Zooming Out: How OKRs Elevate Your Role as a Strategic EA

Welcome to the first of two October editions of AdminInsider, brought to you by The Linchpin Assistant.

Each month I focus on one of the five ‘Impact & Insight’ zones of our Linchpin Model®. This month, I’ll be sharing practical and tactical tips around ‘Your Role’. 

Succeeding in your role and being seen as a strategic business partner requires you to do things right and do the right things. To zoom out and zoom in. In other words, be both efficient and effective. 

How Does Zooming Out Help Me Do My Job?

Zooming out is all about aligning your tasks with strategic goals and  understanding, measuring and driving towards the sum of the actions that will help drive the business forward.

Traditionally EAs have prided themselves on and been valued for their efficiency. This is as it should be and will not (and should not change). However, in order to be relevant in an increasingly competitive business environment, you need to be effective too. 

Your executives need to do this too. They need to juggle multiple priorities and make strategic decisions that impact the future. To do this, they need reliable frameworks that help them manage complexity and deliver results. That’s where frameworks come in. They’re powerful tools that can bring clarity and structure.

But here’s the great news for you as an Executive Assistant. You can use these frameworks too. Elevating your support to new levels and driving success alongside your executive.

In this issue of AdminInsider I’m going to share the first of two different frameworks. This one is about zooming out and seeing the big picture (effectiveness).

In the next edition of AdminInsider I’m going to outline an efficiency framework called CPQQRT. 

But in this edition we’re focused on Effectiveness and the framework that’s relevant to that is OKRs (Objectives and Key Results).

What Are OKRs?

The OKR framework was first developed by Andy Grove, the former CEO of Intel, in the 1970s. Grove introduced the concept at Intel as a way to align and measure company goals effectively. He outlined it in his management book, "High Output Management."

Why OKRs?  

OKRs are about focusing on what truly matters, setting clear objectives that are ambitious and outcome-oriented, and tracking key results that indicate progress toward those objectives. This framework ensures that every action contributes to a bigger purpose, helping leaders and teams stay aligned with the organization’s overall strategy.

When I train assistants I include a learning activity that involves connecting your outputs to business outcomes. Stephen R. Covey famously said to “Start with the end in mind” and this activity is designed to encourage assistants to be curious about the ‘end’ that their executives and organisations are driving towards. 

In other words, you absolutely need to know what your executives' Objectives and Key Results so that you can work backwards from there. 

So that you can prioritise.

So that you can protect their time

So that you can manage their energy.

Unfortunately, many EAs that I train either don’t know their executives OKRs or only know them because they’ve seen them via their inbox access. 

They’ve actually not had a direct conversation with them about them. They haven’t been intentional or strategic around partnering in this area.

This is a problem. 

This is not what I want for you.

Instead I want you to state a positive intent with your executive…that you want to be well positioned to prioritise on their behalf, to protect their time and energy AND in order to do that, you would love to have visibility of their OKRs. 

Using OKRs to Align & Re-Align

Let me breakdown how OKRs align with effectiveness and some moves you could consider adopting that would elevate you and change how you’re perceived:

1. Objectives: The "What" and the "Why" 

In the OKR framework, objectives are clear, specific, and aspirational goals that define what you want to achieve. They give meaning and direction, ensuring that you’re focusing on the right things that will make a difference.

For an executive assistant, objectives could involve improving the executive's ability to make high-impact decisions, streamlining key workflows, or enhancing communication across departments.

How this drives effectiveness:  

- Objectives ensure that every project or task you take on is aligned with broader business goals.

- They keep you and your executive focused on what matters most, filtering out distractions.

Your move: 

- Collaborate with your executive to set clear objectives that align with their strategic goals.

- Ensure every task or project serves a broader, impactful purpose, not just a short-term result.

2. Key Results: The "How" and the "How Much" 

Key results are measurable and time-bound indicators that show whether you’re making progress toward your objective. These are the specific outcomes you need to achieve for the objective to be considered successful. Each key result should be challenging but achievable and should represent progress toward your effectiveness goals.

How this drives effectiveness:  

- Key results keep you accountable, ensuring that progress toward objectives is clear and measurable.

- They allow you to track success in a way that goes beyond just completing tasks—it’s about achieving impactful outcomes.

Your move:  

- Work with your executive to define key results that are specific and measurable.

- Use key results to track progress and adapt as necessary, ensuring that every step you take moves the needle.

In Summary  

OKRs are about effectiveness—ensuring that the right goals are being pursued and that each task contributes to a bigger strategic outcome. They allow you to be laser focused on achieving ambitious objectives and delivering measurable results that impact the business at a high level.

Implementing OKRs to Maximize Effectiveness in the EA Role 

As an executive assistant, you can implement OKRs to ensure that the work you and your executive focus on is not just done well, but also leads to meaningful, strategic outcomes.

1. Set clear objectives with your executive: For example, “Improve cross-functional team alignment within the next quarter.”

2. Define key results that measure progress: For example, “Host three cross-departmental meetings with clear action plans,” or “Increase inter-team communication efficiency by 20%.”

By working toward clear objectives and measuring key results, you ensure that the work you’re doing isn’t just efficient, but also highly effective—delivering value and moving the business forward.

Your Role is one of the five Impact and Insight zones that I focus on in my training, coaching, podcasting and speaking. If you'd like to hear more about this topic, make sure to follow me and The Linchpin Assistant and subscribe to this newsletter.