The 360° Perspective: How an Executive Assistant Sees What You Don’t

Every business owner has blind spots. Not because they’re careless, but because running a business demands focus on the next move, the next meeting, the next opportunity. While you’re locked in on the big picture, dozens of small but important details can slip out of sight. That’s where a skilled Executive Assistant steps in bringing a 360° perspective that catches what you miss and keeps everything moving smoothly.

We've posted a photo of our Executive Assistant, Angie. It wasn’t your typical headshot. It was a selfie in a fisheye mirror.At first glance, it’s a fun, slightly distorted image. But for us, it’s the perfect visual for what an EA really does: see every angle, even the ones you’re missing.

As a business owner, your focus is often forward-facing: big-picture strategy, next moves, major opportunities. It’s not that you don’t care about the small details, it’s that your brain can’t possibly process everything at once.This is where an EA like Angie changes the game.

Business owners have blind spots.

When you’re moving fast, blind spots aren’t optional, they’re inevitable. Emails get buried. Minor contract errors slip through. A meeting invite gets sent with the wrong time zone. On their own, these might seem small, but stacked together, they can cost you opportunities, credibility, and even revenue.

A great EA works like a 360° mirror.

An EA isn’t just extra help. They’re the person scanning the whole room while you’re focused on one corner.They:

• Notice the misaligned numbers in a report before you present it.

• Flag a vendor’s delayed shipment before your client even asks about it.

• Anticipate that next week’s meeting location conflicts with another event, and fix it before it becomes a problem.

These are things you might never even know happened because they were handled before they reached your desk.

Why this matters for both clients and VAs.

For clients (business owners, CEOs, team leaders): If you’re only using your EA for task execution, you’re missing out. Give them access to the bigger picture and you’ll unlock their ability to anticipate instead of just respond.

For VAs and EAs: Don’t wait to be told every step. Train yourself to scan for patterns, inconsistencies, and potential bottlenecks. Your value multiplies when you can spot and solve problems your client hasn’t noticed yet.

Closing the loop.

That fisheye mirror selfie wasn’t just a fun photo. It’s a reminder that while you’re looking straight ahead, someone like Angie is quietly scanning the entire landscape, making sure nothing important slips out of view.

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to truly work with a 360° perspective, trust me: once you experience it, you’ll never want to go back to 90°.