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Your Exec Has Changed. Has Your Approach?
Published 6 days ago • 4 min read
Wednesday
8th April
No: 62
What the New Breed of Exec Needs From You
The Executives we support are changing.
If you’ve been an EA for a while, you’ve probably started to notice a shift in how your Executive works day to day. The way they communicate, make decisions, and manage their workload looks different now than even a few years ago, and that naturally changes what they need from you.
As EAs, we’re seeing more Executives who move quickly, switch between channels constantly, and expect us to be a step ahead rather than waiting for direction.
You might recognize this. You spot the task before it’s been asked, and you’re already thinking about what comes next while they’re still mid-message.
That doesn’t mean how we worked before was wrong. It just means the role keeps shifting, and we have to keep adjusting to it. The Assistants who are doing well in this environment are the ones who have taken the time to understand how their Executive operates now and have built ways of working around that. They’re thinking ahead, staying close to the detail, and becoming someone their Executive genuinely relies on day to day.
Millennials are now the largest group in management and are moving into senior leadership roles. Gen X is still very much present at the top, and Gen Z is starting to step into leadership as well. At the same time, many Baby Boomers are still in the workforce, often in senior, advisory, or board-level roles. So we now have a mix of leadership styles, expectations, and ways of working, all happening simultaneously.
When it comes to the skills EAs need to work with every type of Executive, there’s no single formula that fits everyone.
Every Executive has their own style, pace, and priorities. Some thrive on big-picture thinking, while others prefer the details to be locked down. Some lead with vision, others with process. And as EAs, we learn quickly that one approach doesn’t fit all when it comes to the skills EAs need to work with every type of Executive.
What the next generation of Executives expect from their Assistants
Know the business, not just the diary The next generation of execs thinks commercially. They're close to revenue conversations and want EAs who understand the context, not just the schedule. The more you understand why things are happening, the better placed you are to anticipate what they need and add real value before they even ask.
Become the person who brings clarity to the chaos Communication from this generation is more open, more informal, and often spread across multiple channels at once. Voice notes, Slack, WhatsApp, and email, ideas arrive half-formed, and decisions can get lost in the mix. Your job is to pull it together, confirm what's actually agreed, and make sure the right people know what happens next.
Get comfortable with AI... and help them use it better Many executives are already using AI in their own work. They'll expect you to be doing the same. Use it to draft, summarise, and prepare — but also be the filter. Not everything AI produces is ready to share, and knowing how to sense-check and refine the output is exactly where we add value.
Manage the culture piece This generation cares about how work feels, and some of that work will land with you. Team events, offsites, keeping people connected. But you'll also need to balance their open-door style with protecting their focus time — which sometimes means playing bad cop and holding the line, even if it feels uncomfortable.
Step forward as a partner, not just support This is probably the biggest shift. The next generation of executives is less fixed on hierarchy. They expect you to contribute, share a view, and flag things before they become problems. Staying silent when they look to you can actually feel confusing to them. This is where the real scope of the role is expanding — and where there's a lot more room to make your mark.
What's Happening...
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Over three unmissable days, you’ll dive into game-changing sessions on the future of the Assistant role, take part in hands-on workshops that deliver practical, real-world results, and explore the latest in AI tools, tech demos, and tactical support you can use immediately. Best of all, you’ll do it all surrounded by a room full of people who get what it means to do your job, and love it just as much as you do. Book now>>>
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