Beyond Administration: Why Today’s EA Operates Closer to a Chief of Staff

In recent months, a familiar refrain has been echoing across boardrooms, founder circles, and executive conversations:

“AI can handle what an EA used to do. Do I even need an EA anymore?”

It’s a statement rooted in a misunderstanding, not only of what AI can (and cannot) do, but more importantly, of what a high-performing Executive Assistant actually is. Because here’s the truth:

• A great EA is already operating far closer to a Chief of Staff than most leaders realize.
• AI can improve efficiency.
• AI can enhance productivity.
• AI can validate ideas, streamline workflows, and even draft communications.

But AI cannot:

• Replace discernment.
• Replace judgement.
• Replace emotional intelligence, subtlety, or situational awareness.

And it absolutely cannot replace the unique partnership a strong EA—or EA operating with CoS-level capability—brings to an executive and an organization.

The Myth of “AI Replacing the EA”

Let’s be candid: AI has changed the landscape of administrative work.

Routine tasks such as drafting agendas, summarizing meetings and sorting information can now be done faster than ever.

But administrative tasks were never the essence of a high-level EA.

The leaders who believe “AI replaces my EA” are inadvertently revealing something else: They have never truly experienced what a strategic EA looks like. The ones who have would never entertain the idea of replacing them with software.

• AI handles tasks.
• A modern EA handles outcomes.
• AI responds to prompts.
• A modern EA responds to context.
• AI can speed up a process.
• A modern EA can ask: “Should we even be doing this?”

That question alone is worth more than any automation tool.

The EA as Chief of Staff: The Shift Already Happening

Over the last decade, and especially in SMB environments, the EA role has been quietly evolving.

In practice, many EAs today:

• Manage cross-functional alignment
• Oversee execution gaps
• Bridge communication between the CEO and the team
• Prepare leaders for critical decisions
• Identify risks before they become problems
• Lead small but important strategic initiatives
• Improve workflows and build clarity across the business
• Act as the executive’s trusted sounding board

These responsibilities mirror the foundational work of a Chief of Staff. And yet, far too many of these EAs still carry titles, workloads, and perceptions that position them as “just support.” The gap isn’t their capability; the gap is the recognition of that capability.

Respect the Role, and You Transform the Business

For an EA to operate like a Chief of Staff, they must be treated like one, not structurally in the org chart (although that may come), but culturally.

This means:

1. Giving them access to information. You cannot expect strategic support if you only share tactical details.
2. Bringing them into the “why”. Context empowers decisions. Decisions reduce your workload.
3. Involving them earlier in discussions; many executives only loop in their EA at the execution stage, but the real leverage comes when an EA understands the reasoning behind the decisions, not just the instructions.
4. Trusting them with follow-through. A great EA ensures what was agreed actually happens. This alone separates high-performing SMBs from those constantly playing catch-up.
5. Using them as a thinking partner. Not for permission. Not for hierarchy. But because they see the organization from a unique vantage point, part operations, part communication hub and part executive proxy.

This is the same value a Chief of Staff provides - just without the title.

AI Will Improve the EA. Not Replace Them

Here’s the irony: AI won’t remove the need for an EA, it will elevate the EA.

By automating the tedious and repetitive, AI frees EAs to spend more time doing what humans do best:

• Reading nuance
• Managing relationships
• Spotting misalignment
• Understanding personalities
• Protecting focus
• Bringing empathy and stability
• Coordinating execution
• Translating complexity into clarity
• Being the executive’s anchor

AI is the tool.

The EA is the operator.

The CoS-level partner is the strategist.

These roles complement each other — they are not interchangeable.

Final Thought: An EA Is Never “Just an EA”

If the last few years have revealed anything, it’s this:

• Executives don’t need less support. They need the right support.

A great EA is not simply a helper. They are a stabilizer, a translator, a decision-filter, a guardrail, a conductor of priorities. In many SMBs, they are already performing work that mirrors a Chief of Staff, without the recognition, the structure, or the authority.

As the conversation around AI continues, leaders have a choice:

Reduce the EA role to tasks that technology can automate………

or elevate the human who can drive alignment, accelerate execution, and protect the executive’s most critical resource:

TIME!

One is replaceable. The other is indispensable.

If you’re reevaluating how to get the highest value from the EA you already have, we’re always happy to share insights or guidance.

You can reach us anytime at hello@yourpeas.com.