LEADING THE EVOLUTION: Be the change you want to see

When your executive support responsibilities change, it can be difficult to see what your next professional step should be. You may be handling more complex conversations, coordinating across teams or being asked for a perspective that was not previously part of the role.

You can take an active part in your development while recognizing that role scope, authority and opportunities also depend on the organization around you.

1. Choose development that matches the work

Start with a situation you want to handle more effectively. It may involve executive communication, stakeholder relationships, cultural differences or understanding how your executive’s priorities connect to the wider business.

Use that situation to guide your professional development. A specific purpose makes it easier to choose useful learning and explain its relevance to your manager.

2. Investigate the gap

Separate a capability you need to develop from information, authority or access you have not been given. Training will not resolve every unclear responsibility or missing decision route.

Ask what effective performance would look like and what support is available. Then choose a manageable next step: practice, feedback, a course or a conversation about the role.

3. Reflect on your approach

Consider how you prepare, respond to uncertainty and raise concerns. Identify one pattern you want to change and the circumstances in which it appears.

If you need help working through a particular workplace or career situation, Coaching for Executive Support Professionals provides a current overview of TGA’s advisory sessions and coaching packages.

4. Welcome specific feedback

Ask for feedback on an example rather than a general impression: “Was the briefing useful for the decision you needed to make?” or “What would make my stakeholder updates easier to act on?”

Use the response to decide what to retain, what to change and what to clarify. Feedback is most useful when it gives you something you can work with.

5. Make contribution and boundaries clear

Record examples of the work you enable and discuss them in development conversations. Be clear about the responsibilities you can take on and the decisions that remain with your executive or another role.

If your work is moving toward broader strategic support, explore what that requires in your context. A new title alone does not establish authority, and development does not guarantee a promotion.

Choose one practical step you can take now and a point at which to review it. Progress can begin with a clearer conversation about the work you are already doing.