Managing the CEO-Executive Assistant Relationship for Maximum Performance
The most common reason executive assistant relationships underperform is not the quality of the assistant. It is the quality of the management. Energy CEOs who invest in learning how to manage their executive assistant effectively see dramatically better results from the relationship than those who treat management as a secondary concern.
Research from Harvard Business Review on CEO time allocation found that executives spend a significant portion of their time on tasks that could be delegated, highlighting the strategic value of skilled administrative support.
This guide provides a practical framework for managing an executive assistant in the energy and oil and gas sector, covering communication practices, performance management, feedback, and the ongoing development of a high-performing support relationship.
The Foundational Principle: The EA Relationship Requires Active Management
An executive assistant is not a set-and-forget hire. Even the most talented and experienced executive assistant needs clear direction, regular feedback, and ongoing context about the CEO’s evolving priorities to perform at their best.
In the energy sector, where priorities shift with commodity prices, regulatory developments, and operational events, the CEO’s world changes constantly. The executive assistant who was perfectly calibrated to the CEO’s priorities three months ago may need recalibration today.
Active management is not micromanagement. It is the deliberate investment in communication, feedback, and context-sharing that keeps the support relationship aligned with the CEO’s actual needs.
Establishing Clear Expectations
The foundation of effective management is clear, documented expectations. Before the executive assistant begins their role, and periodically thereafter, the CEO should communicate explicitly:
What are the top five priorities for the executive assistant’s role? Not a long list of responsibilities, but the five things that matter most to the CEO’s effectiveness.
What are the performance standards? How quickly should correspondence be handled? What does a well-prepared board package look like? How should urgent matters be escalated?
What are the boundaries of authority? What can the executive assistant decide independently? What requires a check-in? What always requires the CEO’s direct decision?
What is the communication preference? How often should the executive assistant proactively brief the CEO? When should they interrupt the CEO versus handle something independently?
Documenting these expectations creates a shared operating agreement that both parties can reference and that reduces the ambiguity that leads to performance gaps.
Building Effective Communication Rhythms
Daily Check-Ins
A brief daily check-in, five to ten minutes at the start or end of the day, is the most effective mechanism for keeping the executive assistant aligned with the CEO’s current priorities. Use this time to review the upcoming schedule, address any open questions, and flag any developing situations that might affect priorities.
These check-ins do not need to be formal. A quick conversation or even a brief messaging exchange can accomplish the alignment goal. The key is consistency.
Weekly Priority Reviews
In addition to daily check-ins, a slightly longer weekly review session allows for a broader look at the week ahead, a review of ongoing projects, and an assessment of whether the current support structure is meeting the CEO’s needs.
Use this session to share context about strategic developments that might affect the executive assistant’s priorities, to give feedback on recent performance, and to discuss any adjustments to the support model that would improve effectiveness.
Responsive Communication in Real Time
The CEO’s communication behavior sets the tone for how the executive assistant operates. If the CEO responds to the executive assistant’s questions and flagged items quickly and consistently, the assistant can move faster and operate more effectively. If the CEO is slow or inconsistent in responding, the assistant will experience friction in their work.
Treating the executive assistant as a priority communication recipient is an investment in the quality of your own support.
Providing Effective Feedback
Immediate, Specific Feedback
The most effective feedback is given close in time to the behavior it addresses and is specific about what was done well or what needs to change. When an executive assistant handles a complex regulatory communication particularly well, tell them specifically what worked. When a briefing document misses the mark, explain precisely what was missing and what you were expecting.
Vague feedback like “this needs to be better” creates anxiety without providing direction. Specific feedback like “this briefing document needs to include the regulatory deadline context and the legal team’s current recommendation, not just the background information” is actionable.
Regular Performance Conversations
In addition to real-time feedback, schedule a formal performance conversation at least quarterly. This is an opportunity to step back from day-to-day operations and assess the overall health and effectiveness of the support relationship.
Review progress against the expectations you established at the outset. Identify areas of strong performance and areas that need development. Discuss any changes in the CEO’s priorities that affect what the executive assistant should be focusing on. Address any patterns of behavior that need adjustment.
Acknowledging Excellent Work
Recognition matters. Executive assistants who receive specific acknowledgment of excellent work are more engaged, more motivated, and more likely to sustain high performance over time. When your executive assistant navigates a difficult situation skillfully, manages a complex logistics challenge effectively, or produces exceptional work, name it and acknowledge it.
This does not require elaborate gestures. A direct, specific acknowledgment of what was done well is sufficient and meaningful.
Managing Through Difficult Situations
When the EA Makes a Mistake
In the energy sector, where stakes are high and consequences of errors can be significant, mistakes by the executive assistant can be genuinely impactful. How the CEO responds to mistakes shapes the executive assistant’s future behavior.
Address mistakes directly but constructively. Focus on understanding what happened and what should happen differently next time, not on assigning blame. The goal is learning, not accountability theater.
For significant errors, document the discussion and the corrective plan. For minor errors, a quick conversation is sufficient. In both cases, the tone should be one of collaborative problem-solving, not punishment.
When Priorities Shift Rapidly
The energy sector creates situations where the CEO’s priorities shift dramatically in a short period. Commodity price moves, operational incidents, regulatory developments, and M&A activity can all trigger rapid schedule and priority changes.
In these moments, the CEO’s responsibility is to communicate the shift clearly to the executive assistant, not to expect them to divine it independently. A brief, direct message explaining that priorities have changed and what the new focus is allows the executive assistant to adapt quickly and effectively.
When the Support Relationship Needs Restructuring
Periodically, the nature of what the CEO needs from their executive assistant changes. A major transaction, an organizational restructuring, or a strategic pivot can all shift the support requirements significantly.
When this happens, treat it as an explicit conversation rather than leaving the executive assistant to navigate the change with incomplete information. Clearly describe how the CEO’s priorities have changed, what that means for the executive assistant’s role, and what the new performance expectations are.
See our EA training for energy.
Building for the Long Term
The most valuable executive assistant relationships in the energy sector are long-term. An executive assistant who has been with a CEO for three to five years develops a depth of institutional knowledge, stakeholder relationship familiarity, and operational expertise that a new hire simply cannot replicate.
Investing in the relationship over time, through consistent communication, fair feedback, professional development opportunities, and appropriate compensation, is the strategy that produces long-term, high-performance support.
The most effective energy CEOs treat their executive assistant relationships as strategic assets, not utility services. That mindset is the foundation of everything else.
Conclusion
Managing an executive assistant in the energy and oil and gas sector requires deliberate effort, consistent communication, and a genuine investment in the support relationship. CEOs who manage this relationship well enjoy significantly better support quality, more durable assistant relationships, and a more effective executive office.
The practices described in this guide, clear expectations, daily check-ins, specific feedback, and long-term relationship investment, are not complicated. But they require consistency. And in a sector as demanding as energy and oil and gas, consistent investment in your support infrastructure is one of the most reliable ways to sustain your own effectiveness as a leader.
For more, see 7 Benefits Of A.
Related Reading
For further context, explore Automation Tools That Save Oil and Gas CEOs Valuable Time and Balancing Strategic and Tactical Time as an Energy CEO.