Why hiring an EA is not an administrative decision — it’s a leadership one.
After years of working closely with CEOs, founders, Chief People Officers, and high-performing executives, one pattern continues to emerge.
The Executive Assistant role is one of the most critical hires a leader can make — yet it remains one of the most consistently underestimated.
Too often, organisations approach hiring an Executive Assistant as a task-based function. A role defined by diary management, travel coordination, and administrative support.
But at the senior level, this thinking is fundamentally incomplete.
A high-performing Executive Assistant is not simply there to manage time — they are there to protect it, optimise it, and amplify the effectiveness of the person they support.
When this is not fully considered, the result is often misalignment.
And in this context, misalignment is not a minor issue — it is a compounding one.
Where Misalignment Commonly Occurs
1. The Role Is Scoped Too Narrowly
In many organisations, the position is initially defined based on:
Immediate gaps
Task requirements
Historical job descriptions
Rather than stepping back to consider:
What does this executive truly need to operate at their highest level?
At a senior level, the Executive Assistant’s role extends well beyond execution.
They are often responsible for:
Managing the flow of information across the business
Acting as both gatekeeper and gateway to the executive
Supporting decision-making processes
Identifying risks and pressure points early
When the role is scoped too narrowly, the calibre and capability of candidate attracted is naturally limited.
2. Hiring Based on Tasks, Not Thinking Capability
One of the most common patterns we observe is a strong focus on task execution during the hiring process.
Calendars, travel, inbox management — all essential.
However, at the top end of the market, these are baseline competencies.
What differentiates a high-level Executive Assistant is their ability to think.
They:
Anticipate what’s coming next
Understand competing priorities
Make decisions in close proximity to the executive
This requires:
Commercial awareness
Contextual judgement
Confidence in decision-making
While technical skills are important, they are not what ultimately define long-term success in the role.
3. Underestimating Executive–EA Alignment
An Executive Assistant is one of the most closely aligned roles within any business.
And yet, alignment is often underexplored during the hiring process.
In practice, the most effective partnerships are those where the EA complements the executive’s natural style.
For example:
A visionary founder may benefit from an EA who brings structure and operational discipline
A highly analytical executive may require an EA who can manage stakeholder relationships with ease
Without this alignment, even highly capable individuals can find it difficult to operate at their full potential.
4. The Role Level Is Not Fully Aligned
Another common dynamic is a mismatch between the level of the role and the level of the individual hired.
This can present in two ways:
➤ Hiring at a more junior level than required
The executive remains overly involved in:
Direction
Oversight
Decision-making
➤ Hiring at a more senior level than the role allows
The EA may become:
Underutilised
Disengaged
More likely to move on
Understanding the true level of the role requires looking beyond the job description and assessing the complexity of the environment.
5. Viewing EA Recruitment as a Standard Process
One of the more critical considerations at this level is how the recruitment process itself is approached.
At the senior end of the market, success is rarely driven by speed alone.
It requires:
A clear understanding of the executive
Insight into the business environment
Careful assessment of both capability and alignment
A high-performing Executive Assistant cannot be effectively assessed on paper alone.
They must be understood within context.
This is where a more specialist, consultative approach to executive assistant recruitment — particularly at the senior level — becomes particularly valuable.
At Altitude EA, our focus is on partnering closely with our clients to ensure each placement reflects not just capability — but true alignment.
The Soft Skills That Are Often Overlooked
Beyond experience and technical capability, there are a number of less visible qualities that consistently define success in an EA role.
These are not always captured in a job brief — yet they are often what make the difference.
Judgement
Knowing when to act, when to escalate, and when to hold.
Emotional Intelligence
Understanding people, managing dynamics, and navigating complexity with discretion.
Anticipation
Identifying what’s coming before it becomes an issue.
Resilience and Composure
Operating effectively under pressure without creating additional noise.
Energy Alignment
Working in a way that complements the pace, expectations, and style of the executive.
These qualities are difficult to measure in a standard hiring process — but they are critical to long-term success.
The True Cost of Misalignment
When an Executive Assistant hire is not fully aligned, the impact is rarely isolated to the role itself.
It can influence:
Executive efficiency
Decision-making speed
Internal communication flow
Team cohesion
Over time, this can lead to:
Friction
Delays
Reduced momentum
In high-performing environments, even small inefficiencies can compound quickly.
A More Strategic Approach
Hiring an Executive Assistant is not simply about filling a role.
It is about enabling a leader to operate at their highest level — with the right support structure, the right alignment, and the right level of trust.
In our experience, the most successful appointments come from taking a more considered, strategic approach from the outset.
Considering Your Next EA Hire
Whether you are hiring your first Executive Assistant or refining an existing support structure, taking a more strategic approach can significantly impact long-term outcomes.
If you are currently hiring — or reassessing your executive support structure — it may be worth stepping back to evaluate what is truly required at this level.
Altitude EA partners with CEOs, founders, and high-performing organisations to deliver high-level, strategically aligned Executive Assistants across Australia.
For a confidential discussion, you are welcome to get in touch.