There has been much debate recently about what it means for an assistant to call themselves a strategic business partner or administrative business partner. Is it just a shiny title?
To me, when organisations take time to truly understand how to utilise assistants in this way, the impact is transformative and it can represent a true evolution of the role.
A strategic business partner’s role is twofold:
1. Strategically managing your executive by anticipating needs, solving problems, and helping them execute effectively.
2. Understanding their goals and the organisation’s strategy well enough to free them up for their most valuable work, creating measurable ROI for the business.
Let’s look at solid, practical ways assistants acting as strategic or administrative business partners can add value:
1. Leaders often excel at big-picture strategy but struggle with implementation. Assistants, skilled in process and execution, can:
• Break down strategic goals into actionable tasks and timelines.
• Track milestones and ensure accountability.
• Act as a sounding board to refine and clarify priorities.
2. Alignment is critical for successful execution, and assistants excel at communication. They can:
• Create executive summaries or visual roadmaps that clearly outline priorities.
• Monitor team feedback and relay key insights to their leader.
• Organise strategy-focused meetings and follow-ups to ensure alignment between the executive’s vision and team actions.
3. Execution often falters without a system of accountability. Assistants can:
• Implement tracking systems to monitor progress on initiatives.
• Use tools like dashboards or KPIs to give leaders clear visibility into execution.
• Regularly check in with stakeholders to keep projects on track.
4. Executives often get bogged down in operational minutiae, losing sight of strategy. Assistants can:
• Shield their time by managing administrative and operational details.
• Prioritise tasks and filter information so their focus stays on high-value activities.
• Anticipate roadblocks and propose solutions proactively.
5. Strong execution requires timely, data-driven decisions. Assistants can:
• Prepare briefs summarising key data and options.
• Conduct research or gather insights to help leaders balance strategic and operational trade-offs.
• Provide perspectives that connect administrative details with overarching business goals.
Assistants acting as strategic business partners are far more than support staff; they are enablers of strategy and execution. Their ability to bridge the gap between vision and action makes them indispensable to organisational success.
Being a strategic business partner is not just a title; it’s transformative. Assistants bridge strategy and execution by aligning goals, driving accountability, protecting leaders’ focus, and ensuring decisions are informed. And most importantly for the future of the role, they create clear ROI for their organisations.
