Why Top Performers Have Executive Assistants (And It's Not What You Think)

When you hear "executive assistant," what comes to mind? Maybe someone in a power suit, fetching coffee, screening calls, and making the boss feel important?

Yeah, I used to think that too. Turns out, we've got it completely backward.

The world's top performers don't have executive assistants because they're too fancy to book their own flights. They have them because they've figured out something most of us are still learning the hard way.

Your brain is brilliant, but it's terrible at multitasking. And every time you switch between "strategic CEO mode" and "did I remember to send that invoice" mode, you're basically hitting the reset button on your focus. Wing's executive assistants help high performers protect their mental energy so they can show up at their best when it matters most.

It's Not About Time (That's the Plot Twist)

Here's where everyone gets it wrong. They think hiring an executive assistant is about saving time, like you're too busy to handle your own email or schedule.

But that's not it at all. It's about saving brain space.

Think about it this way: right now, you're probably carrying around a mental list of 47 things you need to remember. Book that restaurant for your anniversary. Reply to that important email. Follow up with the vendor. Schedule a dentist appointment. Renew the domain registration.

Your Brain on Background Apps

Every one of those tasks is like having an app running in the background on your phone. Sure, each one only takes a little bit of battery, but have 50 of them running and suddenly your phone's dead by noon.

That's your brain when you're managing everything yourself. And the cruel part? You don't even realize how much energy those background tasks are draining until they're gone.

I've watched this happen with friends who finally got support. They'll text me like, "Holy crap, I can actually think again." Because suddenly all those mental sticky notes aren't taking up space anymore.

The Thing Nobody Tells You About Decisions

Want to know something wild? Research suggests we make about 35,000 decisions every single day. Most of them are tiny do I answer this email now or later? Should I take this call? Which of these three meetings is most important?

Each decision feels insignificant. But they add up like crazy.

It's like those games where you have to tap the screen really fast. The first 100 taps are easy. But by tap 10,000, your hand is cramping and you're way slower. That's your brain by 3 PM after making thousands of micro-decisions all day.

What Actually Changes

So here's what really happens when a top performer has an executive assistant. They're not getting coffee fetched (though, sure, that might happen too).

They're getting entire categories of decisions taken off their plate. "You own my calendar, just tell me where to be." "You handle all travel, surprise me with something good." "You manage the logistics, I'll focus on the strategy."

It's not about delegation. It's about creating zones where someone else is making the call so your brain can actually rest in those areas.

They Start Noticing Patterns You Miss

Here's something that surprised me when I learned about executive assistant relationships that really work. After a few months, your assistant starts knowing you better than you know yourself in weird, specific ways.

They'll notice stuff like, "Hey, you're always exhausted after back-to-back Zoom calls, so I'm building in 15-minute buffers." Or "You never eat lunch when your calendar's packed, so I'm blocking lunch whether you like it or not."

It's like having someone running diagnostics on your operating system. They catch the bugs before you crash.

The Focus Thing Is Real

You know how athletes have coaches even though they obviously know how to play their sport? Same concept here.

When Serena Williams is preparing for a championship match, she's thinking about her serve, her opponent's weak backhand, and her mental game. She's not thinking about whether her racket got shipped to the right hotel or if someone remembered to book the practice court.

That's what an executive assistant does. They handle everything around the performance so you can focus on the performance itself.

Not All Communication Deserves Your Attention

This one's huge. Most of us treat all incoming messages like they're equally important. Spoiler: they're really, really not.

A good executive assistant becomes this intelligent filter for your life. They can look at an email and know whether it needs you, needs a delegate, or can be handled with a polite "thanks, but no thanks."

You're not ignoring people, you're being strategic about where your attention goes. Your time gets reserved for the conversations where you actually make a difference.

The Meeting Nightmare We All Live

Let me paint you a picture. You've got eight meetings today. Three of them don't need to happen. Two of them don't need you specifically. And the other three could be way more focused if someone actually prepared an agenda.

Sound familiar? That's pretty much every executive's calendar by default.

An executive assistant doesn't just schedule meetings; they protect you from them. They're asking the hard questions: "Does this actually need to be a meeting? Does it need to be an hour? Does it need you?"

Energy Management Changes Everything

Here's something most productivity advice gets wrong. They talk about time management like every hour is the same.

But you know that's not true. You've got hours where you're sharp and creative, and hours where you're basically a zombie scrolling through emails pretending to work.

A great executive assistant learns your rhythms. They start structuring your day around your energy, not just your time. Hard thinking in the morning when you're fresh. Routine stuff in the afternoon slump. Nothing drains right before an important presentation.

The Hidden Opportunity Cost

Let's get real about money for a second. If you're running a company or leading a team, your strategic thinking is worth a lot.

Every hour you spend tracking down documents, coordinating schedules, or managing logistics is an hour you're not spending on the things only you can do. That client pitch. That product strategy. That key hire.

If your time is worth $300 an hour to your business (and if you're a senior leader, it probably is), spending 10 hours a week on admin stuff is costing you $156,000 a year in lost strategic work. That's not just an expense, that's an investment gone wrong.

It's Not Just Work Life

Here's something that surprised me. The best executive assistant relationships don't stop at work boundaries.

Because here's the truth, your life isn't actually in separate compartments. When you're stressed about forgetting your mom's birthday or your kid's soccer schedule or getting your car registration renewed, that stress doesn't magically disappear when you open your laptop.

Top performers get this. They use their executive support to manage life, not just work. Because a calm personal life means better professional performance.

The Information Overload Problem

Ever waste 20 minutes looking for that one email from three weeks ago? Or trying to remember what was decided in that meeting last month?

That stuff adds up. And worse, it breaks your flow every single time.

An executive assistant creates systems for all that. They organize your files, summarize key meetings, and prep you before important calls. You stop being a human filing cabinet, trying to remember where everything is.

The Relationship Part Matters

This isn't a transaction. The best executive assistant partnerships are actual partnerships.

You're not managing them, you're collaborating. They're thinking about your success as much as you are. They're bringing ideas, catching problems before they happen, and actively making your life better.

It feels less like "I hired help" and more like "I gained a teammate who's got my back."

What Really Changes

People who get executive support for the first time always tell me the same thing. It's not that they suddenly have more hours in the day.

It's so that they can think clearly again. They have space for the big picture. They're not constantly firefighting. They can be strategic instead of just reactive.

One CEO friend described it like this: "It's like I was running with a 50-pound backpack, and I didn't even realize how heavy it was until someone took it off."

The Mental Health Side Nobody Talks About

Leadership is lonely. You're making decisions that affect people's livelihoods. You can't always share what's stressing you out. The weight of it all is real.

Having someone who gets it, who's working to make your days manageable, who's thinking about your wellbeing? That's not a luxury. That's preventive maintenance for burnout.

You can't keep pouring from an empty cup. And trying to do it all yourself is how the cup gets empty.

Let's Be Real About This

Top performers don't have executive assistants because they think they're too important to handle their own stuff. They have them because they understand something crucial about how humans actually work.

Your brain is your most important tool. Protecting its capacity for the work that matters most isn't about status it's about being smart with your resources.

The executives who scale their impact aren't the ones doing everything themselves. They're the ones who've figured out that success isn't about how much you can handle it's about how well you can focus on what truly matters.

An executive assistant isn't about having someone do your job. It's about having someone clear the path so you can do your best work. That's the real difference between being busy and being effective.

The question isn't whether you're "important enough" to deserve support. It's whether you're serious enough about your impact to set yourself up for success.

Because at the end of the day, you're not outsourcing work. You're protecting your ability to do the work only you can do. And that's worth everything.