We often hear that “your network is your net worth,” but the truth goes deeper. Your real network is made up of the people who show up when life gets hard, offer help without being asked, and remind you that you’re not alone.
Category: Strategic Business Partner
The Rise of the Chief of Staff — and What It Means for Executive Assistants
The Financial Times recently spotlighted Chiefs of Staff as “the invisible ones running the world’s biggest companies.” But for many in the administrative profession, that description feels familiar. Senior Executive Assistants have long operated at the intersection of strategy, communication, and leadership — often without the title or recognition. The rise of the Chief of Staff doesn’t replace the EA role; it expands the ecosystem of executive support, redefining partnership at the highest levels.
Should You Ever Consider a “Founder Associate” Role?
There are so many titles floating around our profession that I am loath to add yet another one, but one that keeps catching my attention is “Founder Associate.” It’s being used more and more in start-ups and scale-ups, often described as the founder’s “right hand.” Sound familiar? It should. But here’s the difference. A senior […]
The Rise of the Chief of Staff — And What It Really Means for EAs
The Financial Times has finally spotlighted the Chief of Staff role, but much of what they praise has been the quiet expertise of senior EAs for decades. CoS and EA roles aren’t competitors—they’re partners in the same ecosystem, each driving leadership and business performance in different but complementary ways.
AI Is About to Appear on Your Org Chart
AI is about to appear on your org chart.
It will be recruited and trained.
Given a role description.
Performance managed.
AI isn’t replacing people.
It’s becoming part of the team.
I recently spoke to an HR Director who has already begun this work, mapping exactly what their administrative function will handle, and what AI will. The result looks surprisingly familiar.
They’ve built a role profile for AI that includes:
• Responsibilities – scheduling, drafting, task automation
• KPIs – accuracy, efficiency, compliance
• Training needs – prompts, governance, ethical frameworks
• A human supervisor – the assistant.
That last line is the one that matters.
If AI is now part of the organisational structure, someone has to manage it. Someone has to prompt it well, monitor its accuracy, train it on company language, and ensure the insights it produces are sound.
That someone is you.
The best assistants I know are already acting as AI managers.
They’re building prompt libraries.
They’re training Copilot to understand their executive’s communication style.
They’re defining what should never be automated – the judgement, empathy, and nuance that only a human can bring.
So here’s the real question.
If AI were on your org chart tomorrow, would you know how to write its job description? Would you know what tasks to delegate, what to keep, and what to supervise?
This is the next level of administrative excellence. Learning not just how to use AI, but how to lead it.
Because assistants are about to shift from doing admin to managing admin, and in the future of work, the assistants who thrive will be the ones who know how to manage both people and machines.
Finding Meaning in the “Sand” Days
Not every day can be a big-stone day. Sometimes, we spend our energy on the small, busy tasks — the “sand” — and wonder where the meaning went. But even those days have value. They’re a quiet reset, a way of keeping afloat until your focus and purpose return. Be kind to yourself. You’re still moving forward.