    You need to understand your leader’s travel preferences for flights, lodging, ground transport, dietary restrictions, travel times to/from the airport.

    Once the travel is booked, you need to provide your executive with an itinerary, with contacts, confirmation numbers,

    I supported a Medical Director who REFUSED to layover at O’Hare International Airport. Under. Any. Circumstance. Every trip to the Midwest had to be routed to a different airport. This requirement not only added travel time to/from his destination and impacted where he could stay when he visited Chicago, it meant more time for me to research options to develop the itinerary.

    Expense reporting

    You need a system to collect receipts from your leader and process expenses according to company policy. You need to learn the app your organization uses. I’ve used Concur at my 3 most recent companies and it looked and behaved differently at each.

    Documents

    Depending on the team, you may be responsible for writing content, proofreading, copy editing, managing paper/digital files, publishing content, taking meeting minutes.

    Document control includes additional responsibilities: managing shared network drives, managing access, platforms like SharePoint and Google Drive and distribution and rules-based permissions lists.

    It is useful to know how to create and edit templates. It’s a great time-saver to use Styles and the Navigator in Word to easily move content around.

    Meeting minutes

    Many EAs dread taking minutes. I’ve worked in a variety of industries and took minutes on unfamiliar, technical topics ranging from the radioactive safety, surgical teams, sales meetings, and mechanical engineering. I was the only admin support in a room full of very smart, very technical professionals. Everywhere I worked, my minutes were praised for accuracy and usefulness post-meeting. Did I know what they were talking about? Not at first but eventually, I learned enough to take effective notes.

    One of the questions I get asked most: how do you take meeting minutes when you don’t understand the subject? Here is my 5 things to take effective minutes:

    1. Learn to disconnect your fingers from your brain. Don’t fall into the rabbit hole of trying to understand WHAT the attendees are talking about. Instead, listen for clues as to what the group deems important and listen for action items, owners and due dates.
    2. Unless the notes will be used for legal purposes, there is no need to record word-for-word discussions. Record the gist using Who, What, Where, When, Why and How.
    3. Develop the habit of summarizing information. It is an extremely useful skill in all areas of the EA world. Practice by taking notes in your weekly sync meeting with your leaders and making notes for yourself on tasks and projects.
    4. When you find yourself stuck trying to understand a specific topic in a meeting, make a note to ask your exec or one of their directs later. People love to talk about their work and will gladly explain All the Things.
    5. Understand your leader’s business, goals, initiatives, objectives and the lingo. It takes time and questions. Again, taking notes on the answers will help you retain the information.

    Project management

    A project could be anything with a defined start and end date, related to the business. These can be big or small projects that may particular to the team and leaders.

    Obvious EA projects include managing office space and coordinating team events.

    Space management

    Covid sent everyone home, but now folks are returning to the office. I’ve worked in organizations with a dedicated space manager and where the EAs manage their team’s space.

    In 2022, I managed space for over 800 people in 55 corporate office buildings around the US and Canada. In 2023, I manage 2 seats: one of my Directors and my own. In 2024, who knows? If your company requires people to work in office full or part time, then you need mechanisms to manage space effectively.

    Managing space requires understanding processes, apps, policies, managing people, offices and desks. People are weirdly possessive about space: feelings of entitlement, preferences for location, requesting non-standard desk set-ups. Everyone is special and they’ll tell you all about it.

    And not always in the most polite manner.

    Event management

    Events can range from small team off sites to hundreds or thousands of attendees at a large conference. Events may be held locally or the group may travel to a special location. You are expected to coordinate all aspects of the event: the agenda, swag, travel, hotel booking, conference room booking, catering, off site meals, team-building events.

    You have to communicate details to attendees, send invites and manage attendees, wrangle presentation decks, AV and room configurations.

    People management

    EAs work with a wide variety of people: their own leaders, directs, skip level leaders, other EAs, administrative staff, stakeholders and business partners, basically, everyone from housekeeping to the President/CEO.

    Lead EAs oversee other EAs or Administrative Assistants, often without being their direct manager. Lead EAs serve as the administrative hiring manager, interview and onboard new team members, as well as coach their peers.

    You need to understand people, communication styles, earn trust, manage confidential information (people WILL cozy up to you to get the inside scoop).

    You may be asked to run meetings on behalf of your leader. As you advance in the role, you’ll be expected to lead meetings.

    Communication

    Being an EA can be isolating: people treat you as if you are at your leader’s level. They come to you as the subject matter expert, pump you for information then they exclude you from informal events because they are afraid you’ll blab to the boss.

    Your leader expects you to share your knowledge and observations about the team. They need to understand the pulse of the team: who’s dissatisfied, what are they talking about, who’s a flight risk.

    My first experience with this aspect of the role was when I was interim EA to a regional Partner. My first week on the job, he sat me down to set ground rules and expectations. When he got to Keep Me Informed About the Team, he said, “you’re not snitching. I need to know what the team is feeling. That’s part of your job.”

    I wasn’t very successful with this at that job, but I’ve come to understand the importance of keeping my leaders appraised without gossiping. Stick to the facts. At. All. Times. Don’t let emotions drive you. That’s the quickest way to burnout. It is possible to focus on facts without becoming an automaton.

    You’ll notice there was no mention of running personal errands, buying leaders coffee and lunches. Unless specified in the job description, it is NOT an expectation that EAs run errands for their executive.

    In summary, being an EA is not just about being a calendar jockey. You need to exceed expectations EVERYDAY. Not just when you feel like it. This is a demanding role that requires an extensive skill set for a long, successful career.

  • Why trust is important for an Executive Assistant

    Why trust is important for an Executive Assistant

    As an executive assistant, I know firsthand the importance of trust in the workplace. Trust is the foundation of any successful relationship. I believe that EAs need to build trust with everyone, not just with the executives they support. Trust is built with the executives, their directs, stakeholders, business partners and other administrative professionals.

    Trust is important for several reasons. First and foremost, it fosters open communication. When employees trust each other, they feel comfortable sharing ideas, opinions, and feedback without fear of judgment or retribution. This leads to better decision-making, as all viewpoints are considered and evaluated.

    Trust promotes collaboration. When team members trust each other, they are more likely to work together towards a common goal. They are willing to put aside their own interests and prioritize the success of the team. This results in a more productive and efficient work environment.

    Another benefit of trust is increased accountability. When employees trust each other, they hold each other accountable for their actions and responsibilities. This creates a culture of responsibility and ownership, where everyone is invested in the success of the team.

    Trust is essential for building strong relationships with clients and customers. When clients trust that a business will deliver on its promises, they are more likely to do business with them again. This can lead to long-term relationships and increased revenue.

    However, trust is not something that can be established overnight. It takes time and effort to build and maintain trust in the workplace. It requires consistency, honesty, and transparency in all interactions. It requires a willingness to admit mistakes and take responsibility for them.

    As an executive assistant, I make it a priority to establish trust with my colleagues and customers quickly. I am honest and transparent in my communication, and I make sure to follow through on my commitments. I believe trust is essential for building strong relationships and achieving success in the workplace.

    In my opinion, loss of trust is the biggest hurdle to overcome in all areas of life. When an EA loses trust at work, it damages their reputation, ability to do the job effectively and causes coworkers to work around the EA.

    Trust is a critical component of any successful workplace. It fosters open communication, promotes collaboration, increases accountability, and builds strong relationships with clients and customers. As an executive assistant, I understand the importance of trust and work diligently to establish and maintain it in all of my professional relationships. In my experience, earning trust is the highest priority for executive assistants.

  • What to do when your executive won’t let go control of their calendar

    What to do when your executive won’t let go control of their calendar

    As an EA, one of your core responsibilities is to manage your executive’s calendar. What do you do when an executive won’t turn over control of their calendar? You are feeling frustrated and that you’re failing in one of your primary responsibilities. In this blog post, I’ll discuss some strategies to manage the situation and keep your leader organized.

    At the heart of this issue is trust: they’ve been burned by a bad EA in the past, you haven’t earned their trust yet or they can’t trust anyone (aka, The Control Freak). You need to find out what you’re dealing with then find solutions together.

    Communicate Clearly

    The first step in managing a situation where your executive won’t give up control of their calendar is to communicate clearly. At your next sync meeting, discuss your concerns and provide them with feedback on how the situation is affecting your ability to do your job effectively. Your leader’s reputation reflects on you and vice versa.

    Be specific about the challenges you are facing and use concrete examples to illustrate your points. How many meetings have they missed because you were not allowed to reschedule conflicts proactively? What comments have you received from the team because they can’t count on your leader to attend meetings? How many hours did the team spend preparing for these missed meetings?

    Make it clear that the purpose of you managing their calendar is to work together and develop a system that will help them work more effectively and regain the trust of the team. Come prepared with solutions. Don’t just whine about it. Have a plan and be prepared to present it.

    Find Common Ground

    Once you’ve communicated your concerns, it’s essential to find common ground with your executive. Ask them what is preventing them from turning over their calendar to you. Work together to create a mechanism that accommodates both of your needs.

    It’s important to approach the situation with a collaborative mindset and be willing to compromise. You may need to adjust your suggestions to accommodate their priorities, but in return, they should be willing to do the same for you. You’re a team of two and need to develop your working style. It may take time but persistence will pay off.

    For example, I worked with a leader who gave me control of his calendar but he asked that I give him a 5 minute warning before every meeting. He was in a new, more complex role and I had 3 other leaders to support. It took us a few weeks to develop a new system. Over time, we knocked the 5 minute warnings down to the very important meetings so I didn’t have to jump up every 30 – 60 minutes and tell him to go to his next meeting.

    Seek Support from other EAs

    If you’ve tried several methods and failed, seek support from other EAs. Ask how they managed to get control of their executive’s calendar. We’ve all been there. EAs are happy to provide guidance, tips or suggestions you hadn’t considered.

    The last resort

    If you have done your best and I mean you have TRIED IT ALL and still can’t get your executive to turn over their calendar, then it’s time to move on. Some leaders never give up control. That is on them for not fully appreciating the value you provide. Chances are, you are facing other barriers with this executive. You’re probably not the first EA to beat their skull against this wall.

    By staying in a frustrating role, your performance, attitude and reputation will suffer. Take your time finding your next role if you must. You have now learned a variety of calendar management techniques, ways to earn trust with your executive and have questions to ask in future job interviews.

    Managing a situation where an executive won’t hand over management of their calendar can be challenging, but is not impossible. By communicating clearly, finding common ground, being creative, and seeking support from other EAs, you can earn your leader’s trust. As a by-product, you’ll also earn respect from their team and the other EAs you work with. Remember, it’s essential to approach the situation with a positive mindset and be willing to work together to find a solution that fits both of your needs.

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