When a CEO transition prompted someone to suggest an EA should “go with the pharaoh,” it revealed the persistence of a dangerous mindset: that assistants are disposable. In reality, assistants are infrastructure — holding institutional memory, guarding relationships, and ensuring continuity no handover can replicate. With AI accelerating change, organisations that still view assistants as replaceable risk burning out leaders, losing knowledge, and undermining business performance. It’s time to end the stereotype and start recognising assistants as critical strategic assets.
Category: AI & Automation
Administration Isn’t Dying — It’s Evolving Into Strategic Partnership
AI will take the clerical tasks, but that’s not the death of the administrative profession — it’s the rebirth of it. Assistants have long been operating at a strategic level: translating ideas into action, safeguarding client relationships, and enabling leadership. The fastest-growing skills for assistants are project management, data analysis, financial literacy, and change management — not clerical, but business-critical. The risk isn’t AI, it’s outdated perception. Recognise assistants as strategic partners, and you’ll unlock one of the most cost-effective assets in the business.
From Firefighting to Foresight: Why Scenario Planning Elevates Assistants into True Business Partners
Assistants don’t just manage diaries — they keep businesses steady when disruption strikes. From cancelled trains to failing tech, scenario planning is the underrated skill that turns chaos into continuity. AI can schedule, but it can’t improvise. Strategic assistants map out Plan B (and C) before the crisis even hits — and that’s what makes them indispensable.
Why “Task-Based” Assistant Roles Are Disappearing — And What’s Replacing Them
AI is transforming the assistant profession faster than many realise, automating repetitive tasks like scheduling, travel booking, and inbox management. The future belongs to those who adapt — aligning with strategic goals, leveraging AI as a partner, and focusing on uniquely human skills like judgment and foresight. The choice isn’t between “strategic” and “task-based” anymore — it’s between staying relevant or being left behind.
Executive Assistants Aren’t Just Supporting Projects—They’re Leading Them
68% of administrative professionals are already driving cross-functional initiatives—but their contributions are often mislabeled as “helping out.” It’s time to call it what it is: project management. With communication skills, operational precision, and strategic oversight, Executive Assistants are quietly delivering business-critical outcomes. If companies want more efficient, agile project delivery, they should start by recognising the project managers already in the building.
The Formula for an Exceptional Executive Assistant: Beyond the Job Description
What truly sets world-class Executive Assistants apart? It’s not just their skills—it’s their strategic mindset, emotional intelligence, and adaptability to technology. In this article, we introduce a modern formula that defines the full impact of the role:
EA = (S + T + P + EQ + AI) × V.
More than a clever equation, it’s a framework for understanding how today’s assistants aren’t just supporting the business—they’re multiplying its value.
Why Are Administrative Professionals Being Left Out of the AI Conversation?
Despite being early adopters of AI tools, most administrative professionals are navigating this shift without support, strategy, or inclusion in company-wide plans. With CEOs banking on AI to drive profitability, it’s time to stop excluding assistants from digital transformation and start recognising their role as strategic operators, not just support staff.
Executive Assistants Are Already Strategic – stop Pigeonholing the Role
Despite persistent myths, Executive Assistants are not just tactical support — they’re already playing strategic roles in high-performing companies. With AI automating logistical tasks, EAs are shifting toward project management, data analysis, and internal communications. It’s time we stop reducing them to booking systems and start recognising their true value as strategic partners.
How AI Is Empowering Executive Assistants to Lead the Future of Work
New research from MIT and IBM reveals that AI won’t replace Executive Assistants — it will transform their roles. By automating routine tasks, AI frees EAs to focus on strategic planning, decision support, and relationship-building. The future is a powerful partnership between human insight and technology, where assistants become indispensable strategic advisors.
EA vs. Chief of Staff: Stop Framing One as a Stepping Stone to the Other
Executive Assistants and Chiefs of Staff may work closely with leaders, but they solve entirely different problems. It’s time to stop treating one as a rung below the other — and start building true career progression within the assistant profession.