💼 A Personal Note from Joshua

🧠 Feature Insight

The Power of Reframing Your Executive’s Problems

Most assistants see problems as roadblocks, something to solve quickly and move on from. But strategic assistants flip the script: they see problems as opportunities to reframe the conversation with their executive.

Here’s how it works:

1️ Shift from Task to Context

Don’t just fix the issue. Zoom out and ask, “What does this reveal about the larger priorities, systems, or blind spots?”

2️⃣ Frame it in Business Language

Instead of saying, “The calendar is packed,” shift to: “We’re at risk of decision fatigue because your week doesn’t have recovery space. Let’s restructure.”

3️⃣ Propose Future-Focused Solutions

Don’t just solve today’s fire. Introduce a process or habit that prevents it from happening again.

Executives don’t just want problem solvers; they want partners who can reframe challenges into growth opportunities.

👉 This single shift is what turns an EA into an indispensable force inside the business.

🧠 Executive Coaching Corner

Shift the Frame, Shift the Game

When you practice reframing, you elevate the quality of every conversation. It shows your executive you’re not just reacting, you’re thinking strategically with them.

Try this the next time your executive brings you a problem:

• Instead of answering right away, pause.

• Ask one clarifying question that zooms out to the bigger picture.

• Then reframe it in business terms before offering your solution.

This little moment of reframing will instantly shift how your value is perceived.

🎥 Replay Access: The 3 Secrets That Shocked Senior EAs

If you missed last week’s webinar, I don’t want you to be left behind.

Here’s what attendees discovered (and why so many said their mind was blown):

• Secret #1: The Invisible Shift

  How a Strategic Shift in the Industry Is Creating a New Standard for EAs, And Why Ignoring It Could Cost You Everything.

  You’re now being judged by a new identity no one told you existed.

• Secret #2: The Strategic Identity

  How a Small Group of EAs Is Causing Executives to Start Seeing Them As True Strategic Partners.

  Assistants who’ve learned this strategy are no longer waiting to be chosen—they’re being invited to the table.

• Secret #3: Timing!

  Why Senior EAs “Can’t Afford” to Wait Anymore, And the Shortcut Strategic EAs Are Taking Instead.

  If the role is evolving, your development must evolve faster.

Don’t miss this, because the ones who stay blind to these shifts are the ones who get left behind.

✉️ P.S.

Your ability to reframe problems into possibilities is what makes you more than an assistant; it’s what makes you a strategic partner.

Keep practicing this, and watch how your executive starts relying on you not just for answers, but for foresight and wisdom.

You’ve got this.

Joshua Washington,

Senior Executive Coach