It was Melbourne's turn. 'EAs EmPowered!’ was held at St Margaret's Berwick Grammar on Thursday 15 August 2024. A workshop and networking event filled with opportunities to empower Educational Administrative Professionals supportng Educational Senior Leaders in schools.

In this shared article, Dr Steven Middleton, Associate Principal, and Ms Kristine Niven, Executive Assistant, of St Margaret’s Berwick Grammar explore the vital role of executive assistants in leadership collaboration with principals. The partnership between executive assistant (EA) and principal provides a unique opportunity to shape and transform school culture. The impact of a highly effective and talented EA with proactive capacity to build relationships, communicate purpose and model values to strategically lead others cannot be underestimated.

Being proactive is an essential characteristic for an Executive Assistant and one that is looked for on many resumes. Covey in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, refers to ‘proactivity’ as taking the initiative in being responsible for our own lives, where our behaviour is a function of our decisions, not our conditions. Read on to find out more about what this means and how to use these tools and apply them to our Executive Assistant roles in Education?

‘EAs EmPowered!’ EAs in Education's inaugural in-person event was held at Wenona School, North Sydney on Friday 7 June 2024. A workshop and networking event filled with opportunities to empower Educational Administrative Professionals who support Executive Senior Leadership teams in schools.

There has a been a lot written recently on how the EA role is referred as a ‘strategic business partner’ to their Executive. But what does this mean and how is this interpreted for EAs working in education?

As Executive Assistants working in schools, our closest partnership is usually the one with our boss, generally the Principal or a Senior Executive, which comes with its own privileges and challenges. Few people outside our role understand what we do and how much we actually oversee.

'Being attentive to detail' has many interpretations and components attached - it is more than three words on a resume, inferencing spelling and grammar. Working proactively enhances attention to details - this crucial skill set is all about being able to take initiative, looking ten steps ahead, going back to the ‘why’.

Recently, I was introduced to a fable ‘The Eagle Who Thought He Was A Chicken’ - a metaphor to thinking like an eagle versus a chicken, highlighting the importance of recognizing our true potential, even if it means stepping out of our comfort zones.

Not long after I commenced my journey at St Margaret’s Berwick Grammar, my boss introduced me to a quote written by Roosevelt known as the 'The Man in the Arena'. I had never heard it before.

As an Executive Assistant we spend many hours managing our email inboxes. Yes, there are tools and focus time to assist staying in control of this communication platform - but let’s think more broadly.

I was introduced recently to two very different cognitive theory styles ‘The Hedgehog and the Fox’ by Philosopher Isaiah Berlin - an interesting lens through which to view different leadership styles. The parable suggests Hedgehogs are more decisive, big ideas people compared to Foxes who are more versatile in their approach, accepting of nuance, open to using different approaches with different problems.

I was inspired while on holidays by the recent viewing of the classic tale Alice in Wonderland (I really liked the version where Johnny Depp plays the Mad Hatter). As Alice was fighting the Jabberwocky, she refers to doing ‘six impossible things before breakfast.’

Working at a school is completely different to working in other fields, even if you have a good deal of admin or EA experience already. It is a very close relationship between a Senior Exec and his or her EA, and it needs to be built on trust.

Giving and receiving feedback can be a challenging process, but it is essential for personal and professional growth. Recently I have been chatting with some work colleagues about this and was interested to discover that many of us struggle to know how and when to provide feedback at work.

In many ways our Covid experience has left us considering what really matters in our daily lives. Removing contact and connection with others on a daily basis really reinforced how much we as social animals desire and hunger for connection, and in turn a sense of “belonging.”

Before you can get through them, to-do list growing before your eyes? Sometimes it feels that there are not enough hours in the school day to even achieve the most important tasks.

Executive Assistants in education play a vital role filled with complexity, challenges yet ultimately rewards. It is a job unlike any other—a member of the Senior leadership team but also outside of it. Sitting within Administration, but still set apart from other faculty and staff. A key player who wears many hats in a single day!

Even the most seasoned of professional event planners would be completely lost without a run sheet on event days. This blog discusses how to make a run sheet for your next Melbourne school event (and why you definitely need one).

Have you ever been in a school meeting where someone suggests a fundraising event, and --boom—suddenly everyone avoids making eye contact? This blog provides the best tips for creating a successful Melbourne school fundraising event (and keep your sanity at the same time).

Cater to every guest at your next event. Catered events are meant to be relaxing and fun. But if you’re a person with serious dietary requirements or restrictions, that experience can quickly turn sour.