How to Move From Executive Assistant to Strategic Partner

The role of the Executive Assistant (EA) has changed dramatically over the last few decades. While EAs are still expected to deliver traditional administrative support — planning in-person meetings, managing calendars, note taking, and more — this is only a fraction of what they bring to the table. EAs are becoming more strategic and business-focused with their executive and their organization at large.

Today, EAs are expected to be problem-solvers, change-makers, innovators, collaborators, and advisors. But how do you get to this strategic level? 

How to move from EA to strategic partner

Apply these five strategies so you can become a strategic partner — all while making an impact and growing your career. 

1. Be more proactive in your day-to-day

Move from a reactive mindset to a more proactive and strategic approach. Don’t wait for tasks to fall on your desk or just follow your executive’s instructions. Take this a step further. Ask yourself: What are my executive’s top challenges? What is being discussed in meetings? What are the broader goals of my company? How is success measured?

Once you understand the big picture, consider how your own strengths can support it. For example:

• How can the skills I currently possess be used in a more strategic way? 
• What unique insights do I bring to the table? 
• How do my responsibilities directly impact the goals of my executive and my company? 
• How can I better manage my own initiatives?

Use these insights to take initiative, anticipate needs, and identify opportunities where you can lead or optimize existing processes.

2. Build cross-functional relationships 

Don’t just focus on a healthy working relationship with your executive, but look at other key stakeholders. You likely already work across departments, but how effective are those relationships? Develop strong, purposeful connections beyond your immediate team, look at HR, finance, sales, marketing, legal, and so on. These relationships give you visibility into how different parts of the business operate, what challenges they face, and where there may be opportunities to align or add value.

• Take the time to understand their roles, goals, and priorities. 
• Show genuine interest in their work and deliverables. 
• Identify gaps where your role can help streamline communication, anticipate blockers, or bring insights back to your executive. 
• Think about ways you can collaborate and support them. 

This level of effort shows that you’re willing to go the extra mile.

Strategic EAs know that the more connected they are, the more effectively they can influence outcomes, support decision-making, and solve problems before they escalate.

3. Grow your business acumen 

Business acumen, put simply, is when you understand and make decisions that support your company’s best interests.

As an EA, your executive may trust you to offer solutions that align with their own thought processes. This is why business acumen is so important. Even if they don’t expect it, being proactive with thoughtful suggestions can help you gain more trust and a seat at the table for strategic discussions.

Ensure that you know the company’s mission and values, financial health, competitors, customers, and how it operates day-to-day. This isn’t something you’ll learn overnight and can vary greatly company to company. It'll take time and continuous learning to become a truly valuable resource — the goal is to become a go-to resource in executive conversations.

As your business acumen grows, you can confidently contribute to strategic decision-making, and ultimately help your executive and the company achieve its goals.

4. Leverage tools that make you more strategic

Embrace AI, automation, and project tools to save time, enhance reporting, and free yourself up for high-value work.

• TROOP is a leading travel logistics and meeting planning solution built for EAs like you. Instead of jumping through 10+ tabs or combing through email chains, you have everything you need in TROOP for planning in-person meetings. Showcase your planning expertise by organizing every detail in one place: from group travel and meeting logistics to attendee coordination, and budget management. 

• AI is a support tool, not a replacement. With many AI solutions available, find the right fit for you. Some use-cases on where AI can help: innovative Excel formulas, email drafts, and summarizing reports. 

• Automation and project management make it easy to track project progress and stay organized. Or you could take courses to improve your skillset on tools you already use; the American Society of Administrative Professionals offers many certification courses designed especially for EAs.

5. Use data to drive smarter decisions

Don’t just track analytics and metrics, but really understand how it impacts your executive’s priorities and the company’s bottom-line. This will allow you to enhance efficiency and effectiveness to support decision-making and improve meeting planning and execution. It isn’t just about getting the information, it’s about using it confidently.

The time to become a strategic partner is now

The role of an Executive Assistant is evolving. You’re not just supporting your executive. You’re anticipating needs, navigating priorities, and bridging gaps across teams, often with differing goals. You’re managing people, processes, logistics, and budgets to keep in-person meetings organized, efficient, and successful. 

You’re more than someone who gets things done. You’re a change maker. 

The first step is to move from reactive to proactive, from task-focused to strategic. Half the battle is accepting this mindset shift and the other half is applying the right strategies into action — starting with the ones shared here.