Event - EAs of Tomorrow: Owning the Inside Seat
Tribe brought together Executive Assistants and business support professionals for EAs of Tomorrow: Owning the Inside Seat, exploring how the role is evolving beyond traditional support into strategic partnership.
The role of the Executive Assistant is evolving, and fast.
At Tribe’s EAs of Tomorrow: Owning the Inside Seat event, hosted by Karina Morelli, Lead Consultant of our Core Operations team, with guest speaker Kirsten Lunman, Co-founder of Powrsuit, Executive Assistants and business support professionals came together to explore how influence, trust, adaptability, and strategic thinking are redefining what it means to sit at the centre of leadership.
The conversation challenged a long-standing assumption: the EA role is not simply about supporting leadership, it is about shaping outcomes from inside the decision-making room.
From Support Function to Strategic Partner
For many EAs, the biggest shift isn’t capability, it’s perception.
Historically positioned as operational support, EAs often sit much closer to organisational decision-making than their titles suggest. This proximity gives them visibility, foresight, and influence that extends far beyond coordination.
The discussion explored how owning the “inside seat” means recognising the strategic nature of the role itself.
Much like marketing once had to reframe itself from a cost centre to a commercial driver, the EA profession is undergoing its own repositioning. Value is no longer defined by execution alone, but by judgment, anticipation, and organisational intelligence.
EAs are often the oil in the organisational machine, ensuring momentum continues while quietly identifying risks and opportunities others miss.
The opportunity now is to own that impact.
Influence Without Authority
A central theme of the session was influence.
Unlike traditional leadership roles, EAs rarely hold formal authority. Instead, their effectiveness is built on something more powerful: social capital and trust.
Influence is earned through relationships, not hierarchy.
The speakers described relationships as a professional bank account. Every moment of curiosity, empathy, or human connection is a deposit. Over time, those deposits build trust, making it possible to challenge thinking, share insights, and guide decisions when it matters most.
Small actions carry significant weight:
Noticing personal cues
Remembering details
Finding shared interests
Engaging beyond transactional interactions
These behaviours shift perception from “support role” to trusted advisor.
When people see the person behind the title, they are far more open to influence.
Emotional Intelligence as a Strategic Advantage
Emotional intelligence (EQ) emerged as a defining capability for future EAs.
Reading the room, interpreting dynamics, and understanding unspoken tension are not soft skills, they are leadership skills.
Many professionals are taught that strong performance will speak for itself. In reality, work rarely does. Relationships, timing, and trust often determine how impact is recognised and decisions are shaped. The modern EA sits at the intersection of people, priorities, and pressure. Success depends on the ability to navigate nuance, anticipate needs, and create psychological safety across leadership teams.
EQ transforms proximity into influence.
Adaptability Quotient: Thriving Through Change
If EQ is foundational, Adaptability Quotient (AQ) is becoming essential.
With organisations undergoing constant transformation, EAs are often central to change, translating strategy, supporting leaders, and helping teams adjust in real time.
Change is rarely comfortable. But adaptability is a skill that can be strengthened.
Rather than defaulting to risk or resistance, the panel encouraged reframing uncertainty through curiosity:
What if this works?
This mindset shift builds resilience and opens new pathways for growth, both individually and organisationally.
Future EAs will not just support change, they will help organisations move through it.
Reframing the Role From Within
A powerful thread throughout the discussion was internal narrative.
Many EAs still describe themselves as “just support.” This language can unintentionally limit how the role is seen — and how it is experienced.
Owning the inside seat begins with reframing contribution:
Recognising strategic impact
Articulating strengths clearly
Understanding influence within organisational systems
One practical takeaway stood out: ask colleagues what your strengths are. External reflection often reveals impact that isn’t always visible internally.
How EAs describe their role shapes how others value it.
Playing the Long Game
Influence is not built in moments, it is built over time.
Trust, credibility, and strategic partnership develop through consistency, curiosity, and human connection.
Owning the inside seat is less about hierarchy and more about perspective: understanding that proximity to leadership provides a powerful platform to connect people, shape conversations, and influence outcomes.
As organisations grow more complex, the EA role becomes increasingly critical.
The Future of the EA Profession
The EA of tomorrow is not waiting for permission.
They are relationship builders, change navigators, culture carriers, and strategic partners working quietly but powerfully at the heart of organisations.
The conversation made one thing clear:
The future of leadership includes those who enable it.
And for EAs willing to fully own their influence, the inside seat is no longer just a position, it is a leadership role in its own right.
Suggested Listening
If you’d like to further discuss the ideas shared in this session, or you’re ready for your next challenge in evolving your EA capability, please reach out to Cathi, Karina, or the wider Core Ops team at Tribe.
If you'd like to watch the full recording of the event, we have provided the link below.
