You didn’t hire an Executive Assistant just to check things off a list. You hired one because your time is limited, the stakes are high, and you need to stay focused on the work that moves your business forward.
But if you’re still approving every calendar invite, replying to every email, or digging through folders to find the right version of a file, then you’re not just underutilizing your EA; you’re limiting your own impact.
A strategic EA isn’t there to lighten your load. They’re there to extend your reach. Here’s how to fully leverage the partnership.
1. Make Your Inbox Work for You
Your inbox is not just a communications tool. It is a map of what and who takes up your attention.
Start here:
- Unsubscribe from unread newsletters and irrelevant threads
- Organize folders by priority, sender, or action needed
- Build response templates for routine requests
Level it up:
- Create a quarterly inbox audit: trends, time to response, repeat senders
- Ask your EA to pre-draft key messages like holiday notes or speaking invitations
- Build a voice and tone guide using past emails so your EA can write in your style
Super Advanced Tip:
Have your EA use natural language processing tools like ChatGPT to categorize emails by emotion or urgency. This lets you respond to what needs your energy most, not just what came in first.
Try this: Forward three low-value emails to your EA and ask, “What system could keep emails like these off my plate?”
2. Take Back Your Time From Your Calendar
Your calendar should reflect your priorities, not your reactivity.
Start here:
- Standardize meeting formats and add prep or decompression buffers
- Remove calendar clutter from outdated recurring meetings
- Add relevant links or documents to calendar events
Level it up:
- Request a monthly calendar audit: time spent by category and effectiveness of meetings
- Set boundaries like no-meeting blocks or fixed hours for internal vs external work
- Build rules for what gets booked and what doesn’t
Super Advanced Tip:
Have your EA assign a “strategic value score” to each meeting based on impact, decision velocity, or opportunity creation. Use this to decide which meetings to cut or elevate.
Try this: Ask your EA to reclaim two hours from your week. Let them pitch what to cancel, condense, or automate.
3. Treat Your Files Like Business Assets
Time spent searching for documents adds up to hours lost each month.
Start here:
- Rename folders for clarity and consistency
- Archive outdated drafts and duplicates
- Standardize formats for agendas, decks, and briefs
Level it up:
- Create a shared index of past strategies, wins, and lessons learned
- Turn recurring workflows into reusable templates
- Benchmark your assets against best-in-class external examples
Super Advanced Tip:
Ask your EA to build an internal knowledge library where every strategic decision or project is logged with context, outcome, and key files. This becomes your institutional memory, especially valuable when onboarding new team members.
Try this: Choose one repeatable process and ask your EA to turn it into a plug-and-play toolkit.
4. Make Travel Feel Effortless
Great travel systems protect your time and energy, not just your itinerary.
Start here:
- Keep a preferences doc with seat choices, loyalty programs, and dietary needs
- Draft reusable packing lists for each type of trip
- Track loyalty numbers and upgrade thresholds
Level it up:
- Create a “cheat sheet” with itinerary, contacts, weather, and restaurant options
- Let your EA manage group bookings, cancellations, and reimbursements
- Spot frequent routes or needs and negotiate better rates
Super Advanced Tip:
Have your EA document every friction point from your last three trips and build a preflight checklist and recovery protocol, including recovery blocks, meal plans, and decompression windows.
Try this: Ask your EA to create a one-page itinerary that can be digested in 15 seconds flat.
5. Build a Reputation That Reflects Your Impact
Your visibility shouldn’t depend on how much time you spend online.
Start here:
- Refresh bios, headshots, and links across platforms
- Maintain a clean press kit with up-to-date materials
- Keep track of your mentions and shares
Level it up:
- Let your EA propose content ideas based on your recent work or conversations
- Track your peers’ media placements and visibility patterns
- Explore award nominations and speaking opportunities that fit your goals
Super Advanced Tip:
Create a “thought leadership calendar” with pre-scheduled content aligned to product launches, milestones, or seasonal trends. Let your EA manage the rhythm and prep the materials.
Try this: Name one project you’re proud of. Ask your EA to draft a post you’d actually want to share.
6. Use Your EA as an Early Warning System
Most executives miss this. Your EA sees the temperature of the team before you do.
Start here:
- Track birthdays, wins, and anniversaries to build trust and morale
- Standardize onboarding and offboarding for a smoother team experience
- Declutter communication channels for easier collaboration
Level it up:
- Ask for light pulse checks on morale or communication breakdowns
- Build a library of learning tools for ongoing team development
- Keep a running log of wins and kudos for team-wide recognition
Super Advanced Tip:
Have your EA build a “Team Intel Tracker” that captures tone shifts in meetings, delayed responses, and rising stars. This gives you a backchannel view of team dynamics before issues escalate.
Try this: Ask for a “Team Wins” digest before your next all-hands to spotlight what matters.
Bonus: Measure the ROI of Delegation
What you don’t track, you can’t grow.
Once a quarter, review:
- What’s fully off your plate?
- Where are you still the bottleneck?
- How much time has been reclaimed?
- What did you do with that time?
Super Advanced Tip:
Build a Delegation ROI Dashboard that tracks tasks handed off, hours saved, and business outcomes tied to that extra bandwidth. Use it to make decisions about how to scale your EA’s role.
Bottom Line
A strategic EA does not just keep you afloat. They make it possible for you to operate at your highest level. When you share context, give trust, and invite partnership, you don’t just get support. You get a multiplier.
