One-to-one meetings are often underestimated in their impact. In my 20 years as a C-Suite EA, I quickly learned that those 30 minutes could be the most valuable in my executive’s week, if structured properly, says Sarah Howson, Director, Strategic PA Network & Strategic PA Recruitment, and a speaker at this year’s PA Life Summit, shares her experiences…
When I reflect on my career, the most powerful partnerships I built with leaders didn’t hinge on the big presentations, the board meetings or the investor roadshows. They hinged on the weekly one-to-one. That was where I could really influence priorities, raise red flags before they became crises and create the breathing space my executives needed to think.
Now, working with assistants and business leaders through Strategic PA Recruitment and Strategic PA Network, I see the same pattern. Strong one-to-ones are the heartbeat of a high-performing partnership. They are where trust is built, where alignment happens and where you move from “support” to “strategic partner.”
I share these four pieces of advice on mastering one-to-ones with every assistant I coach:
- Come prepared… but prioritise!
Prioritisation shows respect for your leader’s time and demonstrates judgment.
I always used to prepare a “must discuss” list and a “nice to cover” list. If the meeting overran, I knew I’d secured the essentials. This simple system avoided overwhelm and gave my executive confidence that I had thought through what mattered most.
- Think beyond logistics… communication is key!
Yes, you’ll need to talk diaries and deadlines – but the real value comes from being the eyes and ears of the business. What are you noticing in the team? Who’s disengaged? What projects are at risk? Bring insight to the table, not just updates.
Assistants are in a unique position: we see everything. We hear the mood in the corridor, we notice the eye rolls in meetings, we pick up the subtle signals. The best executives don’t just rely on their assistants to organise their lives; they rely on them to connect the dots others miss. When you bring those insights to a one-to-one, you elevate the conversation from logistics to leadership.
- Protect the space… set the rhythm with intent!
One-to-ones are often the first thing to be cancelled. Don’t let them slide. Treat them as sacred time where you and your executive align, reset and plan.
Protecting that time shows confidence in your role and signals to the wider team that your contribution matters. If your executive cancels, then push to reschedule – not because you want more of their time, but because the partnership needs it. In my experience, once a rhythm is set, executives come to rely on it. Many of mine admitted they felt “off balance” if they missed that weekly touchpoint. Be flexible, be creative, sometimes it’s those short moments where you can still get what you need. Be clever with time.
- Make feedback a two-way street… build it in to your one-to-ones!
One-to-ones aren’t just about giving updates — they’re also a chance to ask the right questions. What’s working in how I support you? Are there areas I can adjust? What’s on your mind right now?
These questions give you a bigger-picture view of priorities and help you adapt in real time. Feedback is how trust deepens. It also stops small frustrations from growing into big ones. In my own partnerships, asking for feedback regularly built a rhythm of openness and meant there were no surprises.
Think of feedback not as criticism but as course correction. Executives are often moving at such pace they don’t stop to reflect. A well-placed question from an EA can bring clarity not just for you, but for them too.
A strategic EA knows how to master one-to-ones
When assistants master this, one-to-ones become transformational. They prevent fires, drive clarity, and create space for leaders to lead. Most importantly, they elevate the assistant’s role to its rightful place… at the centre of organisational effectiveness.
For me, one-to-ones aren’t ‘admin meetings’. They are strategic. They are where trust is built, where alignment is found, and where an assistant demonstrates the edge they bring – not just to their executive, but to the whole organisation.
If you take nothing else from this article, take this: you need to own the one-to-one. Protect it, prepare for it and use it as your space to step into the role of strategic partner. That’s the EA’s strategic edge.
