Our Co-Founder & Director, Lindsay Taylor, was delighted to be interviewed by the IAM, featuring in their Member Newsletter dated 15th April 2025. Take a read here:
Who are you?
I am Lindsay Taylor, co-founder and Director of learning and development specialist, Your Excellency Limited. With a background as a former Executive Assistant and 30 years experience of the profession, I am an award-winning author, coach, and trainer, specializing in the professional development of administrative professionals. My career journey is rooted in understanding and championing the value of EAs and Personal Assistants (PAs) within organisations. I want to raise the profile of this profession through the provision of resources and Programmes. I hope you’ve also noticed the FInstAM designatory letters after my name? I’m proud to be a Fellow of your organisation!
How long have you been providing support to Executive Assistants and Personal Assistants?
I have been supporting EAs and PAs for over 18 years. This extensive period means I’ve been able to witness and contribute to the evolving landscape of the administrative profession, ensuring that our training and development Programmes remain relevant and impactful.
What are your main Programme offerings?
At Your Excellency Limited, we offer a diverse portfolio of Programmes.
The Mini MBA for Senior & Executive Assistants Programme: Our flagship offering is designed to equip EAs and PAs with strategic business acumen and leadership skills. This is a 5-month blended learning Programme that combines virtual training sessions with pre-recorded sessions where we give our learners access to a learning platform. We are really proud to have this Programme accredited with you, the IAM drawing on your provenance as one of the oldest professional bodies for business and administrative managers. Seeing that a Programme is accredited will give a learner confidence that the materials and content have had to meet stringent quality standards.
The Essential PA Programme: This Programme incorporates an Ofqual Regulated Qualification, namely SFJ Awards Level 3 Award in Professional Executive Assistant, Personal Assistant and Administration Skills. The Programme is held over 5 months and comprises of five one-day courses that can also be attended as standalone training sessions. We hold these sessions virtually. The Programme focuses on the core competencies required for excellence in the EA and PA role. The Programme is thorough and robust and requires our learners to submit written assignments after each training course which will evidence their understanding and application of the most up to date learning.
Lunch n Learn LIVE Webinars: These are monthly interactive 60 minute sessions held virtually. They address topics in demand for the profession and provide continuous learning opportunities. We draw on the expertise of our Business Friends to deliver some sessions for us too.
The Learning Passport : This is a 12 month subscription service that gives the learner access to a wealth of resources on our learning platform, including a fully digital version of The Mini MBA.
Bespoke Training : With over 18 years of expertise as learning and development specialists, we pride ourselves on delivering bespoke training that meets specific learning outcomes. We recognise that learners have diverse preferences too for their bespoke design – we offer virtual sessions, in-person training, and access to our comprehensive online resources.
From the perspective of the learner, what do you think are the benefits of virtual training?
Interesting question and I’m going to be totally honest with you about my marred view of virtual training “pre-covid”! Pre-Covid we were purely delivering in-person training. Obviously when the pandemic hit, we had to pivot like so many organisations and take our learning over to virtual delivery. Honestly, this was something I had been resisting for such a long time and Covid was the push we needed! Pre-Covid I wasn’t convinced that you could have the same interaction and rapport with learners “on screen” . I’ve been proved SO wrong and have to say, whilst the experience is different, you can absolutely still create a fantastic trainer/learner relationship, as evidenced by the fantastic Learner Success Stories comments we receive from our Graduates here.
So in terms of the benefits of virtual training, firstly I would say, cost-effectiveness: The price-point of our virtual training reflects the fact we don’t need to charge for travel or room hire so it’s a cost-effective solution when you want to gain sign off for your learning. And with many of our EA and PA learners working from home or sites outside their corporate walls, as long as you’ve got good wifi and an environment that’s suited to you joining in with the learning, you can choose where you’re most comfortable joining in from.
Virtual training means we can tap into world wide reach which then, in turn, expands our learners understanding of the profession globally and their network. We’ve delivered training to learners from across the world, obviously with some shuffling of time zones, but how great to be able to get our EAs and PAs together from different cultures to learn from each other and create a global connection and community!
What are the benefits of in-person training?
In person training is great for enhancing engagement. We favour interactive learning getting our learners to move around a training room to add to their learning experience. And, of course, there’s the fantastic networking element of in-person training too. We often hold our in-person training at great venues that provide show-rounds and opportunities for our EA/PA learners to “be in the know” about private dining spaces, event spaces or accommodation that they can add to their “little black book” when organising events and meetings for their Senior Leadership Team.
What are the benefits of self-study with access to learning that’s pre-recorded on the learning platform?
Taking our Learning Passport as an example, you can access the learning platform when and where you like so it’s really adding that flexibility to your learning journey and autonomy of course – you decide when you want to learn and how long you want to stay focussed on learning for. With access to recorded sessions, you can reinforce your learning by revisiting and watching sessions more than once.
How do you ensure you support learners and what’s your training ethos?
Our training ethos is very much set by Anton Chekhov’s quote: “Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice.” We emphasise practical application of newfound learning so that you can benefit from the learning. The assignments for our Essential PA Programme are a great way for learners to evidence their understanding of new models and theories and to detail how, when and where they will apply their learning in real work scenarios. Our Mini MBA learners pull together a case study drawing on all of their learning from the Programme – often an initiative or project that will benefit their organisation so they’re adding real value by applying their learning and making an impact for their team.
To combat the “Forgetting Curve,” which suggests that learners forget a significant portion of new information if not reinforced, we incorporate strategies such as interactive sessions which helps with learning retention. We provide follow-Up materials that not only reinforce but expand on any learning that we’ve shared during our Programmes.
Is there anything you’d like to add Lindsay?
Just a massive thank you for interviewing me and giving me an opportunity to share what we do here at Your Excellency. And to say that, as a learner looking for Programmes that are going to support your professional growth and development, “do your research”.
Make sure you know how the learning is going to be delivered and what suits you in terms of your learning style. Read testimonials and reviews from learners and Graduates who have studied with the training company. Find out what certificates you’re going to get from the Programme you’re considering – is this a recognised qualification, is it an accredited Programme? Is it recognised by employers and recruiters? Are the trainers qualified? What materials are you going to get? What extra support will be provided if you need it?
Due diligence is key when you’re investing in learning and development!
