Annie Croner [00:00:01]:
Welcome to the Whole Assistant Podcast, where assistants come to embrace their badassery and discover how to show up more strategically for their careers, their executives, and most importantly, themselves. I'm your coach, Annie Croner. Join us as we dive into the skills, strategies and mindset that will help you unleash your full potential. Let's go. Welcome back to the Whole Assistant Podcast. Today I'm going to be sharing three things that AI will never, ever replace. So this month in Empowered Seat we are delving into a training by Ebony Bellheimer around AI and the executive assistant. And so this topic has been top of mind for me and I think the role of executive assistant has evolved over time and I think it will continue to evolve.
Annie Croner [00:00:50]:
And in part that evolution will come as a result of AI and all that AI has to offer. And while we are not replaceable, and I'm going to break down three areas specifically, specifically, which cannot be replaced by AI in a minute, there are a few things that AI will offload from us as executive support professionals. Repetitive work, low level execution, information retrieval, basic drafting, transactional support. Those types of things will all be replaced by AI. And thank goodness, because the repetitive tasks were always a task that I really didn't care for so much. Not that I didn't like and enjoy executing the systems that I had built and created for myself or but part of the reason why I built those systems was so that it would help with execution and streamline it and so that I wouldn't take so much time to actually action on those things. And I am really excited because this is going to help us level up as more strategic business partners. And so there are a few things that AI will not replace.
Annie Croner [00:01:55]:
And while I'm a big fan of you educating yourself, maybe even joining Empowered Seat to take this training in the Vault this month. And if you're listening to this after this month, after May 2026, that's okay. There is the backlog of training in the Vault. You can go have a listen to this training at any point in time within the membership. But here are the things that AI will never replace in terms of our function in any organization and with our executives. It will not replace your intuition. So I like to refer to this as your inner spidey sense or inner knowing. Some of us refer to it as a holy spirit, that small inner voice that is nudging us.
Annie Croner [00:02:40]:
And I have never ever gone wrong with trusting my intuition. And if your spidey sense is activated, I would highly encourage you pay attention to that. And as Someone who didn't really trust myself or my intuition for a long time. Cultivating self trust can be a challenge. This is because a lot of us have been taught to look outside of ourselves for the answers. And this is not necessarily a bad thing. Because we're seeking wisdom, we want to know the best action to take. But to deny ourselves, to not look inward and to ask ourselves for the answer can also be detrimental as well.
Annie Croner [00:03:18]:
If we're always looking outside of ourselves for some outside answer, we aren't actually cultivating that inner trust and we aren't actually looking inward to see what our intuition has to say. And so for sure, source outside wisdom. But then before you take an action, do a gut check. Just make sure that it aligns with your gut before you actually action on it. And one of my favorite things as a coach is to help my clients cultivate their intuition. This there again is because for a long time I wasn't trusting myself, right? And so I will say that as my intuition has gotten stronger and stronger, I am able to trust myself faster and faster. I'm able to make decisions faster and faster because I know myself so well. I know what aligns with me and my values, I know what doesn't align with me and my values.
Annie Croner [00:04:07]:
And it's a lot easier to dismiss those things that don't align now. Whereas before I would take in all this information and I would try and analyze it in my brain and it would be very challenging for me. So really cultivate that inner knowing and also just know that if it's that voice is really small right now, that once you listen to it and once you action on what you hear from your intuition, that it will grow, it will grow and it will get bigger and you'll be able to action on it faster and faster. And that self trust piece will be activated more and more. But we actually have to listen to that still small inner voice. Another thing that AI will never replace is just our human being judgment. I'm talking about cognition here. AI cannot replace an assistant's vantage point when it comes to the downstream impact of decisions coming down from leadership.
Annie Croner [00:05:01]:
And so there again, you have a unique vantage point in your organization, in your company. And so actually looking up and seeing what's coming and then guiding our leaders as well, because they don't have all the information, they don't have all that, you know, because people are luckily giving them a very curated vantage point. They aren't getting the full scope of the reality of people's situations. They aren't getting the full scope of what people actually think. And so you are the only person in your organization who can actually offer that wisdom and insight to them. Because in all likelihood, people are coming and complaining to you and they feel more open and comfortable with you than they ever will with your leadership. So just know this piece that is a piece that cannot be taken away from you as an executive assistant. And, and I also think that AI doesn't actually understand people, so it cannot understand organizational politics or interpersonal dynamics.
Annie Croner [00:06:01]:
It can't understand the full scope of context or what matters right now in your organization. What matters right now for your executive AI will never be the anchoring force or the calm in the storm. As a result, that calming presence, that very human presence that is necessary for executives to stay anchored and grounded. And oftentimes in any situation, we can be that grounding force. We can be that anchoring force in the storm. So just know that AI is not going to replace that piece. We're going to take a brief break now and when we come back, I'm going to share the third and final thing that AI will never replace. Hey there, quick pause.
Annie Croner [00:06:46]:
Do you want to grow in your career but don't have a ton of extra time, money, or, let's be honest, energy to commit to leveling up? If this is you, I have got you. Empowered Seat is my intentionally affordable membership for busy executive assistants and support professionals who are done white knuckling their careers in isolation. Inside Empowered Seat, you get support that's actually built around you. You're going to get access to me inside of our VIP online community. You're going to get two monthly calls with me as well, a monthly training session you can watch or listen to on the go. It's pre recorded, so you can either listen through our private podcast or in the vaults. It's affordable, practical, sustainable growth built by someone who gets it. If this sounds like what you've been looking for, you can learn more and join empowered seat@wholeassistant.com empowered seat or just click the link in the show notes below.
Annie Croner [00:07:40]:
Now back to the episode. Okay, so the third and final thing that AI will never replace is your influence and impact. AI will never replace your ability to partner with your executive when it comes to their personal brand. You are an extension of your executive in so many ways and you're the keeper of their personal brand. We also manage their calendars and that sort of thing. So of course when people interact or want to interact with their executive, chances are they're going to be interacting with you as well. So just be aware of that. And I think oftentimes we forget that piece.
Annie Croner [00:08:21]:
And of course, we are the keepers of our own personal brand as well. But you're also the keeper of your executive's brand. So AI will never replace your unique position and being able to have hard conversations with your executive. These are the conversations that often nobody else can have. And I'm gonna actually give the example I think I've given it before on this podcast. I was with this client one time and her executive was favoring a member of the executive leadership team and everyone on the team knew it and it was really harming the culture of the elt. And so she had to have a difficult conversation with her executive about that. And she was the only one who could because she was the only one who wouldn't be perceived as being jealous of the fact that this person was favoring a member of the elt.
Annie Croner [00:09:10]:
And she was able to stop that from happening and to move forward with her executive. And that is a powerful place to be. And AI is not going to replace that piece. They're not going to replace the way we have our executives back. They're not going to replace the way that we have the organization's back and, and the team's back as well. AI is also never going to replace your ability to foster great relationships within your organization, especially among the EA team, the admin team. Those relationships are kindred. And the more I go down this path of coaching groups, I've been coaching groups of executive assistants and organizations lately.
Annie Croner [00:09:50]:
I am super aware of just how much the EA team and the admin teams affect the company culture. And there's just so much cross departmental communication that happens among the admin team. There's also system, systematization across the board, across organizations that are often led by the executive assistant team or the admin team. So just know that is a huge piece of value that you're adding in terms of your influence. So those are the things that really have an impact that AI will never replace or never even touch and that human intelligence can really lend itself to. So I hope you found this episode helpful. I know it's short and sweet today, but that's what I have for you. Be intentional.
Annie Croner [00:10:41]:
Be whole. That is all for now. If today's episode gave you language clarity or just a quiet, oh, it's not just me. I am so thrilled you're here. If this podcast has been helpful for you, the easiest way you can support the show is by taking 30 seconds to rate and review it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. This helps more assistance Find this work and if you're ready for ongoing support, guidance, community and growth that actually fits into your life. Empowered Seat is where we continue this work together. It's affordable, flexible and designed for assistants who are done white knuckling their careers in isolation.
Annie Croner [00:11:19]:
You can learn more and join@wholeassistant.com empowered seat or click the link in the show notes below and until next time, go embrace your bedassery.
