What 30+ Years as an Executive Taught Me About Great Executive Assistants

Over more than 30 years as an executive, I had the privilege of working with many Executive Assistants.

Some supported me directly. Others supported fellow directors, CEOs, board members and senior executives. I watched them operate in different organisations, industries and cultures, and over the years I came to appreciate something that I don't believe is discussed nearly enough.

The best Executive Assistants were never simply efficient. They made executives more effective. Looking back, I realised there was a clear difference between a good EA and a truly exceptional one.

• A good EA could manage a diary — a great EA understood why the diary mattered.

• A good EA could arrange meetings — a great EA understood which meetings should happen, which could wait and which should never reach the executive in the first place.

• A good EA could pass on information — a great EA turned information into insight.

• A good EA completed tasks — a great EA exercised judgement.

That is the difference between administrative support and strategic support.

Throughout my career, I saw outstanding Executive Assistants display the same qualities time and time again.

They Solved Problems Before They Became Problems

One of the best assistants I worked with rarely came to me with a problem. Instead, they came with a recommendation.

If a client wanted to move a meeting, they had already checked my diary, considered the impact on everyone attending, reviewed travel arrangements, spoken to the client and identified the least disruptive solution.

My involvement was simply approving the recommendation. That saved minutes. More importantly, it saved mental energy.

The best EAs consistently:

• Assessed situations before escalating them.

• Considered several options before making a recommendation.

• Solved what they could without unnecessary executive involvement.

• Understood when a decision genuinely required executive input.

They Protected My Time

One lesson I learned very early is that an executive's diary is not a schedule.

It is an investment portfolio. Every hour should generate value.

The best Executive Assistants understood that instinctively. They challenged unnecessary meetings, questioned poor use of time and protected thinking space just as fiercely as they protected customer meetings.

Sometimes they would ask me a simple question.

"Does this meeting actually need you?"

Quite often, the answer was no.

Great EAs protected executive capacity by:

• Distinguishing between urgent and important.

• Redirecting work to the right level.

• Protecting uninterrupted thinking time.

• Preventing diary clutter.

• Understanding the executive's priorities, not simply their availability.

They Filtered Information, Not Just Emails

Executives receive information all day. What they need is clarity.

One assistant had an excellent habit. Every morning I received a concise briefing.

• Not dozens of emails.

• Not pages of attachments.

• Just the information I needed to start the day.

• Three issues requiring decisions.

• Several matters already resolved.

• Potential risks highlighted.

• Key conversations anticipated.

Within five minutes I understood where my attention was needed.

Great EAs don't become communication channels. They become intelligence filters. They:

• Summarise rather than simply forward.

• Highlight risks early.

• Identify decisions that cannot wait.

• Remove unnecessary noise.

• Give executives context instead of volume.

They Understood the Business

The strongest Executive Assistants were curious.

• They wanted to understand why decisions were being made.

• They learned about customers.

• They understood commercial priorities.

• They knew which projects mattered most.

• They followed industry developments.

As a result, conversations with them were different. They understood context. That meant they could anticipate needs instead of waiting for instructions.

The best EAs:

• Understood organisational priorities.

• Learned the language of the business.

• Appreciated commercial pressures.

• Recognised strategic objectives.

• Connected seemingly unrelated issues.

That knowledge made every decision they supported better.

They Represented the Executive

An Executive Assistant is often the first interaction people have with a senior leader.

I don't think enough executives appreciate how much of their reputation is built by someone else.

The best EAs represented the executive exactly as they would have wished to represent themselves.

• Clients felt valued.

• Employees felt respected.

• Suppliers felt listened to.

• Problems were acknowledged quickly.

• People frequently complimented me on being responsive.

The reality? Much of that credit belonged to my Executive Assistant.

Outstanding EAs consistently:

• Built trust with stakeholders.

• Communicated professionally.

• Managed expectations.

• Protected relationships.

• Reinforced the executive's credibility.

They Had the Confidence to Challenge

This may surprise some people. The very best Executive Assistants occasionally disagreed with me.

• Respectfully.

• Professionally.

• Constructively.

I remember preparing to accept a hospitality invitation that seemed like a good opportunity and a nice day out.

Before replying, my EA simply asked: "Does this actually support what we're trying to achieve this quarter?"

It was a fair question. The answer was no. I declined.

That conversation probably saved several days of preparation and travel.

Great Executive Assistants understand that supporting an executive does not always mean agreeing with them. It means helping them make better decisions.

They:

• Asked thoughtful questions.

• Challenged assumptions respectfully.

• Offered alternative perspectives.

• Focused on organisational priorities.

• Built trust through honest conversations.

The Common Thread

Looking back over three decades, I realised that the best Executive Assistants all had one thing in common. They created confidence.

• Confidence that priorities were understood.

• Confidence that stakeholders were being looked after.

• Confidence that problems were being solved.

• Confidence that important issues would never be missed.

• Confidence that my time was being invested where it created the greatest value.

That confidence allowed me to focus on leading.

My Biggest Lesson

People often ask me what executives really want from an Executive Assistant. After more than 30 years, my answer is remarkably simple.

• We don't need someone to just manage our diary.

• We need someone who understands our objectives.

• We don't need someone who simply completes tasks.

• We need someone who exercises judgement.

• We don't need someone who tells us everything.

• We need someone who knows what matters.

That is why I have always believed the phrase strategic Executive Assistant has been misunderstood. Being strategic has never meant becoming the strategist.

It has always meant understanding the executive, the business, the strategy and the wider organisation well enough to make leadership more effective.

In my experience, that has always been the hallmark of a truly great Executive Assistant.

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About the Author: Richard Arnott, BA, FInstAM, FIToL, is a Director of BMTG (UK) Ltd, and the author and lead presenter of the ground-breaking, globally recognized Advanced Certificate for the Executive Assistant: ACEA® program. Richard also sits on the editorial board of Lucy Brazier OBE's Executive Support Magazine.