Understanding Best Practice for EAs

When we talk about "best practice," it’s easy to think there’s one golden rule that applies to every situation. A magic formula that guarantees success every time. But, in my experience, especially as an EA, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Best practice isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. It’s about being flexible, understanding your environment, and adapting strategies to suit the unique relationship you have with your executive and the business you’re supporting.

Why Best Practices Are Not the Same for Everyone

Let’s start with why there’s no such thing as a "one best practice fits all." 

EAs are vital to their executive's success. Our job is not only to make sure the trains run on time but to ensure our executive is positioned to be their most effective self. And the reality is, all executives are different. Their needs, preferences and ways of working vary. Some executives work best with a structured schedule, while others prefer flexibility. Some want constant updates, while others value fewer interruptions.

This is why best practice, for me, is all about having a number of techniques that you can draw from and apply depending on the situation or role. A best practice that works beautifully for one EA-Executive partnership may not work at all for another. The beauty of being an EA is that we can see and understand what method will work best for our executive.

So, when I talk about best practices throughout this article and the ones to come, what I really mean is the approach that allows you to be at your best in your role today. It’s about what works in the moment, based on who you’re working with, the company’s culture, and how you and your executive function as a team.

Best Practice Is Fluid or Flexible

One key thing I want you to remember is that best practice is fluid. What worked for you last year might not work for you today, and that’s okay! 

EAs must continually fine tune their approach, adapting to new tools, new expectations and changes in the business you are in. You might have a rock-solid method for managing an inbox today, but as technology evolves and your executive’s role changes, you may find yourself needing to tweak that method to stay ahead.

Take email management, for instance. You might have started your role using a system where you categorised emails and flagged the urgent ones manually. But as the pace of your executive’s work increased, you might have realised that approach was slowing you down. So, you set up filters and rules within the inbox, allowing some tasks to be automated, saving you hours each week. That’s what best practice looks like – it’s finding efficiencies that make your life easier and your executive’s workload smoother, but it also changes as the role evolves.

The Power of Personalisation in Best Practice

For me, best practice is about developing personalised methods that streamline both your work and your executive's day. It’s about creating a system tailored to how you both function, individually and as a team. For example, if your executive is most productive in the morning, you can schedule important meetings during that time. Or if they prefer to review documents in the afternoon, you can align high-priority tasks accordingly. What truly works best is what complements their natural workflow, and your role as an EA is to find and enhance that balance.

In this context, best practice is about ongoing personalisation. It’s about knowing when to step in, when to anticipate needs, and how to stay ahead of the curve without overstepping. Personalisation becomes the key to creating an effective, seamless partnership that supports both you and your executive's success.

How Best Practice Is Different from a Process

Now, let’s clear up the difference between process and best practice. A process is your handbook, your step-by-step guide for completing a task. Think of it as your safety net that ensures tasks get done in a consistent way. For example, booking travel might involve checking your executive’s preferences, confirming availability, and securing flights and accommodation in a certain order. That’s your process – it’s the mechanics of how things get done.

But best practice goes a step beyond that. It’s not just about following the steps but about optimising those steps. It’s asking, "What’s the smartest way to handle this task?" Maybe, instead of booking travel manually each time, you’ve found a travel platform that does most of the work for you, or you’ve established a go-to list of hotels and airlines that your executive prefers, making the process quicker and smoother. Best practice isn’t just about getting things done; it’s about doing them in a way that maximises efficiency and minimising errors.

Best Practice in Soft Skills

Best practice isn’t just about mastering hard skills like managing calendars or organising travel. Soft skills - how you communicate, manage your time, and build relationships—are equally important. In fact, I believe these are often the qualities that set exceptional EAs from the rest.

Take communication, for instance. There's no one best way to communicate with your executive. Some executives prefer detailed emails, while others may opt for a quick text message or phone call. It’s your responsibility to discover what works best for them. The same goes for building rapport. Some executives appreciate a friendly, casual tone, while others lean towards a more formal, professional style. Best practice in soft skills means being adaptable, attentive, and customising your approach to fit your executive’s preferences.

Why Best Practice Matters

So why is best practice such a big deal for EAs?

Simply put, it’s the difference between being reactive and proactive. A process might keep things running, but best practice ensures you’re adding real value. When you’re operating at the level of best practice, you’re not just completing tasks. You’re streamlining operations, solving problems before they arise and making your executive’s life easier in ways they might not even notice but will definitely appreciate.

Let’s look at time management as another example. Your process for managing the executive’s schedule might involve confirming appointments, checking for conflicts, and sending reminders. But a best practice might include blocking out time for last-minute emergencies or strategically placing “buffer” time between meetings to ensure they’re not rushed from one event to the next. Best practice adds that extra layer of thoughtfulness that keeps your executive operating at their best.

Continuous Improvement and Staying Ahead

One of the key elements of best practice is the idea of continuous improvement. As EAs, we can’t afford to get complacent. What worked a year ago might not work as well today, especially as technology evolves, company priorities shift, or your executive’s role changes. The best EAs are always looking for ways to refine their processes, streamline their workflows, and adopt new strategies that keep them ahead of the curve.

For example, if you’re managing team meetings you might develop a standardised template for agendas to help keep meetings focused, and implementing a consistent method for tracking action items and deadlines can enhance accountability and ensure that follow ups are timely and completed prior to the next meeting. 

Best practice is your secret weapon as an EA. It’s not about having one rigid way of doing things; it’s about staying flexible, continuously improving, and finding those little tweaks that make your work smoother, more effective, and ultimately more impactful. You’re not just ticking off tasks; you’re elevating your role and delivering real value to your executive and the business.

Nina 🌻