Course description
The main role of an Executive Assistant (EA) and Personal Assistant (PA) is broad and challenging. They play a key role in the organisation providing strategic level and guidance to a senior executives, organisational leaders, and directors.
The role has evolved and is now ever more critical to ensuring effective leadership and helping to drive and deliver business improvements. So, ensuring they have the required knowledge base and skillset has become increasingly important.
The aim of this course is to equip you with the tools and knowledge to perform this responsible role effectively and efficiently. You will learn how to engage with the wider corporate aims of the organisation, ensuring you deliver against organisational goals.
Upcoming start dates
Suitability - Who should attend?
This course is for Executive and Personal Assistants who work for senior managers, leaders, executives, and directors.
The role and responsibilities of the EA & PA continue to grow and so it is crucial to keep up to date with changes and new developments and understand their implications across a wide range of business activities. This is in addition to running a smoothly operating organisation that looks after its directors, staff, shareholders, and investors.
*Please note that some of the materials and objectives may be subject to change depending on discussions, activities and needs of the cohort upon reflection of delegate responses to the pre-programme questionnaires.*
Outcome / Qualification etc.
Assessment
The CMI Level 5 Award in Management and Leadership qualification is aimed at individuals with the role and responsibilities of developing teams and individuals, creating operational plans, planning and managing projects, managing change, managing finance, resources and identifying innovative approaches to business activities, managing quality and continuous improvement as well as managing the human resource's function.
Delegates will be required to complete a 3500 - 4000-word written assignment that require taught theory to be applied to the organisational context:
509: Managing Stakeholder Relationships
The aims of the unit:
Good relationships, whether they are with customers, suppliers, partners, or staff, are a key contributor to an organisation’s success. To build stakeholder relationships that are long lasting and sustainable, they need to be planned and developed. This unit explores the types and purposes of stakeholder relationships and the skills required to overcome challenges and manage these effectively.
Support
As part of your course fee, you are given free and unlimited access to post-classroom tutorials. These are organised monthly and run by CMI qualified tutors to help guide learners through the assignment writing phase.
Training Course Content
Session 1
Characteristics and Qualities of a successful E.A
Key themes include:
- Flexibility & Adaptability - Handle shifting priorities with ease.
- Soft Skills – How & why your behaviour impacts others
- Tact and handling situations in a calm, professional manner
- Conflict and negotiation
- Discretion and confidentiality
- Multitasking and Organisational Skills
- Communication Skills & Relationship-building
- Resilience & Emotional intelligence
- DISC personality assessment
- Managing up & down
- Adopting a proactive mindset
Session 2
The Role of the Executive EA: Technical Skills
Key themes include:
- Data Management, Filing and Organisation: 5S, Retention, backup compliance e.g GDPR use of Metadata
- Knowledge Of Email Systems – Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, IBM Notes
- Report Writing – Status reports.
- Writing Minutes – Utilising technology
- Researching, Preparing Presentations plus Time & Project Management
- Process & continuous improvement
- Measuring performance – Balance scorecard
- Continuous approach to learning
- The World of Leading in a Digital Age
- Approaches to innovation and considering new technologies
- 18 mindsets and practices of excellent CEO’s
Session 3
Working with the Executive
Key themes include:
- Understanding How a Company Operates, From the Board Down
- What Is Good Governance?
- The Roles and Responsibilities of a Director
- The Roles and Responsibilities of An Executive PA
- What Is a Board?
- Understanding leadership vs management
- Building trust with your Exec
- Developing influencing skills
- Professionalism and Motivation
- Leadership Competencies
- Effective 1-2-1’s
Session 4
Understanding Strategy
Key themes include:
- Strategy From a Theoretical Viewpoint
- Working With Your Executive on The Strategy
- Financial Awareness - Financial accounting vs management accounting, financial statements – balance sheets and income statements
- Breaking down and analysing organisational financial statements
- Understanding the key varieties of “leadership” and how you can apply and utilise them in your role
- Helping to deliver corporate strategy
- Managing change through a collaborative approach – Change management cycle
- Corporate social responsibility & risk management
Course delivery details
On successful completion of the course, participants will have learned how to:
- Synchronise their role with that of the executive and provide effective support
- Set priorities, managing their role and career to meet executives’ needs
- Gain a greater understanding of the executive mind set and corporate objectives
- Handle stakeholders and their importance to the PA role
- Develop relationships throughout the organisation
- Understand the importance of emotional intelligence at work
- Understand verbal and non-verbal communication and negotiating skills
- Adopt different questioning styles
- Obtain an enhanced ability to influence others
- Delegate, multi-task effectively and take the initiative
- Address management theory and styles of management
- Understand the role of social media in the modern executive arena
- Address process and project management
- Work with key functions such as finance and human resources
Why choose In Professional Development
Delivered training to over 10,000 organisations
92% of delegates rate our courses as 5 star
Created over 2,500 CMI registrations
Request info
In Professional Development
In Professional Development are a professional training provider offering a wide range of professional development courses, on an accredited or non-accredited basis. Our course portfolio ranges from 1 to 5-day courses. We work with a range of partners to ensure...