Executive Office Management and Administrative Excellence

Many executive offices work hard but reactively. The assistant learns the executive's priorities by guesswork, the calendar fills with requests nobody filtered, meetings produce minutes but no follow-up, and files are spread across inboxes, shared drives and paper. Confidential documents are handled inconsistently, and when the executive is travelling or a crisis arrives, the office depends on one person's memory. The role has grown, but the working methods have not kept pace.

This programme treats the executive office as a small operation that can be designed and improved. It moves through five stages: building a strong working partnership with the executive, managing time and priorities, running meetings and follow-up, managing information and documents securely, and representing the office in communication with stakeholders, including under pressure.

Built on recognised practice. The programme references ISO 15489 principles for records management, ISO/IEC 27001 principles for information security, established time and priority management methods, and good practice in meeting management and business writing. Participants apply them to the realities of a busy executive office, including digital collaboration and AI-assisted tools where they are appropriate and permitted.

Decisions this programme improves. Which requests reach the executive and which are handled or redirected; how the calendar is structured around priorities; what a meeting needs before it is scheduled; how documents are named, stored, shared and retained; which information is confidential and how it is protected; and when an issue needs to be escalated.

How it is delivered. Twenty hours across five sessions, built around one running case: a newly appointed chief executive whose office must manage a board meeting, an official visit and an urgent incident in the same week. Participants plan the calendar, prepare an agenda and briefing pack, write minutes and action logs, draft correspondence and design a filing structure.

In-house option. For organisations, the programme can be tailored to your own correspondence standards, document management system, approval procedures and protocol requirements, and delivered for executive office teams across the organisation so that working practices are consistent.

Who Should Attend

Executive support staff: executive assistants, personal assistants and executive secretaries

Office leaders: office managers and heads of executive or minister's offices

Coordinators: board and committee secretariat staff and executive office coordinators

Administrative professionals preparing to move into an executive support role

Objectives

Define the scope, priorities and communication preferences of the executive office in agreement with the executive

Structure an executive calendar that protects priority work and filters incoming requests

Apply prioritisation methods to manage competing deadlines for themselves and the executive

Plan and prepare meetings, including agendas, briefing packs and logistics

Write accurate minutes and maintain an action log that drives follow-up

Design a filing and document management structure for physical and electronic records

Handle confidential information in line with the organisation's security and data protection rules

Draft clear professional correspondence, briefing notes and summaries

Use assertive communication to manage requests, gatekeeping and difficult conversations

Respond to urgent situations with a prepared plan for escalation and communication

Course Outline

The Executive Partnership: Role, Expectations and Priorities

The modern executive assistant and office manager role
Understanding the executive's objectives, working style and decision patterns
Agreeing scope, delegated authority and communication routines
Aligning personal objectives with the executive's priorities
Professional judgement, discretion and ethics
Working with other executive offices and support teams

Protecting Executive Time: Calendar, Priorities and Workload

Analysing how the executive's time is currently used
Calendar design: priority blocks, buffers and recurring commitments
Filtering and prioritising requests
Prioritisation methods for competing deadlines
Travel and itinerary planning
Digital productivity and collaboration tools, including appropriate use of AI assistants

Meetings That Lead to Action

Deciding whether a meeting is needed and who should attend
Agendas, briefing packs and pre-reading
Organising board, committee and high-level meetings, including protocol for official visitors
Minute taking: capturing decisions and actions accurately
Action logs and follow-up routines
Virtual and hybrid meeting management

Information and Document Management

Records management principles based on ISO 15489
Filing structures, naming conventions and version control
Electronic document management and shared workspaces
Classifying and protecting confidential information
Information security basics: access, passwords, phishing and secure sharing
Retention, archiving and disposal of records

Communicating for the Executive Office, Including Under Pressure

Business writing: correspondence, briefing notes and summaries
Assertive communication and managing difficult requests
Representing the executive with internal and external stakeholders
Working under pressure and managing personal workload
Handling urgent situations: escalation, contact lists and communication plans
Action plan: improving your executive office

Competencies

Executive partnership and delegated authority

Executive calendar and time management

Prioritisation and workload planning

Meeting preparation, minute taking and action tracking

Records and document management

Confidential information handling and information security

Professional business writing

Assertive communication and stakeholder handling

Escalation and urgent situation management

Live Online

Access Elite Academy’s complete training portfolio live online. Organizations, distributed teams and professionals can join scheduled interactive sessions or request any program to be delivered online, subject to scheduling and delivery requirements. Elite Academy’s Live Online Training provides access to our complete portfolio of professional programs without linking availability to a physical destination. Organizations, multi-location teams and individual professionals can join scheduled instructor-led sessions or request any program from the Elite Academy portfolio for live online delivery, subject to scheduling and delivery requirements. The format preserves real-time interaction, expert guidance and practical learning while removing the need to travel. Browse the current Live Online schedule below or request your preferred program and dates.