What is the Difference Between a Chief of Staff and COO?
Listen to our podcast episode about this topic here: About 6 or 7 years ago, when I was beginning to explore where I wanted to take my career next, I did a deep dive into the career paths of Executive Assistant, Chief of Staff, and Chief Operating Officer (COO). As an employee of a startup, […]
What’s the Difference Between an Executive Business Partner and an Executive Assistant?
Listen to our podcast episode about this topic here: In the executive support and administrative professional world, titles are always a topic of conversation. From secretaries, coordinators and assistants to strategic partners, managers, business partners, force multipliers, and more, there seems to be an endless combination of titles available for these roles. And if it […]
How to Have an Effective Weekly 1:1 Meeting
Listen to our podcast episode on this topic here: Over the twelve years that Adam and I have worked together a lot has changed. We’ve built several companies, iterated others, coached thousands of people, wrote a book, launched two podcasts, learned how to become better leaders, and built a company culture of work-life presence. One […]
Why “Soft” Skills Are More Important Than Ever
For many years I downplayed the importance of soft skills, both in my own life and career and with candidates and employees. Why? Because they were too “soft” and I only wanted to be seen as a strong, hard-skill hitting business professional. Little did I know that soft skills are actually where it’s at. They […]
The Strategic Pause
Listen to our podcast episode about this topic here: When I talk to Executive Assistants, aspiring Chiefs of Staff, and other executive support professionals, there is always a common theme (okay, there are several common themes, but let’s just tackle one today): strategic thinking. Force Multipliers are asked to be more strategic at work, encouraged […]
5 Tools to Set Your Assistant Up for Success
You just hired an Executive Business Partner or Force Multiplier. Congratulations! Now, how do you set them up for success from day one? Over the course of the last decade, we have consistently utilized five game-changing tools with our new executive support professionals (heck, we use these tools with all new team members and leadership!). […]
Make Time for a Mid-Year Review Every Year
Most of us make time at the end of the year to look back on what went well, what didn’t, and to plan for the year ahead. That’s a great habit to get into. But a mid-year review can be just as effective, if not more so! Why? Because it gives you time to get […]
How to Create an Administrative Alliance at Your Company
The Force Multiplier position (Executive Assistants, Executive Support Professionals, Chiefs of Staff, etc.) is a unique and complex position. Individuals in these roles are simultaneously called upon to lead and influence change (with no formal title of authority), while maintaining diplomacy (saying enough, but not saying too much) and doing it all from “behind the […]
7 Strategies to Lead Through Influence
Jo had just finished meeting with the Executive Leadership Team on that quarter’s highest profile project. Action items were reviewed. Schedules were adjusted. Jo provided additional context to the team and asked for two specific reports to be delivered by the end of the day for review. Nope, Jo isn’t the CEO. Jo is the […]
Executive Assistant or Assistant Executive?
Listen to our podcast episode about this topic here: I’ve been in an executive support role for the majority of my career, yet it wasn’t until I attended a Keller Williams Realty conference and read The Millionaire Real Estate Agent by Gary Keller in 2011 that I realized that an Executive Assistant/right-hand partner role was […]
Finding the Right Force Multiplier
Learn to Lead, First One of my first jobs after graduating college was as a financial controller. The new job was great! I mean, I even had an assistant right away! Of course, I wasn’t exactly sure how to navigate that relationship, and often had her fetching me coffee, filing, and faxing documents for me. […]
8 Ways to Cultivate Confidence at Any Stage of Your Career
Listen to our podcast episode about this topic here: Confidence is one of the most oft referenced qualities of successful leaders and high performers. Yet, it’s also one of the most elusive to define. What is confidence and how does one get it? Are you born with it? Or can you develop confidence with enough […]
The Dichotomy of Leadership for Executive Assistants, Executive Business Partners, and Chiefs of Staff
I’ve always believed that Executive Assistants are leaders, but it’s more important than ever for Force Multipliers to lean into leading up. As AI and technology moves faster and faster every day, operating as a leadership partner in their organization is a must. Leadership is never easy, especially for those of us in Force Multiplier […]
Top 6 Lessons from The Art of Livin’ with Matthew McConaughey and Friends
On Monday I attended a special live virtual event with Matthew McConaughey, Tony Robbins, Trent Shelton, Marie Forleo, and Dean Graziosi. Yes, it was a live launch for McConaughey’s new online course, Road Trip, but that didn’t bother me! The five hour training was still packed with great information, thought provoking questions, and a whole lot […]
Want to Make Better Decisions? Just Sleep On It
Benjamin Franklin said, “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man [person] healthy, wealthy, and wise.” And, sleeping on it may just help you solve your next big challenge. As leaders and Force Multipliers, we don’t often get to see the good stuff. By the time something lands on our desk or in […]
So, You Want to Be a Force Multiplier? Your Questions Answered!
I always love reader/listener/community member questions! So, we are going to dive into some fantastic questions that some of our followers emailed in about how to launch a Force Multiplier career. Let’s get started! What skills are needed to land your first Force Multiplier type job? I’m a big fan of Patrick Lencioni’s book, The […]
Workforce Issues in the News and What They Mean for Leaders and Force Multipliers – March 2023 Edition
As founders, leaders, Force Multipliers, Chiefs of Staff, and Executive Assistants, it’s imperative that we stay on top of workforce trends and issues. They not only impact our career choices, but employee retention, hiring, company policies, and organizational culture. And when major publications, like The Wall Street Journal, enter the conversation, I pay attention. This […]
How to Use a Weekly Execution Plan
I’m not always the best at creating and keeping habits. #workinprogress However, one habit I have developed and maintained for over 12 years is completing a Weekly Execution Plan. It is the must-have tool that I use to stay on track with my personal and professional goals and priorities. And, I believe it has had […]
The Best Books of 2022 to Read in 2023
Depending on the year (and if you are counting self-published vs. traditionally published books) there are anywhere from 500,000 to 4 million books published. So many books and not enough time to read them all! I read about 90 books this year and I am hoping to help you weed through the sheer volume of […]
How to Use a User’s Manual
We just bought a treadmill to add to our home gym, and of course, it came with a user’s manual (via an app). It also had a few quick-start guidelines on the screen so we could get up and running (or in my case walking) in just a few minutes. Sure, I could have figured […]
How to Bounce Back and Beyond After a Layoff
It’s no secret that layoffs are at the top of the news cycle right now. Every other day, it seems that companies, large and small, are laying off staff and eliminating positions. While we aren’t going to get into the state of the economy today, we are going to talk about resilience and how you […]
Master the Art of Asking Powerful Questions with a Questions Journal
Whether you are new to the leadership game or have been leading others for years, it’s never too early or too late to learn how to be a great leader. And while there are endless ways to level up your leadership skills, today we are going to focus on the art of asking impactful questions. […]
Top 8 Takeaways from The Chief of Staff Network Summit
Last week, I attended the Chief of Staff Summit hosted by The Chief of Staff Network. The day was packed with tactical information, career advice, inspirational speakers, fresh ideas, career validation, and more! It’s always invigorating to be in a “room” full of your peers sharing best practices and perspectives, as well as learning new […]
End-of-Year Checklist for Leaders and Force Multipliers
The fourth quarter is here and it’s the perfect time to start planning for the year ahead! Leaders and Force Multipliers alike can benefit from goal setting, calendar planning, updating resumes, organizing information, and creating growth plans. Here are 10 ideas to help you end the year strong, and create a tailwind going into 2023 […]