Executive assistants supporting high-net-worth principals or executives describe specific things they need from the principals they support to do their work effectively. Access to information, clear authority to make decisions within defined scope, communication patterns that support rather than undermine their work, and respect for their professional judgment all matter more than generalized appreciation or flexibility about hours. When principals provide what EAs actually need, the working relationship functions well and the EA can deliver real value. When principals don’t, even the most talented EA struggles to be effective.
The Access to Information Requirement
Executive assistants need access to their principal’s calendar, email, contacts, and the information required to make decisions and coordinate effectively. The principal who holds information back, uses systems the EA can’t access, or makes commitments without telling the EA creates situations where the EA can’t do their job because they don’t know what’s happening.
This information access isn’t about control or intrusion. It’s about the EA needing to see the full picture to coordinate effectively and anticipate needs before they become problems.
The Decision-Making Authority Clarity
EAs need clear authority to make decisions within defined scope without checking back for permission on every detail. They need to know what they can commit to on the principal’s behalf, what spending they can authorize, what scheduling decisions they can make, and where the boundaries are that require consultation.
The principal who second-guesses every EA decision or doesn’t clarify what authority the EA actually has creates a situation where the EA becomes afraid to make any decisions, which defeats the purpose of having an EA.
The Communication Pattern That Works
Effective EA-principal relationships include regular check-ins where the EA can surface issues, ask questions, and get clarity on priorities. These don’t need to be long meetings, but they need to happen consistently. The principal who’s too busy to communicate with their EA but expects the EA to read their mind creates frustration that makes the working relationship unsustainable.
The best EA-principal relationships include a daily or near-daily touchpoint, even if brief, where both parties can stay aligned on what’s happening and what’s needed.
The Priority Clarity When Everything Is Urgent
Principals working at high levels often have competing priorities that all feel urgent. The EA needs clarity from the principal about what actually matters most when everything can’t happen simultaneously. The principal who treats every request as equally urgent or who can’t articulate priorities leaves the EA guessing about what to focus on.
The Authority With External Contacts
EAs need the principal to establish clearly with external contacts, colleagues, and other professionals that the EA speaks for the principal within defined scope. The principal who undermines the EA’s authority by going around them, who doesn’t support the EA’s decisions with external parties, or who allows others to ignore the EA’s coordination creates situations where the EA has responsibility without actual authority.
The Respect for Professional Judgment
Executive assistants who’ve worked with principals for any length of time develop judgment about what will work, what the principal actually needs versus what they think they need, and how to manage situations effectively. Principals who respect this professional judgment and listen to their EA’s recommendations benefit from accumulated wisdom. Principals who dismiss their EA’s input miss valuable perspective.
The Reasonable Availability Expectations
While EA work sometimes requires evening and weekend availability, principals need to be realistic about what they’re asking for and how often. The EA who’s expected to be available 24/7 with no recovery time burns out quickly. Clear expectations about after-hours availability, advance notice when possible for off-hours needs, and genuine respect for the EA’s personal time all matter for sustainability.
The Response Time Realism
Principals sometimes expect instant responses from their EAs at all hours, not recognizing that the EA has other responsibilities, other tasks in process, and needs time to handle things properly. The principal who demands instant turnaround on everything creates stress that’s unnecessary and unsustainable.
Giving the EA reasonable time to handle requests, distinguishing genuine emergencies from routine urgency, and respecting that good work takes time all contribute to effectiveness.
The Protection From Unreasonable External Demands
Part of the principal’s role is protecting their EA from unreasonable demands from other people in the principal’s orbit. When family members, colleagues, or others try to go through the EA with inappropriate requests or unrealistic expectations, the principal needs to address it rather than leaving the EA to manage impossible situations without support.
The Acknowledgment of Complexity
The best principals recognize that EA work is complex professional work requiring judgment, skill, and expertise, not just task execution. They treat their EAs as professional partners rather than as task-doers, they value the strategic thinking EAs bring to situations, and they acknowledge that what looks simple from the outside often involves significant coordination and problem-solving.
When Principals Undermine EA Effectiveness
Principals undermine their EAs when they make commitments without checking the calendar, when they bypass the EA’s coordination systems with direct arrangements that create conflicts, when they don’t enforce boundaries with others who should coordinate through the EA, or when they don’t provide the information access the EA needs to anticipate and prevent problems.
These undermining behaviors are often unintentional, but they make the EA’s work exponentially harder.
What Makes EA-Principal Relationships Work
The EA-principal relationships that work long-term are usually characterized by mutual respect, clear communication, trust that the EA will use authority appropriately, acknowledgment of the EA’s professional value, and realistic expectations about what’s sustainable. The principal who provides these foundations gets excellent EA support. The principal who doesn’t finds even talented EAs struggling to be effective.
At Seaside Staffing Company, executive assistants describe the quality of the principal relationship as the biggest factor in whether EA work is professionally rewarding or frustrating, and principals who understand what EAs actually need tend to keep excellent assistants long-term.
