Why Executive Assistants and Chiefs of Staff Continue to Thrive Amidst Constant Change
If I were to go into battle with anyone, it would be someone who was growth-minded, resourceful, adaptable, a creative problem solver, and an influential leader. Why? Because those individuals are not paralyzed by uncertainty, can take various pieces of information and come up with a workable solution, they are not afraid to take action, […]
Can One Person Be Both an Executive Assistant and Chief of Staff?
The conversation around the roles of Executive Assistant and Chief of Staff continues! There are so many nuances, iterations, and evolutions of both of these positions that, for me, the conversation never gets old. I’m here for it! My current situation has got me thinking a lot recently about whether or not one person can […]
Own Your Executive Assistant Career and Invest in Yourself
There are a lot of resources out there about how to ask your boss or your company to pay for a professional development course, coaching, a certification program, or online training (see list at the bottom of this post). I’m a huge proponent of organizations setting aside sufficient funds for a training budget – particularly […]
Communicating Your Role as an Executive Assistant or Chief of Staff to Your Colleagues & Leadership Team
I’ve been working with Adam for about 10 years now and a couple of years ago the CFO for one of our companies said, “You realize no one has any idea what you do, right?” I laughed. How could it be possible that someone in our organization didn’t understand everything I do day in and […]
Navigating Decision Fatigue for Force Multipliers
Late last year, Adam wrote a great article about how Executive Assistants and Chiefs of Staff can help their Executive’s overcome decision fatigue. It’s an important topic and one I know that leaders and their Force Multipliers feel all too much. Decision fatigue is real. In the article, Adam outlined some strategic and tactical ways […]
Why Asking for Help Actually Helps the Company
Force Multipliers are the badasses of the business world. Okay, yeah, I might be biased, but I have seen first hand what Force Multipliers can do. Force Multipliers are problem-solvers and fixers. They are some of the most resourceful and connected individuals in your organization. If you have a challenge, bring it to your nearest […]
From Force Multiplier to Founder: Virtual Assistant Company Edition
I often get asked what the next career move is for Force Multipliers (Executive Assistants, Chiefs of Staff, and Personal Assistants). While I believe that being a Force Multiplier is a dynamic career in its own right, it may no longer be the right fit for the individual at some point, as with any position. […]
Keep Your Day Job & Create Multiple Streams of Income
I’m pretty risk-averse and yet at the same time I’ve always been the entrepreneurial sort. When I was about three years old, my brother and I collected rocks and pulled them around the neighborhood in our red wagon, yelling, “Rocks for sale!” We never did get that venture off the ground… As I grew older, […]
How Executive Assistants & Chiefs of Staff Can Effectively Work Together to Lead Up
A common question I get is, “What is the difference between an Executive Assistant and Chief of Staff?” Over the course of my thirteen years in the professional workforce, I’ve spent about five of those years as an Executive Assistant and about six years as Chief of Staff. I’ve seen the commonalities and overlap in […]
From Force Multiplier to Founder: Coaching & Training Company Edition
I often get asked what the next career move is for Force Multipliers (Executive Assistants, Chiefs of Staffs, and Personal Assistants). While I believe that being a Force Multiplier is a dynamic career in its own right, it may no longer be the right fit for the individual at some point, as with any position. […]
How Executive Assistants and Chiefs of Staff Can Help Their Executive Overcome Decision Fatigue
It’s been quite a year. 2020 has pulled no punches. Many of us are stronger, more resilient, more centered and more clear because of it. And, at the same time, I am starting to see fatigue set in with my team. They have been running hard all year, doing what needs to get done for […]
Then & Now: 10-Year Transformation of a Founder & Force Multiplier
Last week, Hallie celebrated her 10-year anniversary of working by my side at Adam Hergenrother Companies. We have both grown a lot over the years in our leadership and have learned a tremendous amount about how to build and scale companies (hint: it’s about hiring the right people and then organizing them in the most […]
Here’s What I’ve Learned Working for the Same CEO for 10 Years
On October 6, 2020, I celebrated my 10 year anniversary at Adam Hergenrother Companies. When I was first hired, I knew very little about real estate and building businesses, but I did know a thing or two about being an Executive Assistant. And I knew a lot about working hard to get results. I was […]
How to Position Your Founder as a Thought Leader on a Limited Budget
“Thought leadership” is one of the past decade’s business buzzwords, and it’s a good one! There are several definitions of thought leadership, all involving influence, inspiration, and implementation. There is one definition, in particular, I like by Denise Brosseau of Thought Leadership Lab: “Thought leaders are the informed opinion leaders and the go-to people in […]
New Job? No Problem! 4 Tips for Aligning with Your Executives
We recently hired a new Administrative Assistant, Brooke Murray, to join the Office of the CEO at Adam Hergenrother Companies. We run hard and we run fast and that means that our new team members need to dive in and get up to speed as quickly as possible. Brooke has been with us now for […]
Why Business & Life Coaching Isn’t Just for the Top of the Org Chart
There’s a common myth when it comes to leadership in the business world and it’s this – coaching is just for business owners and executives at the top of the org chart. Sure, business owners and executives should absolutely get coaching to level up their leadership. It’s essential for their personal and professional growth. But […]
10 Questions to Ask Your Leader to Help Prioritize and Execute Projects
One of the most important parts of being a strong strategic partner and invaluable Force Multiplier is understanding how your leader or Executive thinks and makes decisions. And because many of our leaders are visionaries and have brilliant ideas on the daily, it is also our responsibility to help them prioritize those ideas and determine […]
Executive Presence for Executive Assistants & Force Multipliers
Ah, executive presence. The often elusive leadership coaching catchphrase. What is it and why do you need it? Executive presence is quite a broad term and yet one of the key skills leaders must master at all levels of an organization. Executive presence is not just for CEOs or “Executives.” It is not something you […]
Strategic Partnerships in Action: Founder and CEO Adam Hergenrother & Chief of Staff Hallie Warner at Adam Hergenrother Companies
When we wrote The Founder & The Force Multiplier: How Entrepreneurs and Executive Assistants Achieve More Together, in February 2019, our focus was on the partnership between an entrepreneur and their right-hand employee (usually in the form of an Executive Assistant, Personal Assistant, or Chief of Staff). What we’ve realized over time is that the […]
An Open Letter to Leaders (and Their Assistants)
A letter from Adam Hergenrother, CEO of Adam Hergenrother Companies Dear Leaders: It should go without saying that this letter is for the assistants and Force Multipliers of the world, too. After all, they will have likely read this letter before you, vetted it, and then, if it passed muster, brought it to your attention. […]
Leaders Are Readers: Our Favorite Leadership Books
“Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” Harry S. Truman Leaders are readers because in order to increase our output, we must increase our input. Reading is such a great way to learn from the leaders who have gone before us, to dive into a subject and implement key concepts into your […]
Leading in Times of Uncertainty – How Executives & Force Multipliers Work Together
Business is always an interesting world to be in, and no more so then when you’re leading in times of uncertainty. Since COVID-19 has been deemed a global pandemic, we have been experiencing new ways of conducting life and business in the United States, particularly over the past couple of weeks. Many states are under […]
What Force Multipliers Should Look for When Partnering with a Leader
Last week, Adam shared what leaders should look for when hiring a Force Multiplier. That information is solid whether you’re looking to hire your first assistant or if you are considering making a change to your current staff. For Force Multipliers, it’s just as important for you to find your match by interviewing prospective leaders […]
How to Increase the Visibility of the Executive Assistant
The Wall Street Journal recently published a controversial article, entitled “The Vanishing Executive Assistant” by Rachel Feintzeig, which has been a conversation starter in the Executive Assistant community, to say the least. Why? Because much of the data used to illustrate the point was about secretarial and administrative assistant positions, not that of an Executive […]