Executive Assistant onboarding plan
An executive assistant's onboarding is really about one person: the executive's priorities, preferences and relationships. Onboarding should make those explicit instead of leaving the EA to learn by mistakes.
What good onboarding achieves
Manage the executive's time, communication and logistics so they can focus on their priorities, with full discretion.
Week one example
- Day 1: Access to calendar, email delegation and confidentiality briefing.
- Day 2: Executive's priorities and how they want time allocated.
- Day 3: Calendar rules: protected time, meeting types, travel preferences.
- Day 4: Key relationships: board, leadership, important external contacts.
- Day 5: Recurring meetings and preparation materials.
30/60/90 progression
- Day 30: Runs the executive's calendar and travel independently.
- Day 60: Prepares meeting materials and follows up actions.
- Day 90: Anticipates needs and manages special projects.
People to meet (examples)
- The executive
- Leadership team and their assistants
- Board contacts
- Office manager
Systems to learn (examples)
- Calendar and email delegation
- Travel booking tool
- Document storage
- Expense tool
Manager checkpoints
- Week 1: calendar rules agreed
- Week 2: weekly planning ritual
- Day 30: feedback session
- Day 90: scope review
Common mistakes
- Assuming calendar preferences instead of writing them down
- No confidentiality briefing
- Not introducing key relationships
- No weekly planning time with the executive
Checklist
- Calendar and email delegation set up
- Confidentiality briefing done
- Priorities documented
- Calendar rules written
- Key contacts listed
- Travel preferences recorded
- Recurring meetings reviewed
- Weekly planning booked