Should an Executive Assistant be part of the leadership team?

Of course, our knee-jerk reaction is a resounding, “Yes!” But, we do understand there are various nuances to consider. However, an Executive Assistant or Executive Business Partner is more effective when they are allowed in the Inner Circle.

Do not keep your assistant on the periphery, assigning tasks that have no context or meaning. Executive Assistants will be far more invested in their Principal’s success when they are a part of the entire process, and eventually part of the big decisions or even making decisions on their leader’s behalf.

When you bring an Executive Assistant into the inner circle (i.e. the leadership team), everyone wins.

Welcome to this week's episode of the Foundry in the Force Multiplier podcast, where we explore how founders and leaders work together with their right hand partners to turn ideas into action and build wildly successful businesses.

Today we are going to talk about and answer the question should an executive assistant be part of the leadership team? So I find it really interesting that on most organizational charts the executive assistant and or the chief of staff are always kind of hanging out on the side by themselves. They don't necessarily have any direct reports, nor are they any part of any one business function, that is, except for the function of handling the executive's business. I do know that that is changing a little bit and in some organizations these force multiplier positions do run administrative teams or they manage the office of the CEO, and sometimes chiefs of staff have their own kind of support teams. So a lot of companies the executive assistant position is more siloed, with the primary interaction being with their principal. Regardless of how these roles show up in the company, one question that always emerges with my EA and executive business partner clients is should an executive assistant be part of the leadership team? So I wish there was just a cut and dry answer to this question and, of course, my knee jerk reaction is a resounding yes, but I do understand that there are various nuances to consider. I will, however, say this An executive assistant or executive business partner is more effective when they know what their leader knows, when they know how they think, how they solve problems and what they have decided and promised so that they can follow up and deliver. For the leaders who are listening to this, or any of the force multipliers who want to share this with their leader, leaders, do not keep your assistant on the periphery, assigning tasks that have no context or meaning. I have found that executive assistants will be far more invested in their principal success when they are part of the entire process and eventually part of the big decisions or even making decisions on their leader's behalf.

When you bring an executive assistant into the inner circle, ie the leadership team, everybody wins. Why should executive assistants be part of the leadership team? Well, a better question might be why not? What benefit does it bring to the principal or the company to keep an EA or an EBP from being part of the leadership discussions? Force multipliers are uniquely positioned to identify gaps, connect the dots across various pieces of information, understand the personalities of team members, track action items and follow up, bring solutions to the table, offer strategic input and more. Unless there is an extremely confidential or sensitive issue that your EA cannot be a part of which is rare then you should make sure that your right hand partner is by your side. Furthermore, a lot of information can be lost in translation. If you're on a call as a leader, you're usually immersed in the conversation or making decisions, not necessarily paying attention to the CFO, who seems slightly hesitant about the decision, or considering whether the CMO has the staff to move forward with the deadline that you're hoping for. Your assistant is your eyes and ears in this meeting, observing, taking notes and planning how this information is being tracked, organized, communicated and executed. They help you hold your team accountable for executing the planned and make you aware of anything you may be missing.

If you want to move faster and more effectively as a strategic partnership and as a company, then having your executive assistant involved in leadership team meetings is imperative. So why aren't more executive assistants part of the leadership team? Well, in the past, executive assistants were primarily relegated to the background, handling routine administrative tasks. However, today's executive assistants are business savvy leaders and are not content to sit on the sidelines. They want in on the action. They want to know that what they're doing is a value add to their executive and to the business as a whole, because it is.

If an organization operates with a more traditional and hierarchical view of the executive assistant role, there may be some limiting beliefs about the necessity of including them in a leadership meeting and discussions. This can make it difficult to dispel the perception that executive assistants are primarily there to serve the needs of the senior executives rather than to be an active part of leadership discussions. In order to do this, leaders need to understand that the best way for an assistant to serve the needs is to be part of the leadership discussions. They go hand in hand. In situations like this, the title alone is often the roadblock. An organization may only allow VPs in up into leadership meetings, but a roadblock can give way to a convincing suggestion if it's navigated correctly.

It's time to invite yourself to the table if you haven't already been invited. And if you haven't, don't take it personally. A lot of times it's simply because of the unconscious bias or current perception of the role, like we discussed before. But don't let that stop you. The first step really is just to ask, and don't wait to be asked to go to the leadership team meetings. You know when and where your executive is going to be. You know that the information discussed and the decisions made will likely impact your work directly.

Make the case that you'll be an even more effective EA when you get the information in context firsthand. Let them know that this helps you not only stay on top of things, but will help you'll be able to see around the corners and perhaps even offer information and suggestions that the leadership team didn't even know they needed. At the very least, suggest to your principal that you give it a try and then make sure you deliver. If you're looking for more ways to get your executive and leadership team to share their knowledge and work, you can visit our website, founderenforcedmultipliercom. We'd love to hear from you. Are you an executive assistant or an executive business partner, and how is it framed in your company? Are you considered part of the leadership team? Why or why not?