How can you manage last-minute changes to your executive's schedule?

As an administrative assistant, you know how important it is to keep your executive's schedule organized and up to date. But sometimes, unexpected events, urgent requests, or conflicting priorities can disrupt your carefully planned agenda and force you to make last-minute changes. How can you handle these situations without losing your cool or compromising your executive's productivity? Here are some tips to help you manage last-minute changes to your executive's schedule.

1 Communicate clearly and promptly

When you need to make a change to your executive's schedule, don't wait until the last minute to inform them and the other parties involved. Communicate clearly and promptly through the appropriate channels, such as email, phone, or text. Explain the reason for the change, the new arrangements, and the impact on the rest of the schedule. Apologize for any inconvenience and thank everyone for their flexibility and understanding. Confirm that everyone has received and acknowledged your message and that there are no further issues or questions.

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Susan Shier

Mental health & admin coach - 35+ years in the C-suite. Helping solopreneurs offset mental overload with a done-for-you service and unwavering support. Life’s a journey—sometimes you need a co-pilot!
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Changes in executive schedules are a daily reality. With the pace of business, it is essential to remain flexible. When I worked for IBM, the hierarchical organization made it easy to know which meetings and which executives to prioritize time with. In the entrepreneurial world, this is much more challenging to figure out. I recommend phone calls and texts to communicate last-minute schedule changes. Email is insufficient as it will not be as timely for the recipient. Always consider the recipient's preferred method of communicating when reaching out.

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Aejaj Kadri

Senior Lead Engineer at Collins Aerospace
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Changes can be reduced by following System engineering methods and principles but it cant be eliminated. Changes in early stage of product development are less costly compare to changes at later stage. For any forseen change, imapct need to be studied thoroughly and then to be communicated with all stakeholder. Early eatablisiment of configuration management will help to track all changes effectively.

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2 Prioritize and delegate

Sometimes, you may have to juggle multiple changes to your executive's schedule at once, which can be overwhelming and stressful. To avoid confusion and mistakes, prioritize and delegate tasks according to their urgency and importance. Focus on the most critical and time-sensitive changes first, and delegate the ones that you can entrust to someone else, such as a colleague, a team member, or a vendor. Use tools like calendars, checklists, and reminders to keep track of your progress and deadlines. Don't hesitate to ask for help or feedback if you need it.

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Betty Loraine Southerland

(Retired) Administrative Specialist at Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); I am currently Retired from the FBI. Thinking about a 2nd Career.
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This is one of the areas everyone needs to learn to do. Delegate some work to others if you are in this type of position. It will help them grow an understand of how delegating work to others can take some of the burden off of you. You will have to put it altogether when they are finished.

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3 Be flexible and creative

Even with the best communication and planning, you may encounter situations where you can't accommodate all the changes to your executive's schedule without compromising their goals or commitments. In these cases, you need to be flexible and creative in finding alternative solutions. For example, you could reschedule a meeting to a different time or day, switch to a virtual format, or delegate it to someone else. You could also suggest a shorter or longer duration, a different agenda, or a different location. Think outside the box and try to find a win-win solution for everyone involved.

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4 Update and review

After you have made the necessary changes to your executive's schedule, make sure to update and review it regularly. Check for any errors, inconsistencies, or gaps that may have occurred during the process. Verify that all the changes are reflected in the relevant platforms, such as online calendars, booking systems, or travel apps. Review the schedule with your executive and confirm that they are satisfied with the outcome and that they have everything they need for their appointments. Anticipate any potential issues or risks that may arise and prepare contingency plans.

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Susan Shier

Mental health & admin coach - 35+ years in the C-suite. Helping solopreneurs offset mental overload with a done-for-you service and unwavering support. Life’s a journey—sometimes you need a co-pilot!
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In addition to ensuring the changes to the executive's schedule are made accurately and reflected on all platforms, I also collect background information that I know will be helpful for upcoming meetings. By understanding the purpose of the meeting, administrative assistants can collect documents to support the executive's preparation for the meeting.

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5 Learn and improve

Finally, use every last-minute change to your executive's schedule as an opportunity to learn and improve your skills and processes. Evaluate how well you handled the situation and what you could have done better. Identify any patterns or causes of frequent or recurring changes and try to prevent or minimize them in the future. Seek feedback from your executive and other stakeholders on how they perceived your performance and how you can improve it. Celebrate your successes and acknowledge your challenges. Keep a positive attitude and a growth mindset.

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Brian Daniel

Celebrity Headhunter • Former PA to Billionaires & Royals • Career Coach • LinkedIn Top Voice • Founder & Entrepreneur • Luxe B2B Consultant • Lifestyle & Travel Expert
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When scheduling for an executive, I usually already have a backup plan in place; that way, I'm not scrambling around trying to resolve the issue. Canceling an appointment sometimes has a domino effect, so knowing which appointments can be shuffled is important. Finally, if it's the other party that canceled an appointment with my executive, I will start speed-dialing parties who want an appointment with my boss to fill the empty spot (a version of "rolling calls").

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How can you manage last-minute changes to your executive's schedule?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Communicate clearly and promptly

2 Prioritize and delegate

3 Be flexible and creative

4 Update and review

5 Learn and improve

6 Here’s what else to consider

Administrative Assistance

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How can you manage last-minute changes to your executive's schedule?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Communicate clearly and promptly

2 Prioritize and delegate

3 Be flexible and creative

4 Update and review

5 Learn and improve

6 Here’s what else to consider

Administrative Assistance

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