Key Takeaways: Managing EAs
Managing EAs:
- If you have never been in a supporting/administrative role before the goal is less about understanding their exact day to day and more about being a partner to help them succeed.
Preparing for an EA to join the team:
- Before an EA joins the team for the first time, it is helpful to spend some time working with your to do list and re-identifying items that they can take off your plate (as a CoS or as an Exec)
- Start a playbook - What does being an EA at X Company mean?
- These aren't the tactical tasks they do. It is more about the goals and larger expectations for the role
- With a CoS and EA, it is often helpful to brand the team as Office of the (Exec)
- When working within an ‘office’ structure it is important to clearly define each role and understand where you complement each other.
**Question Bank for Team Meetings or 1:1s: **
- What are you hearing around the org?
- What do you need from me?
- How can I best support you?
- Do you have the right tools and resources?
- How can we all help each other?
- What has been the most helpful to you in your role?
- What blockers are you having?
- What is not working? (In your role, or in your department)
Possible Meeting Structures:
- Daily stand ups for 15 minutes with Office of [Exec]
- Beginning and End of week check ins with Office of [Exec]
- Weekly Stand ups with Office of [Exec]
Reporting Structures:
- Many EAs prefer to report directly to their exec to build that partnership. However, they still like to be a team and meet regularly with other EAs in the org to thought-partner and build a community.
- If the exec isn’t going to be handling the performance management and career pathing portion for the EA, that might be when they report into a different person, such as a CoS or a centralized function.