New EA advice- thanks!

5 Comments

1. AnonymousAugust 2,2024 at 3:30PM UTC

   Another seasoned EA here!

   For moving meetings, don’t stress! My go-to is to either use free/busy to reschedule or reach out to the person (or their assistant, if they have one), and say some version of “apologies for this - PERSON had a conflict come up that she has to attend.” It happens all the time, especially the busier your exec is (I am, as a matter of fact, moving a meeting I just scheduled yesterday because a meeting with HR came up that I have to put in that slot).

   As for scheduling a group, I reach out to assistants with an email along the lines of: “PERSON would like to schedule a 60 min meeting re Project Purple for next week. Here are some dates/times” and list them out. I have also taken the approach and looked at free/busy to do some narrowing down ahead of time, if I find myself working with difficult peers.

   I also agree with Anon below - I always ask if there are meetings that are priority when they come through, or meetings that should never be scheduled over. I also check in to see when general start/end times are for the person, and if there are ever exceptions to that.

   It’s takes a minute to learn the role and settle in, but you got this!

2. AnonymousAugust 3,2024 at 12:34PM UTC

   Hello,

   Another seasoned EA here.

   When you're an EA, one of your roles is to keep their calendar balanced. I call it praying Tetris with the calendar.

   Having regular meetings to find out what the expectations are. I've found that there are things in my presidents head that he forgot to email or tell me about, so going over calendars on a regular basis is important.

   I have to send out doodle polls quite often or some kind of polling toll that makes it easier for me to gather available time. Something that I started doing that I have found helpful is holding one day of the week so he's not available. Then when someone asks for a meeting that week, I always have available time.

3. MaryaliceAugust 4,2024 at 1:27PM UTC

   Sometimes when the juggling seems out of control; I tend to direct it myself by saying “he/she is only available for this time” and then it’s on THEM to scramble!

4. AnonymousAugust 4,2024 at 7:37PM UTC

   Meeting with your direct report to understand the priority of certain meetings is helpful. Mine would let me know that some meetings could be put off to next month while others needed to happen ASAP. They would also let me know the importance of who they were meeting with. For example, if the person they're meeting with is a high level person, sometimes she'd be willing to align with their availability and I'd shift around any conflicting meetings.

   Also agree with some of the other commenters here. You will also need to gage when to simply put your foot down and share the availability you have and let the other EA's you're working with figure it out.

   It definitely takes some time to get the hang of and can be quite stressful lol.

5. SPNN4 SAugust 5,2024 at 4:59PM UTC

   From one C-suite Admin to another... meetings that are not 1x1's can be moved. Any meetings with your bosses boss are priority. Anything else that requires 3 or more people should be scheduled for when everyone can take the meeting. At my company we will set up an Admin call. I will set up a phone call with the admin assistants of the others who are being asked to participate in the meeting and we will discuss the context and the meeting parameters.

   For Example - your boss is asking you for a meeting needed next week for 45 minutes with Joe, Brad and Paul to discuss Client account statements

   So you set up a meeting on your calendar and invite the 3 Admins Robin, Sandy and Carrie to the call.
   Title: Admin call: Client Account statements
   Context: 45 minutes next week with Joe, Brad and Paul to discuss Client Account statements

   So then you start to go by when your leader is available
   Monday - is free from 8-10am
   then ask them to weigh in on some times
   one person may say Joe is only free from 9:30-10
   Brad can only give you 30 minutes at 8:30
   so then you look at Weds from 1-3 pm and so on.

   if you are scheduling over a 1x1 then those can be moved. Leaders can always catch up with other leaders or direct reports another time.

   I hope I'm not rambling and making this clear for you.
   Thanks