An executive needs to travel to France in four weeks. His passport expires in three. Paul Xavier has only recently started supporting him, and this is Paul's first call to the travel department.
He asks for help. The travel team talks him through the booking and paperwork, and Paul works through a narrow appointment window while keeping his executive informed and calm. It is the sort of problem that can consume an assistant's afternoon while barely registering on anyone else's calendar.
In this episode of The Front Office, Paul joins host Megha to discuss 35 years in administration, project management and HR. The conversation moves through the habits behind his work, from keeping a notebook to helping younger assistants trust their decisions. His advice is practical: understand what your executive needs, ask for support when you need it, and keep enough perspective to take care of yourself.
A strategic partnership starts with the details
Paul describes his career as a gradual move from tactical assistance toward strategic partnership. The details still matter. A missed meeting or a poorly planned trip can disrupt the work an executive is trying to do. Experience helps an assistant see how those details connect to a wider business purpose.
For Paul, that means asking why an executive needs something and understanding the reason behind the request. Knowing the purpose makes it easier to anticipate the next requirement, spot a problem early and make a useful decision without waiting for instructions.
He sees AI as a way to free up time for more of that work. If technology can help collect information or prepare a task list, an assistant can spend more time on project management and the partnership their executive needs. Paul returns to this idea later in the conversation, with a clear distinction between processing information and understanding people.
Write it down, then keep the system current
Paul always keeps a notebook nearby. He writes things down because he knows he will not remember every request. He prefers the physical act of writing, even when other parts of his work live on a computer.
His calendar routine gives the day a rhythm. He checks his executive's schedule around 9 a.m., noon and 3 p.m. Between those checks, he works through whatever is on his plate and brings the administrative team into conversations about upcoming needs. Sharing what is coming gives colleagues a chance to prepare.
The routine also gets reviewed. Every six months, Paul looks at his systems and asks what still works. Responsibilities arrive, others disappear, and a process that made sense six months ago may need to change. Keeping a system useful takes attention after the system has been built.
Composure gives other people confidence
Paul's rule for meeting senior stakeholders is simple: "Never let them see you sweat."
Before greeting someone, he takes a breath. Then he walks out with a smile and makes sure the visitor feels looked after. That might mean offering coffee, pointing out the bathroom or starting a short conversation about something on their professional profile before taking them into a meeting.
He compares good executive support to the work of an experienced restaurant server. A small need gets noticed and handled without interrupting the conversation at the table. In an executive office, that could be a reminder about whose name a reservation is under or a final check that a meeting went well.
These touches help an executive trust an assistant's judgment. Paul acknowledges the anxiety that can come with checking everything twice or three times. After years in the role, the habit can follow him home. Even shopping with his husband can turn into a coordinated plan to divide the errands and meet back in half an hour.
Relationships need a conversation
A CRM can hold contact details. Paul puts time into getting to know the people behind those records.
He calls client assistants, checks in with colleagues and pays attention to how people communicate. A conversation gives him a sense of someone's personality, including whether they enjoy a joke or prefer a more formal exchange. That familiarity makes later coordination easier.
He credits his workplace with encouraging internal and external relationships through mentoring and coffee chats. Some friendships have lasted well beyond the job where they began. He still meets people for dinner more than five years after leaving their company.
Maintaining those relationships takes judgment about timing. Paul gets his executives' requests moving first, then uses the time while others are working on them to check in with colleagues. He describes a team that understands competing priorities and supports people when they need help. The balance changes with the situation, especially when a client or a colleague has an urgent problem.
Ask for help before a travel problem grows
The France trip tested that support network early. Paul's executive needed to travel after his passport would expire, leaving little time to sort out the documents and an appointment.
Paul contacted the travel department rather than trying to solve an unfamiliar process alone. Their calm response helped him stay calm too. He arranged the ticket and worked through the paperwork and scheduling constraints described in the episode.
The story shows how much coordination can sit behind a short reassurance to an executive. Paul had to understand the sequence of tasks, get the right people involved and keep the paperwork accurate. He recounts it as a tense experience. Staying composed did not mean doing every part himself.
Give younger assistants a reason and room to act
When Paul delegates, he explains why the task matters. A younger colleague once thanked him for giving her that context because it helped her understand what she was doing. He has kept using the approach.
Confidence became a particular focus after an executive support conference in New York in 2019. Paul remembers being the only male assistant among roughly 500 attendees. A speaker's discussion of confidence and the different expectations placed on men and women made him think about how he could support other assistants in making decisions without constantly second-guessing themselves.
He also recalls speaker Erika Gilchrist's presentation and the response it drew from the room. The experience reinforced his interest in passing encouragement on to the next generation.
In a junior assistant working with him, Paul values resilience and grit. He describes how she broke down a challenge and considered what it would take to meet it. Technical knowledge develops with experience; he wants to see someone willing to work through a difficult situation and trust their ability to learn.
That trust has to extend to shared projects. Paul tells team members they can come to him with questions or problems, then gives them room to do the job. He has experienced micromanagement himself and knows how frustrating it is. Constant checking can deprive a colleague of the chance to build confidence through their own work.
Learn how the rest of the business works
Paul's experience across HR, contracts, risk management and operations helps him understand how departments connect. Each has its own priorities. Knowing those priorities helps him give a considered answer when a problem crosses more than one team.
He encourages assistants to explore other disciplines if they are interested, while making clear that it is not a requirement. His own preference has been to build knowledge within a company and become someone colleagues know they can approach about different parts of the business.
He acknowledges that younger professionals work in a different employment market and may gain experience by moving between companies. His point is to keep learning beyond the immediate task, whichever career path someone chooses.
That broader understanding also explains the return an assistant provides. Paul handles scheduling and changing travel plans so his executives can focus on clients and business decisions. The assistant absorbs work that would otherwise compete for their attention. He describes administrative support as part of the organization's backbone.
Use AI while keeping responsibility for the judgment
Paul has been experimenting with AI and sees useful applications in tasks and data. He also understands why some colleagues feel anxious about what it means for their jobs.
His view is that executive support depends on knowledge that extends beyond a task list. An assistant recognizes the politics around a meeting, knows when an executive looks stressed and understands the history of a client relationship. Paul believes that personal understanding will remain important as tools improve.
He wants assistants to use the time technology saves to contribute more to projects and executive planning. In his account, the opportunity is to spend more of the day applying judgment developed through experience.
It is also why he pushes back on the idea that anyone can do an administrative job. The work calls for technical ability, emotional intelligence and a growing understanding of how people and businesses behave. A calendar entry shows the appointment; the assistant needs to understand what surrounds it.
Take pride in the work and keep perspective
Asked which project makes him proudest, Paul chooses his wedding. He planned it himself for 60 people on a $7,000 budget. It was casual, the food was good, the surprises worked and everyone had a good time. His satisfaction comes through in how he describes it.
When he thinks about the next decade of executive support, he wants assistants to develop their technical skills and emotional intelligence while learning to see the bigger business picture. He also includes the habit of stepping back and taking a breath. The ability to anticipate a problem is more useful when you can respond to it calmly.
His closing advice brings that perspective back to the individual doing the work. Take the role seriously, keep learning and work hard, but remember that mistakes happen. A meeting going wrong does not have to consume your sense of proportion.
Paul knows how easily the role can produce anxiety and frustration. Humor helps him, as do friendly conversations with people he mentors. He starts by asking how they are doing and lets the situation guide the discussion. Looking after yourself is part of being able to look after an executive over the long term.
Watch the full conversation with Paul Xavier on The Front Office.