Becoming an Executive Personal Assistant

Develop skills to support executives as a personal assistant by adapting to management styles, communicating in written, verbal and nonverbal forms, and managing time, meetings, and gatekeeping calls.

Adapt your communication and work style to your manager's needs to build a productive, amiable relationship. Navigate common styles, including authoritative, pessimistic, and micromanaging, by asking questions and delivering updates.

Develop administrative soft skills by building social intelligence, empathy, and active listening to improve workplace relationships, plus basic business acumen, planning, and scheduling.

Master effective time management and calendar management by syncing personal and professional calendars, scheduling recurring meetings, travel time, and daily tasks, while using reminders and the urgent important matrix.

Master the tools of the trade, from office machinery to email etiquette and basic computer skills, and develop professional communication, proofreading, and formatting for executive assistants.

Adapt to changing technology and social conventions in tools of the trade to excel as an executive assistant. Master phone and voicemail etiquette, concise professional communications, and effective word processing.

Master gatekeeping by filtering information, safeguarding your manager's time, and saying no when necessary. Learn to recognize tricks, handle difficult people with assertive communication, and apply strategies to prevent distractions.

Prioritize your workload with the urgent and important matrix, in four tiers, to boost efficiency; set smart goals, plan daily, declutter, and balance work with life.

Develop strict confidentiality practices by handling confidential information with discretion, avoiding leaks, and applying data security steps such as updating software, strong passwords, and file encryption.

Master the five steps of project management—start, plan, execute, manage, end—plus risk analysis and resource planning, then tackle trade shows, client interactions, and social media management.

Review and update your action plan to guide your progress across days, weeks, months, and years, applying time management, effective communication, anticipating needs, office machinery and skills, and organizational skills.