The EA Campus Podcast
Do you want to know what it takes to work as a high-performing Executive Assistant? You’ll find out when you listen to The EA Campus podcast. Join Nicky Christmas, the Founder of The EA Campus, for a weekly interview with successful Assistants who all have first-hand experience and lessons to share on what it takes to excel in the role. Tune in, get inspired, and learn how to create an Assistant career where you are valued, motivate,d and ready to face every challenge head-on. Whether you are an Assistant just starting in your career or prepared to move to the next level, building a successful Assistant career just got a little easier with The EA Campus Podcast!
The EA Campus Podcast
Ep86: Getting Clear on What You’re Actually Responsible For
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January often starts with good intentions. New plans, new priorities, and a quiet expectation that you’ll somehow be more organised, more productive, and more on top of everything than ever before.
In this episode, Nicky Christmas kicks off the 2026 season of The EA Campus Podcast by tackling something foundational for Executive Assistants. Clarity around responsibility.
This episode is about the day-to-day reality of the EA role. The tasks that quietly creep in. The decisions you’re expected to make without authority. The mental load of holding context, chasing actions, and keeping everything moving. And how all of that shapes how productive, effective, and confident you feel in your role.
You’ll hear:
- Why responsibility often expands without anyone deliberately deciding it should
- The three types of responsibility most EAs carry, whether they realise it or not
- How unclear responsibility affects productivity, expectation setting, and your day-to-day workload
- What an alignment conversation with your executive actually looks like, and how to structure it using real examples rather than vague feelings
- A simple responsibility reset exercise you can do this week to get clearer on what you own, what’s shared, and what needs a conversation
Nicky also references several EA Campus resources during the episode, which you can explore here:
- Job description and role clarity resources: https://theeacampus.com/tag/career-development/ https://theeacampus.com/resources/job-description/
- EA task and competency lists: https://theeacampus.com/resources/task-list/
- Tools and tech masterclasses: https://theeacampus.com/masterclass/
- Virtual Summit taking place on 27 January: https://theeacampus.com/virtual-summit/
This episode sets the tone for the year ahead. Before new tools, new systems, or new productivity frameworks, it starts with clarity. Because knowing what you’re responsible for is the foundation for how you work, how you partner with your executive, and what a good day actually looks like.
If this episode resonates, share it with another EA who might need it right now, and make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss what’s coming next.