You Are A Leader (A Thank You Note to Assistants)

For years, I foolishly thought leaders were the ones in charge, or the ones with important titles.

It turns out, everyone has influence and is a leader to those around them – even if they don't acknowledge it.

Do you see yourself as a leader?

I wrote a couple of open letters to those most people see as the leaders (the executives).

In the first letter, I asked executives to respect assistants. I was brutally honest and called out abusive and manipulative executives. Some of you may want to share this post to get the word out as you've (unfortunately) experienced this first hand.

In the second letter, I thanked all the amazing executives I’ve worked with for respecting and empowering assistants like myself. You may have had the same experience. If so, great!

I’ve received so much encouraging feedback for each of these posts, but this one is for the other leaders – the assistants!

So buckle up, and take this to heart, assistants.

Note: If you’re an Executive Assistant, Personal Assistant, Physician’s or Dental Assistant, Pastor’s Assistant, Office Assistant, Virtual Assistant, Administrative Assistant, Coach’s Assistant, or a combination of all of the above, this is for you!

A Thank You Note to Assistants

My Fellow Assistants,

Thank you for replying to that email. 

Thank you for picking up lunch, creating that slide deck, and booking that flight – all at the last minute. 

Thank you for being hospitable to billionaires and other VIPs while waiting for your always-late CEO to show up.

Thank you for fixing a typo that would’ve made your boss look unprofessional. 

Thank you for taking out the trash and ordering more toilet paper. Thank you for cleaning that coffee spill off the conference room carpet. 

Thank you for helping that new hire figure out the office printer. 

Thank you for having the courage to say "no" FOR your executive and TO your executive.

Thank you for drafting that proposal while your manager was out sick.

Thank you for scheduling meetings, re-scheduling meetings, taking notes in meetings, cancelling pointless meetings, and getting the best snacks for meetings.

Thank you for proactively managing your boss' calendar so they can spend time on what matters.

Thank you for making an executive decision on your boss' behalf when they asked you for help (and when they didn't ask you for help).

Without you, things fall apart. Without you, there’s chaos. Without you, your boss’ growth is stunted.

You are a go-getter, mind-reader, task-doer, project-manager, peace-keeper, travel-booker, get-things-done, rockstar assistant. 

Any executive, manager, vendor, pastor, janitor, or other team member with a brain is grateful for the things you do! 

You Are A Leader

I want to take the rest of this note to talk about who you are, not just what you do. 

You are crucial to the success of your organization and your direct supervisor. In fact, you are one of the most valuable members of the team, and the things you do make up just a fraction of that value.

You are what I like to call a “ Leader Assistant.” 

Take a few minutes to look past your to-do list full of menial tasks and think about your others-first mindset, your decision-making skills, and your key tribal knowledge.

Your ability to anticipate where the executive team is headed. Your confidence.

These are just a few of the leadership skills you possess as an assistant. I could list many more, but I'll save them for another post.

Instead, I simply want to encourage you to be a confident leader!

In closing, here is a quote on leadership from Jim Yong Kim to get your mind stirring…

“...for me, the most fundamental thing about leadership is to have the humility to continue to get feedback and to try to get better - because your job is to try to help everybody else get better.”

You are a leader. Go lead!

Sincerely, 

Jeremy Burrows, Fellow Leader Assistant

-----

*2 Ways to Take Action Today:

1. Comment below and tag an Assistant who needs encouragement!
2. Join hundreds of assistants from around the world and take the 30-Day Assistant Challenge email course to continue to be encouraged and stretched toward becoming a Leader Assistant. Challenge-takers get an email every weekday for 30 days that includes a bite-sized challenge they can tackle that day. Oh and it's less than .97 cents a day.

Feedback from Assistant Challenge Participants...

"The 30-Day Assistant Challenge was so inspiring. If you're looking to grow as an assistant, I recommend signing up today!"

- Eva S., EA in Barcelona, Spain 

"The challenges that Jeremy presented over the course of the 30 days were nuggets of wisdom that were insightful, helpful and encouraging."

- Esther C., Executive Business Partner at Google

"This is a great resource for both new and seasoned assistants - a great reminder on how to connect well with your Executive while finding the best ways to encourage your own personal growth and balance." 

- Stephanie P., EA in Grand Rapids, MI