When Your Exec Gets Fired

What to Do, What to Say, and How to Cope

It’s 9:07 a.m. You’ve just logged into your calendar, cleared some overnight emails, and brewed your second coffee. Then comes the call. Or the Slack message. Or worse—the eerie silence followed by a calendar deletion and a flurry of HR invites. Your executive has been let go, effective immediately.

If you’ve been in the profession long enough, you know this scenario isn’t far-fetched. I’ve personally seen this happen three times in my career. Whether it’s a strategic restructure, a cost-saving move, or a decision you’ll never fully understand, executives leave suddenly all the time. And when they do, the impact on their assistant is profound—professionally, practically, and personally.

This is your guide to navigating what happens next.

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1. First Things First: The Immediate Aftermath

The shock can be real—even if you saw it coming. Whether your exec had a great relationship with the C-suite or was already on thin ice, being told they’re gone right now is jarring. You can feel a combination of surprise, anger, shock. Like the rug has been pulled out from beneath your feet. Plus in some cases, you can feel completely in the dark that something SO BIG could have happened under your watch without you knowing a thing about it.

Here’s what you should do within the first few hours:

a. Stay professional, even if you feel emotional

Even if you had a fantastic working relationship (or even a friendship) with your exec, your first job is to remain composed. Take a beat. Breathe. You don’t need to perform, but you do need to keep the wheels turning.

b. Get clarity from HR or the exec’s manager

You’re not just losing your exec—you’re also likely losing direction, approvals, context, and access. Ask:

• Who is their interim replacement?

• Who should you redirect their calendar, email, and projects to?

• Are you expected to support anyone else in the interim?

• Should you communicate anything to their stakeholders?

  

This is not being nosey—this is operational triage. I’d bet that in the majority of cases, some of these things have not been considered. Like who is going to sign off annual leave and the team’s expenses?

c. Secure access and documentation

If you still have access to your exec’s inbox, calendar, files, or systems, download or document anything that will help their replacement or their manager step in. You’re not spying; you’re safeguarding business continuity.

Be especially mindful of:

• Upcoming deadlines

• Approvals in progress

• Budget responsibilities

• One-on-one meetings or sensitive conversations

• Handover notes—if there are any

Oftentimes, IT will have had the direction from HR to cut all access immediately. You could lose everything. Which is why it’s so important to have considered this scenario in your business continuity planning. However, with the best planning in the world, you’ll still be in a bit of panic mode right now. That’s totally normal.

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2. Supporting Their Team Without Overstepping

If your exec was a department lead, their departure leaves their team in limbo. You may not manage people, but you are often the go-to person for reassurance, information, and structure. Here's how to support them: