EA Mentor

Tag: executive assistant

  • 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.

  • Engineering Your First 90 Days

    Engineering Your First 90 Days

    Starting a new role as an Executive Assistant (my cheeky term is Temporal Engineer) is both exciting and high-stakes. The first 90 days are your onboarding period—the time to learn your processes, earn trust, and align with your executive’s workflow.

    Here is how to engineer a successful launch.

    Phase 1: Diagnostic & Discovery (Days 1–30)

    Your first month is about gathering data and understanding the existing architecture.

    • The Playbook Search: Identify where key documents, contacts, and historical records are kept. If a Handover Playbook doesn’t exist, start building one immediately.
    • Stakeholder Mapping: Identify the key players, proxies, and influencers within the organization. Who does your executive rely on most?
    • Calibration Syncs: Meet with your leader frequently. Ask: “How do you prefer to receive information? What are your ‘non-negotiables’ for the calendar?”

    Phase 2: System Installation (Days 31–60)

    Now that you have the data, begin implementing your strategic mechanisms.

    • Master the Calendar: Transition from simply observing the schedule to proactively defending it. Start resolving conflicts before they reach the executive.
    • Refine the Pipeline: Standardize how meeting minutes are taken and how action items are tracked.
    • The Pulse Check: Begin observing the team culture. Start reporting back factual observations to your leader to help them lead more effectively.

    Phase 3: Optimization & Branding (Days 61–90)

    By day 90, you should move from learning the system to optimizing the workflow.

    • Identify Gaps: Look for inefficiencies in the current workflow and propose updates. (e.g., “I noticed our travel booking process is manual; I’ve designed a template to streamline this.”)
    • Establish Your Brand: What do you want to be known for? Whether it’s data analysis, project management, or event orchestration, start teaching the team to fish in your area of expertise.

    The Outcome

    The first 90 days aren’t just about surviving; they are about establishing yourself as a vital component of the leadership team. By the end of this period, your onboarding is complete, and you are ready to dive deeply into your new team.

    Master the logic. Rule the clock.

  • Engineering Your Outcomes with SMART Goals

    Engineering Your Outcomes with SMART Goals

    If a goal has no deadline, it’s just a wish—and in the executive suite, wishes don’t move the needle.

    As EAs, we are often the ones responsible for turning an executive’s vision into a reality. But if those goals aren’t structured correctly, you’ll find yourself lacking the motivation or the resources to actually cross the finish line. To transform your career from a calendar jockey to a Strategic Partner, you must master the art of data-driven goal setting.

    The Mechanism: The SMART Framework

    I use the SMART system to strip the ambiguity out of my objectives. This isn’t just a corporate acronym; it’s a filter for your time and energy:

    • Specific: Define the exact outcome. No “fluff”.
    • Measurable: Determine your data points. How will you prove success?
    • Achievable: Be honest about your variables. Is this actually possible with your current resources?
    • Relevant: Does this goal serve your executive’s needs or your career trajectory?
    • Time-specific: Set your Hard Stop and work backward to establish milestone dates.

    The Alchemist’s Edge: Interview Strategy

    Beyond daily project management, the SMART format is a secret weapon for career management.

    When you’re preparing for a new role or a promotion, take your past achievements and run them through this framework. It helps you develop compelling, cohesive stories that prove your value during an interview. You aren’t just saying you organized an event—you are showing how you engineered a specific, time-bound outcome.

    Install the Strategy

    This concludes our look at the Top 3 Tools for EAs. Whether you are using the Priority Matrix to survive a Bad Brain Day or SMART Goals to architect your next promotion, these systems are designed to help you work with precision.

    Get the Full System: I’ve compiled the Priority Matrix, SMART Goals, and SWOT Analysis into a single, editable EA Strategy Workbook.

    Join the EA Mentor Inner Circle to download the workbook and start making data-driven recommendations that transform your career.

  • Engineering Your Strategy with SWOT

    Engineering Your Strategy with SWOT

    In the executive world, a SWOT analysis is a standard mechanism used to make informed choices for product launches or market entries. For a Temporal Engineer, this tool is a high-level diagnostic for both your career architecture and your Executive’s business landscape.

    To move from a reactive state to a proactive partnership, you must be able to audit the variables around you.

    The Mechanism: The SWOT Framework

    SWOT allows you to categorize any professional situation into four distinct quadrants:

    • Strengths and Weaknesses: These are your internal data points. When auditing your own desk, these are the skills you excel at and the gaps in your technical stack. When auditing a project, these are the resources your team possesses versus the bottlenecks holding you back.
    • Opportunities: These are external factors you can capitalize on, such as a new software rollout that could automate your Executive’s reporting or a networking event that could connect your team with a key vendor.
    • Threats: These are external barriers that could impede progress, such as an upcoming budget cut, a shift in company leadership, or a sudden change in market stability.

    The Alchemist’s Audit: Beyond the Career Pivot

    While many use SWOT for a career pivot—analyzing the risks of moving from a tech giant to a non-profit—active EAs use it daily to stay three steps ahead of the business.

    1. Project Post-Mortems

    After a major board meeting or an offsite, use SWOT to analyze what happened. What were the internal strengths that made it successful? What external threats (like a travel delay or a tech failure) almost derailed it? This data ensures the next event is even more resilient.

    2. Stakeholder Mapping

    If your Executive is entering a difficult negotiation or a cross-functional project, run a SWOT on the opposition or the other departments involved. Understanding their potential weaknesses or the external threats they are facing allows you to help your Executive prepare a more effective strategy.

    3. The Annual Performance Review

    Instead of just listing your tasks from the year, present a SWOT analysis of your role. Show your Executive that you understand the opportunities for growth in the department and that you have identified the threats to their time. This moves the conversation from “what you did” to “how you think.”

    Install the Full Strategy

    This series has explored the foundational tools every strategic partner needs to master:

    1. The Priority Matrix: To filter the noise of daily emergencies and focus on what truly moves the needle.
    2. SMART Goals: To architect specific, measurable outcomes with clear deadlines.
    3. SWOT Analysis: To make informed, high-stakes decisions for your projects and your career.

    Get the Strategy Workbook

    I’ve compiled the templates for all three mechanisms—the Priority Matrix, SMART Goals, and SWOT Analysis—into a single, comprehensive EA Strategy Workbook.

    Join the EA Mentor Inner Circle to download the workbook and start transforming your professional data into a strategic partnership.

  • Engineering the Entry-Level EA: The Core Operational Mechanisms

    Engineering the Entry-Level EA: The Core Operational Mechanisms

    A standard job description often makes the Executive Assistant role sound tactical and simple. In reality, the role is a complex series of interconnected systems that require a high degree of technical and emotional intelligence to manage.

    Whether you are looking to enter the profession or want to educate your team on what you actually do, here is the blueprint for the entry-level EA skillset.

    1. The Trust Mechanism (The Foundation)

    Trust is the primary system upon which all other EA functions rely. Without it, you cannot be an effective partner.

    • System Integrity: Avoid gossip and stick to the facts at all times.
    • Reliability: Under-promise and over-deliver while consistently doing your best work.
    • Confidentiality: As the keeper of sensitive data, you must maintain absolute discretion.

    2. The Calendar & Travel Engine

    Managing time is about more than just booking slots; it is about protecting the executive’s capacity to lead.

    • Burnout Prevention: Proactively manage conflicts and ensure your leader has time for breaks, lunch, and dreaming up the Next Big Thing.
    • Global Logistics: Coordinate complex travel, including international visas, local customs, and specific leader preferences (like avoiding specific airports!).

    3. The Information & Document Pipeline

    An EA acts both as a court reporter and a librarian for the organization’s most important information.

    • Strategic Minutes: Even if you don’t understand the technical jargon at first, listen for action items, owners, and deadlines to keep the team aligned.
    • Digital Architecture: Master word processing, spreadsheets, and collaboration platforms like SharePoint or Google Drive to maintain document control.

    4. Tactical Troubleshooting & Event Management

    EAs are the boots on the ground for office operations.

    • Tech Literacy: Be prepared to troubleshoot everything from printers to the day-to-day apps.
    • Event Coordination: Manage the gears of off-sites and conferences, including catering, AV, and guest lists.
    • Space Management: Effectively manage desk and office assignments while navigating the weirdly possessive feelings people have about their workspace.

    5. The Pulse Monitor (Communication)

    You are often the bridge between the executive and the rest of the organization.

    • Internal Intelligence: Your leader relies on you to understand the pulse of the team—knowing who is dissatisfied or what the common concerns are.
    • Fact-Based Reporting: Share observations with your leader without snitching by focusing strictly on facts rather than emotions.

    The Outcome

    Being an EA is not about running errands or getting coffee—it is about exceeding expectations every day. It is a demanding role that, when engineered correctly, leads to a long and successful career.

    Master the logic. Rule the clock.

  • Engineering the Foundation: Why Trust is the Ultimate Mechanism for EAs

    Engineering the Foundation: Why Trust is the Ultimate Mechanism for EAs

    In any high-performance system, the quality of the output depends entirely on the stability of the foundation. For a Temporal Engineer, that foundation is Trust. While tactical skills like scheduling and scribing are necessary, trust is the strategic mechanism that enables you to operate at peak efficiency.

    Building trust isn’t just about your relationship with your executive; it’s about creating a network of reliability that includes their direct reports, stakeholders, business partners, and your fellow administrative professionals.

    Here is how a high-trust environment functions as a force multiplier for your career.

    The Mechanics of a High-Trust System

    When trust is successfully installed across your professional network, it activates four critical operational benefits:

    • Open Communication: In a high-trust environment, team members feel safe sharing ideas, feedback, and diverse opinions without fear. This leads to superior decision-making because all viewpoints are evaluated openly.
    • Fluid Collaboration: Trust allows team members to prioritize the success of the organization over individual interests. The result is a more productive and efficient work environment where everyone moves toward a common goal.
    • Increased Accountability: When trust exists, peers hold each other accountable for their responsibilities. This creates a culture of ownership where every team member is invested in the final outcome.
    • External Reliability: Trust extends beyond internal teams to clients and customers. When they trust that the business will deliver on its promises, it leads to long-term relationships and increased revenue.

    The High Cost of System Failure

    Losing trust is perhaps the most significant hurdle an EA can face. When the trust mechanism fails, the damage is widespread:

    • Reputational Damage: Your professional standing within the organization is compromised.
    • Operational Workarounds: Coworkers will begin to work around you rather than with you, making your role obsolete.
    • Inefficiency: Your ability to do your job effectively disappears when you are no longer the trusted gatekeeper of information.

    Installing Trust: A Consistent Effort

    Trust is not a one-time task you check off; it is a mechanism that requires constant attention. It requires:

    • Consistency: Being reliable in every interaction over time.
    • Transparency: Communicating honestly and following through on every commitment.
    • Integrity: Having the willingness to admit mistakes and take full responsibility for them.

    The Outcome

    Earning and maintaining trust is the highest priority for any executive assistant aiming to be a strategic partner. By building this foundation, you ensure that every other mechanism in your toolkit—from calendar management to project ownership—operates without friction.

    Master the logic. Rule the clock.

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