Course description
The Strategic Executive Assistant programme empowers current PA's and EA's to develop their business awareness and management understanding further to become personal leaders, enablers and business support managers in their own right.
The course covers current and future trends in administrative support, with appropriate considerations that EA's must consider if they are to be part of the new style of Executive Support that meets the requirements of future organisations, leaders and managers – and add wider organisational value.
Upcoming start dates
Training Course Content
Introduction – What’s it all about? Don’t we already know enough about secretarial support?!
Global Trends in Administrative Support
- What’s been happening throughout the world in relation to PAs and EAs
- Why the evolution of the role has been too slow
- For PAs to survive, why a revolution is necessary
A New Definition of Executive Support
- New titles: Business Support Manager, Business Partner, Executive Assistant – what do all those jobs have in common?
- Core competencies
- The EA as an enabler
- Decision making and responsibility; the strategic Executive Assistant
- Boss Mode/PA Mode – thinking and doing
Let's see it from the Executive’s Perspective – what do bosses want?
- What bosses look for in their EAs
- Leadership styles – adapting your style to suit your Executive
- Supporting your Executive by ‘managing upwards’
Leadership and Management in the Context of the EA role
- The difference between leadership and management
- Transactional management versus transitional management
- What about transformational leadership – how can the EA be part of that?
Business Strategy for the EA
- What is ‘strategy’ and what does this mean for the EA?
- How can EA’s become more strategic?
- Company strategy and the Executive’s priorities
- Introduction to Risk, Compliance and Governance
- Developing strategic thinking in the EA role
Emotional Intelligence
- It’s (still) all about behaviours! What versus How
- The three essential Cs: Confidence, Courage and Conviction
Developing Executive Presence – Developing Gravitas
- Why gravitas is important
- Merging of temperament, competency, skills and knowledge to instil confidence in others
- Developing your own executive presence – your personal journey
Dispelling the PA myths that no longer serve PAs or their bosses
- Why EAs are no longer ‘gatekeepers’
- When you’re not around, how is the boss going to cope?
- It all starts with you! How are you contributing to your success or failure?
- Reverse-mentoring to create a better boss/PA dynamic
The Transition of Job Descriptions – from Personal Assistant to Executive Assistant
- Duties of the EA compared to duties of the PA
- Job descriptions for the new EA that don’t default to ‘secretarial’ duties
- Do you have the will? Do you have the skill?
Success Factors Defined for the New Executive Assistant
- A model for success; a model to share with your boss – a new job description!
- Personal growth and action planning
- Impacting your own and your Executive’s profile, productivity and performance
Course delivery details
A groundbreaking two-day programme for Personal and Executive Assistants.
This course is run regularly in Manchester and London (UK) in its original format as a 2-day programme, but also internationally as a 1-day course. The course can also be delivered ‘in-house’. Please enquire for details.
Day One
- Global trends in administrative support
- A new definition of the EA and Executive support
- Core competencies of today’s EAs
- Decision-making styles
- The Manager’s perspective – new Leaders, new EAs
- Leadership and Management
- Leadership behaviours
- What do Leadership and Management mean to the EA role and how does the EA role fit in?
Day Two
- Business strategy for the EA
- How to ‘see’ strategically – for you and your Executive
- Strategic tools that support objective, critical and analytical thinking
- Adding wider organisational value
- Emotional intelligence – What versus How
- Executive Presence for EAs for credibility, influence and impact
- The transition of job descriptions: from PA to EA to Business Support Manager
- Success Factors for the EA
- The EA Manifesto
- Course review and action plan
Salford Professional Development
Salford Professional Development (SPD) is a subsidiary of the University of Salford, located in Greater Manchester. It provides a wide range of training options, including in-house, virtual, and customised programs, serving over 9,000 clients annually from both the public and...