If your career check-ins never include your goals, your growth, or your aspirations—then it’s not development, it’s deployment. Assistants deserve more than support plans. They deserve progression plans. Don’t wait to be asked.
If your career check-ins never include your goals, your growth, or your aspirations—then it’s not development, it’s deployment. Assistants deserve more than support plans. They deserve progression plans. Don’t wait to be asked.
When new leaders bring in their own assistants, it may seem efficient—but it reveals a deeper issue. Executive Assistants are not personal extensions of leadership; they’re strategic roles within the organisation. Tying them to individuals instead of business infrastructure undermines careers and perpetuates outdated thinking.
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.
Piers Morgan’s heartfelt tribute to his assistant of 20 years, Tracey Chapman, is a rare and powerful acknowledgment of the unseen brilliance behind a high-performing life. It’s time we recognised the assistants who don’t just support success — they sustain it.
If assistants are being forced to fight for access, respect, or basic development opportunities, the problem isn’t them — it’s the system. It’s time to stop normalising exclusion and start recognising assistants as the strategic partners they are.
What message are we sending when high-performing assistants are told the only way to earn more is to leave the work they love? This isn’t about lack of impact — it’s about lack of recognition. It’s time to change the system so excellence doesn’t lead to a dead end.
Your worth isn’t defined by applause or permission. As an assistant, your impact is real — even when it’s behind the scenes. Stop waiting for validation. Celebrate your wins. Set boundaries. Own your expertise. Because the work you do is exceptional — and so are you.