The EA's role of filtering information for their boss

A good Executive Assistant knows how to relay only the most important information to their Executive. Executives usually don't need to know the particulars of which employee is leaving. They only need to know when, how this will affect the bottom line and how the company can go about filling that gap as quickly as possible.

It's up to the EA to make sure that the Executive knows only the most relevant information to their role, according Jan Jones, author of The CEO's Secret Weapon Opens a New Window, a book about what makes a successful EA. Executives are busy people with millions of things on their minds, so it's crucial that the EA doesn't contribute unnecessary noise.

If you ever do observe people in the office, you'll notice how people can communicate with very few words. For example, when an EA tells their boss that their "three o'clock is here," it seems vague. But, in reality, the EA is relying on the Executive to fill in the missing puzzle pieces; the Executive will remember that a client is coming in for a three o'clock appointment and that they're in the waiting room.

This example also exemplifies the importance of immediacy and relevance. If a client is arriving, this would not be the best time to tell your boss that an employee is quitting. It will only stress them out and cause them to lose focus on the most important and urgent task at hand.

How an EA speaks on behalf of their Executive

It's not uncommon for the Executive Assistant to add some extra padding to a message from the Executive. For example, if an Executive is irritated and tells you, as an EA, to relay an angry message, it's up to the EA to sometimes soften the harshness of the message so that your boss doesn't regret it later.

EAs can also just clarify a message if it wasn't clear. In this way, EAs can act as skilled editors for their Executive by discovering the true meaning behind what the Executive has said and making that meaning as clear as it can be.

This is why the EA is called the Executive's "face to the world," according to Jan Jones, the author of the newly released book The CEO's Secret Weapon Opens a New Window. EAs are a representative of the Executive, first and foremost.

Thinking of yourself as a representative of your boss can sometimes help EAs figure out the best way of putting a message. If your Executive is on good terms with a client or employee and they're even friends, you can relay messages a bit more casually. However, if the person is a client or customer that feels slippery in your Executive's grasp, it's a good idea to use all the email etiquette that you have up your sleeve.

It also helps to know your Executive's style of speaking and writing and follow it as closely as possible to avoid any potential problems.

Lastly, a good EA will also know where their Executive struggles most with communication so that they can make up for their weaknesses, according to Melba Duncan, the president of the Duncan Group and author of The New Executive Assistant. Want to send your boss a gentle reminder?

Because your boss is so busy, you'll find that they often forget things. However, sometimes the things they forget are important. In this case, you'll need to learn how to give your boss a gentle, but succinct and effective push so that they can take action.

It's especially important to do so if they're preventing you from doing your job.

Here are some tips to get them to remember the task they're yet to do and to help them get to it as soon as possible: 1. If you have a meeting coming up in the very near future, you can wait to bring up the reminder. This will make it so your boss is in the right head space to receive information and can give you their full attention when you're emphasising the importance of telling them to do that task.

2. You can also CC your boss in an email to other employees if you have people waiting for the boss to take action. This has the effect of updating everyone on the current status of a project while also giving your boss a gentle reminder about an upcoming deadline. They'll see that others are expecting something done by that time.

3. It's useful to give your boss some context when reminding them to do something. They have a million projects, so if you can just trigger their memory by explaining the specific people and the aim of the project, that will certainly help to trigger their memory. However, be as brief as possible when reminding your boss of their duty to do something.

Notice the little things as an EA

Your aim as an Executive Assistant is to become your boss's "right arm," according to etiquette authority and Huffington Post contributing author Diane Gottsman. This means that you have to be very observant of how your boss likes doing things, and try to keep in line with their favoured processes. This is the key to becoming an indispensable EA. You'll need to know what they like and the little things that get on their nerves.

Take for instance a boss that is constantly irritated by Google Calendars not updating the time of a meeting to their own time zone. Once you hear your boss complain about this once, it's up to you to fix the Calendar event to your boss's time zone so that they don't miss any important meetings.

If you do such things on your own accord, your boss will be impressed by your attention to their preferences and needs. Gottsman also gives an example of the little things you can look out for. She says if you know that your boss likes having a project on their desk in hard copy and in a particular folder colour, have folders in that colour readily available before the project deadline comes.

Jo Peay, an EA to the president of biotechnology firm Targacept, gives another example of a helpful EA. Peay thinks that it's a good idea for EAs to give their boss a folder with the agenda for the next day. Try it out and if you find that your boss likes having a checklist of "Things to Do" for the day, keep it up.

Your job is to systematically prompt your bosses and establish some structure in their hectic lives.

One big job for an EA: Making your boss look good

Making your boss look good is an aim to keep in mind as an Executive Assistant. It will often guide you to take the best course of action. For instance, one way of making your boss look good is to make sure they keep their promises. "When an [Executive Assistant] hears me making a commitment to someone, I want them to make sure I keep the commitment," says Joyce Gioia, a management consultant and president of The Herman Group.

Reminding your boss of important things on the to do list is critical. Part of organising your boss's life is to make it look as if they are onto it and incredibly organised because nothing makes employees lose confidence more in a boss than one who is frequently unprepared.

Similarly, your job is to alert your boss to errors so that they can correct them as soon as possible and save some face, according to Jessica Kleinman, a communications executive and contributing author to The Muse.

For example, if a client has to tell your Executive that they made a mistake, it will not look very good. However, if they can correct the mistake before the client notices, it will make the Executive look more professional.

As an EA, it's therefore important to anticipate disasters and make up for your Executive's mistakes as much as possible. Your boss will appreciate you all the more for being someone who helps avoid potholes and who paves the road ahead.

How to make a good first impression of your company

As an Executive Assistant, you often act as a gatekeeper for the business. It's your job to be that professional voice over the phone that puts customers at ease and makes them feel as if they're doing business with a competent company.

Executive Assistant Brande Michelle Ebrun writes that a big part of your job is greeting clients, visitors and vendors. Dressing professionally and projecting confidence are key elements of making your company look great. Confidence especially helps to make your customer feel like they're in good hands, according to Business Daily.

Friendliness goes a long way, too. People often remember a conversational and pleasant EA and are more willing to feel that the company is approachable. It's important that you work on your smile, handshake and body language. All of these mannerisms will make your customers more likely to return.

Making your business look organised is also very essential. During phone calls, take a lot of detailed notes that will remind you of the person who called and what they wanted. A disorganised EA will give a customer an automatically bad taste in their mouth and they'll see it as a reflection of the company at large.

Never underestimate the gatekeeper role of the EA - it can make or break a client relationship more than people realise.