How do you negotiate or reschedule meetings when your executive's calendar is overbooked or overloaded?

I am always in contact with my executive to be sure to know the priorities well. To use the Eisenhower matrix is a good method to define the importance and priorities of the meetings. Plus I would check if I my excutive needs to be present or not. Maybe an online meeting would be efficient as well, so he/she can save transit time.

Para otimizar a gest?o da agenda de um executivo sobrecarregado, é imprescindível que a secretária tenha profundo entendimento dos processos da empresa, desde os aspectos operacionais até as rela??es com investidores e clientes. Essa compreens?o permite a prioriza??o eficaz das atividades do executivo, minimizando interrup??es e garantindo um fluxo de trabalho fluido e eficiente. Ao desenhar uma agenda estratégica e produtiva, é possível evitar o excesso de reuni?es, proporcionando ao executivo um dia de trabalho mais focado e menos desgastante.

When dealing with an executive's overloaded schedule, as an executive assistant, I employ strategies such as prioritization assessment, transparent communication with meeting organizers, suggesting alternatives, prioritizing commitments, using scheduling tools, coordinating with the team, setting clear expectations, focusing on essential meetings, constant monitoring, respecting others' schedules, and fostering reciprocal flexibility.

The head of marketing emailed me requesting a last-minute meeting with the CEO for an influencer deal. The CEO's schedule was packed, so I called the marketing head for more details. The deal was attractive, but not urgent. The CEO's top priorities were a board meeting and budget finalization. I offered to attend in the CEO's place and both the head of marketing and the CEO agreed that this would more feasible, especially since the CEO trusted me to act on his behalf and the head of marketing trusted that I would do what was best for the interests of the CEO and the company. This story highlights the importance of assessing meeting requests based on urgency and priority, as well as having established trusted relationship dynamics in place.

Batch Meetings: Consolidate similar meetings to specific time blocks to minimize disruptions. Advance Agendas: Share detailed agendas beforehand for prioritization. Scheduling Tools: Explore tools syncing with the executive's calendar to find optimal meeting times. Stand-Up or Walking Meetings: Propose these options for time-efficient discussions. Delegate Decision-Making: Delegate non-essential decisions to streamline processes. Emergency Protocol: Establish criteria for urgent matters to expedite decision-making. Post-Meeting Follow-Up: Optimize processes to reduce the need for extensive post-meeting discussions. Celebrate Achievements: Acknowledge milestones without formal meetings to foster a positive work culture.

I suggest: 1. Explain the why - be transparent about the executive's priorities so that the counterparty knows why their meeting is being rescheduled, shortened, or cancelled. 2. Figure out the how - if someone had prepared to meet with your executive, their topic may have also been important and urgent. Based on that, rescheduling might not be ideal for them to keep moving forward on their tasks. As such, I recommend working with the counterparty to figure out an alternate way to connect with the executive (e.g. email, Slack, Loom, etc.).

That's really important: be polite but don't leave a doubt! Maybe the meeting can be recorded and your executive can send some thoughts for preperation upfront and his/her thoughts to the meeting afterwards.

I've worked for multiple notoriously overbooked/overcommitted CEOs. One CEO squeezed a meeting into his jam-packed day only for me to discover a scheduling conflict. Transparency is key, so I emailed the organizer expressing the CEOs dilemma, requested to reschedule for the next day and included the CEO's availability. The organizer, who was also a key investor, responded quickly and thanked me for the heads up. By providing an alternative solution and showing respect for everyone's time, I was able to secure the meeting and protected my CEO's overloaded schedule. It was a win for everyone.

Calendar automation is crucial for efficient executive operations, but basic tools like Calendly offer limited help. While they assist with scheduling, a more robust solution is needed for comprehensive automation. Tools like Execify.ai automate sending confirmation emails, updating calendars, and syncing changes across systems. Execify.ai excels in automating group scheduling, confirming meetings, and managing Slack and email threads. It sets reminders and alerts through various channels, ensuring alignment. This comprehensive approach streamlines communication and makes scheduling faster and more efficient, optimizing your executive's calendar management.

During the confirmation steps, don't forget to thank everyone who helped you find the solution or accommodated their calendars to align with your executive's. Maintaining positive relationships with everyone you come into contact with makes negotiating these tricky scheduling challenges much easier in the long-run!

In my opinion: to secure the worklife of your executive should always be the priority. Ensure enough time to breath, block slots for getting all the other stuff done, so he/she is not only in meetings and needs to do the rest in the evenings. Try to develop a good and effective system, to prepare and follow up meetings. If you need to cancel meetings for this, it is normal and good, if you are doing it proactively.

Waiting Lists: Place non-urgent meetings on a waiting list and notify participants when slots become available. Alternative Participation: Offer representatives or remote participation options if the executive's presence isn't crucial. Guidelines and Priority Slots: Establish meeting guidelines and reserve priority slots. Off-Peak Hours: Schedule meetings during less congested times, like early mornings or late afternoons. Delegate Decision Making: Empower others to make non-critical decisions in the executive's absence. Regular Review and Adjustment: Periodically review the executive's calendar and adjust for efficiency. Proactive Communication: Keep stakeholders informed of schedule changes and updates regularly.