The Most Underrated Skill in Business?
I spend a lot of time working with business owners, founders, directors, leadership teams. People trying to grow organisations whilst somehow keeping all the moving parts moving and over the years I’ve noticed something interesting.
Most business owners think they understand what assistants do. Until they actually look.
When you start listing the tools that many EAs, PAs, VAs and Operations Professionals use every day, it becomes obvious why the role has changed so dramatically.
Microsoft 365.
Google Workspace.
Canva.
LinkedIn.
CRM systems.
Email marketing platforms.
Project management tools.
Scheduling software.
AI tools.
Automation platforms.
Accounting software.
Document management.
Customer support systems.
Reporting dashboards.
Website updates.
Social media.
And that’s before we even get to the people side of the role.
Many assistants are no longer simply managing diaries and inboxes.
They’re managing information.
They’re managing processes.
They’re managing workflows.
They’re managing the gaps between systems.
They’re often the people who understand how work actually gets done.
That’s why I find the profession so fascinating.
The best assistants I’ve worked with aren’t specialists in one thing.
They’re translators between lots of things.
They understand enough about technology, operations, communication, people and process to keep an organisation functioning.
And increasingly, to help it grow.
That’s one of the reasons my session at the East of England Assistants Conference is called:
From Admin to Architect.
I think we’re witnessing a shift. The role is evolving from supporting the work to shaping how the work happens.
The ability to understand systems, spot inefficiencies, connect processes and adopt new technology is becoming a strategic skill, not just for assistants - for businesses.
The organisations that thrive over the next decade won’t necessarily be the ones with the biggest budgets or the fanciest technology.
They’ll be the ones with people who can make sense of complexity.
People who can bridge the gap between technology and reality.
People who can see how all the moving parts fit together.
And from what I’ve seen, assistants are often some of the best people in the room at doing exactly that.
That’s what we’ll be exploring at the conference.
Not how to use every tool.
Nobody can.
But how to think about them, connect them and use them to create better businesses.
Because the real superpower isn’t knowing one system.
It’s understanding how they all work together.
