Being more โstrategicโ in your role as an Executive Assistant and Personal Assistant is something the team at Your Excellency actively encourages for the profession. We believe the most successful EAs and PAs can fully support leadership through a grasp of business strategy that is applied practically and consistently.ย
Joshua Taylor, lead facilitator for Your Excellencyโs Mini MBA Programme comments โMy interpretation of being more โstrategicโ is about being good at thinking ahead and understanding the why behind your actions.ย For an EA and PA, you need to align your work with your Executiveโs goals and the wider business directionโ.
Why being strategic benefits you, your executive(s) and your organisation
The benefits are numerous, including:
- Boosting your visibility: You move from โtask doerโ to โtrusted business partnerโ.ย We believe that with the right skills, capabilities and knowledge, every PA has the potential to be a contributor and player and not just a supporter of organisational success.
- Elevating confidence and credibility: You gain real confidence and gain recognition through credentials and strategic know-how.
- Supercharging impact: Understanding and using strategic frameworks (stakeholder maps, business plans, SWOTs, budgets) means that you can contribute bigger-picture value.
We’ve listed out top ten tips to think – and act – strategically.
Hereโs how you can elevate your position and become more strategic in your EA/PA role:
- Understand the business strategy: Invest time in grasping your organisationโs vision, mission and goals. Understand how your role fits within your organisationโs structure and acknowledge your contribution as an integral and crucial element of organisational success.
- Ask โwhy?โ: Whenever youโre tasked with a project or a request lands on your desk, dig deeper. Understanding the reason behind a task and the value it will add helps you prioritise and align your actions.
- Plan ahead: Create roadmaps for projects, take an extra step to anticipate upcoming needs, meetings or events.
- Prioritise like a pro: Use frameworks like SWOT or PESTLE, not just for business, but to organise and assess your own tasks and workflow.
- Map and effectively engage your stakeholders: Know who matters and why. Build relationships with people who influence decisions and information flow.
- Speak up: As highlighted in a recent โFinding your Voiceโ article, authentic communication and sharing ideas are powerful strategic tools.
- Understand the jargon: Every department in your organisation has their own jargon. Understanding the jargon and terminology is an important step to thinking and being more strategic.
- Reflect & reassess: After meetings or tasks, pause to think: what went well? What could you adjust next time for more strategic impact?
- Invest in your CPD (Continual Professional Development)
Expand your knowledge by joining specialist training Programmes like our Mini MBA for Senior & Executive Assistants. - Expand your network: Learn from peers through training, workshops, group sessions and joining in on discussions.
The bottom line:ย
When you become more strategic, you enhance and elevate your position and you deepen your contribution to the success of your executive, team and organisation.
How Your Excellency can help EAs and PAs to become more โStrategicโ
Bookings are now open for our accredited Mini MBA for Senior & Executive Assistants Programme September Cohort.ย We’re proud that our Programme helps professionals across the world gain confidence in their strategic know-how so they can excel in their roles.
With the learning gained from The Mini MBA Programme, Your Excellency Graduate Megan Stiles commented
โI was able to help the Board of Directors develop our business plan for this year – something I wasn’t even expecting to be able to do.โ.
Megan says the Programme has โbenefited me in more ways than I even imagined.”
Our advice to you is :
Start small.
Think big.
Build your strategic mindsetโฆ
โฆand if youโre interested in joining the next Cohort of our Mini MBA Programme, contact us today at success@yourexcellency.co.uk.
PA Life Club members benefit from discounts on Your Excellency training programmes under our Partner Offers.
