Lead with decisions due
A weekly brief is not a status report. It is a decision document. The principal should be able to read it in five minutes and know what needs attention, what is waiting, and what the assistant needs from them.
Add risks with owners and dates
Open with the decisions due this week: the item, the deadline, the recommendation, and the consequence of no decision. Keep it to five items or fewer. Anything longer becomes a list the principal postpones.
Show calendar pressure
Add a short risk section: calendar collisions, travel conflicts, overdue stakeholder contact, and unresolved vendor or board items. Name the owner and the date for each.
State what is already moving
Include a calendar pressure line. Show the meetings that require preparation, the back-to-back blocks, and the time available for focused work. This is often the most useful part of the brief.
Send it on a fixed schedule
Close with what the assistant will handle without further input, so the principal knows what is moving. Send it at the same time every week and keep a copy in the operating folder for the next assistant.
Frequently asked questions
How long should the brief be?
One page is the target. If it runs longer, move the detail to an appendix and keep the decisions and risks on the first page.
Who reads the brief?
The principal first. Share it with the chief of staff or operations lead only if the principal has approved that distribution.
Ready to define the role?
Use a recent leadership week to scope the support that would make the biggest difference. The consultation is a working conversation, not a generic pitch.
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