The role of a high-performing Executive Assistant extends well beyond traditional executive support. Experienced EAs are often trusted advisers, organisational connectors, problem-solvers and an important link between senior leaders and the people and priorities around them.

The High-Performance EA Leadership Lab is an advanced, highly applied development experience designed for experienced Executive Assistants who want to strengthen their leadership impact and consider how their role can continue to evolve.

Rather than focusing on the fundamentals of executive support, this course creates an opportunity for senior EAs to work through challenging scenarios, exchange perspectives with experienced peers and examine the behaviours that underpin effective EA–Executive partnerships.

Participants explore leadership through the lens of influence, judgement, trust, professional identity and ethical decision-making, while developing practical strategies for strengthening their contribution now and positioning themselves for the future.

Key learnings

• Strengthen your leadership impact and influence without relying on formal authority.
• Navigate challenging situations and ethical dilemmas with greater judgement and confidence.
• Build a high-performing EA–Executive partnership while developing a clear professional identity and future direction.

Are you an experienced EA who has mastered the operational aspects of the role but wants to think more deliberately about your influence, leadership contribution and future development?

This course is ideal if you:

• operate as a trusted partner to a senior executive
• regularly exercise judgement in complex or sensitive situations
• influence people and outcomes without having formal authority
• want to strengthen the way you contribute to executive and organisational priorities
• are interested in learning from the experiences and perspectives of other senior EAs
• want to build an even stronger EA–Executive partnership
• are considering how the EA profession — and your own career — may continue to evolve.

If you are ready to move beyond “how to be a better EA” and examine how you can operate as a high-performing professional and influential organisational partner, this Leadership Lab is designed for you.

This is an applied leadership experience built around discussion, reflection, peer learning and challenging workplace scenarios.

You’ll examine the distinctive form of leadership exercised by senior EAs, often without positional authority, and explore how trust, judgement, communication and professional credibility enable you to influence outcomes.

You’ll work through complex situations and ethical dilemmas, learn from other experienced EAs and consider what an exceptional EA–Executive partnership looks like in practice.

The course also provides an opportunity to reflect on your professional identity, articulate the value you bring and develop a clearer view of how you want your role and career to evolve.

• Recognise the leadership contribution senior EAs make beyond the traditional boundaries of executive support.
• Exercise influence effectively when you do not hold formal positional authority.
• Apply sound judgement when navigating complex, ambiguous or sensitive situations.
• Work through ethical dilemmas while maintaining trust, discretion and professional integrity.
• Use leadership storytelling to communicate experience, insight and professional value.
• Learn from and contribute to peer perspectives on challenging EA situations.
• Identify the behaviours and working practices that underpin a high-performing EA–Executive partnership.
• Have more purposeful conversations with your executive about expectations, priorities and ways of working.
• Articulate your professional strengths, contribution and personal brand with greater confidence.
• Identify opportunities to continue developing your capability and future-proofing your EA career.
• Develop a personal action plan for strengthening your leadership impact and EA–Executive partnership.

Planning to book for a team? A bulk booking discount is available when you register three or more participants or bundle three or more courses.

Many of our courses can also be delivered exclusively for your organisation, either virtually or in person, and tailored to suit your team’s needs. Contact us to discuss your booking and available options.

If you would like to learn more about this course or our other offerings, please contact the IPAA ACT team on 02 6154 9800 or capability@act.ipaa.org.au.