Executive Assistants are the Mission Control of Your Company
Mission control team members are the “unsung heroes” of rocket launches. They work tirelessly to ensure that the launch goes off without a hitch, and they are doing it entirely behind the scenes. The same can be said of executive assistants. They’re the secret backbone of corporate executive teams and are finally shaking the stigma of being a “gatekeeper” or a glorified answering machine.
The executive assistant role has become so much more than calendar appointments and booking flights. An EA gets exposure to many parts of a business that very few get to partake in. By sitting in on meetings, being copied on important emails, and scheduling the big conversations, they essentially become powerful and all-knowing extensions of their executive and/or executive team.
Much like mission control, an EA thrives in challenging conditions and is a professional problem solver. Multitasking is their middle name. The relief that is felt when their executives finally walk into an important meeting that took several months to plan is probably comparable to the way mission control felt in 1969 when Neil Armstrong took his steps on the moon. The big sigh of relief as they arrived where they were supposed to be after all of the logistics and chaos and worry — all EAs (and mission control teams) have been there.
Finding the right EA is critical to developing an innovative culture, as EAs are experts at identifying processes that need improvement and implementing new and efficient systems. In some companies, EAs can also juggle their main role of supporting and handling HR matters, event coordination, and being an office manager. Like mission control operators, EAs are also generating new procedures, some that are generic and some that are specific to each mission. They are constantly evaluating these processes and updating and adjusting them as needed for each new mission. Onboarding new hires and streamlining internal communication are on totally different ends of the spectrum but are critical to startups.
Part of mission control training includes going through flight simulations with the astronauts so that they are adequately prepared for any and all situations that could arise while in flight. When invited to participate in their executives’ calls and meetings, the EA is essentially going through their own version of simulation training by watching their executives in action and learning how they operate. Most importantly, the EA is receiving all of the information that will set them up to be a powerful resource within the company. The flight simulations teach the mission control team how to troubleshoot and think fast — two of the most important skills needed to be a top-performing EA. Identifying a faulty rocket booster 10 minutes before takeoff is hardly comparable to a canceled flight on the way to a conference, but both require the ability to act under pressure and phenomenal troubleshooting skills.
The most important similarity between the two roles is that they are team players who empower others to operate at their full potential. They give a sense of freedom to those they support. Thanks to EAs, executives are liberated to focus on driving their companies forward, knowing that there is someone in the background dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s who is a trusted partner who shares the same goal.
Prime Movers Lab invests in breakthrough scientific startups founded by Prime Movers, the inventors who transform billions of lives. We invest in companies reinventing energy, transportation, infrastructure, manufacturing, human augmentation, and agriculture.
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