Why Small Businesses Can Benefit from a Chief of Staff Too
Harvard Business Review published a great article about the role of Chief of Staff in the May-June 2020 issue, entitled, The Case for a Chief of Staff. I think it quite clearly outlined the responsibilities and primary duties of a Chief of Staff (CoS) for what appeared to be larger, more well-established organizations. Clearly, these […]
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 […]
Strategic Partnerships in Action: CEO Tricia Sciortino & Executive Assistant Melissa Lawrence at BELAY
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 […]
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 […]
Creating a Mindful & Conscious Culture at Work
One of my favorite parts of working at Adam Hergenrother Companies is the company’s commitment to radical transparency and fierce conversations. A close second is the company’s openness and encouragement to bring our whole selves to work. We are not asked to forget that we are partners, caregivers, volunteers, travel bloggers, runners, or reality TV […]
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 […]
What Leaders Should Look for When Hiring a Force Multiplier
If you’re new here, let’s first talk about what makes a Force Multiplier. It’s always important to get clear on the “what” before we start looking for the “who”. Force multiplication refers to a factor or a combination of factors that dramatically increases (hence, “multiplies”) the effectiveness of an item or group, giving them the […]
Who’s the Boss? Part 2 – Impostor Syndrome Between Strategic Partners
This is the second installment of a three-part series that explores the complex role of a Force Multiplier (Chief of Staff or Executive Assistant) and how they are called upon to lead and assist various stakeholders across an organization. You can read Part 1 How Force Multipliers & Executive Assistants Juggle Multiple Stakeholders here. Impostor […]
Who’s the Boss? Part 1 – How Force Multipliers & Executive Assistants Juggle Multiple Stakeholders
This is the first of a three-part series that will explore the complex role of a Force Multiplier (Chief of Staff or Executive Assistant) and how they are called upon to lead and assist various stakeholders across an organization. As Chief of Staff you are responsible for supporting your Principal and ensuring that their vision […]
When to Hire Your First Force Multiplier is Up to You
The Kings (and Queens) of Westeros had their Hand of the King (long live Ned Stark!). Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush had their Chief of Staff, James Baker III. Don Corleone had his consigliere, Tom Hagen. Jack Welch had his long time assistant, Rosanne Badowski. Look around. Who’s standing next to you? There […]
Start With How
In the Chief of Staff role, particularly because it is often ambiguous and fluid, it’s so easy to focus on the what. I’m guilty of it. I like things to be categorized, labeled, and neatly organized into well-defined boxes. I’m always asking myself, “What to I need to get done today?” “What is my role?”, […]
Why Force Multipliers Thrive in a Changing World
I’ve never really been “great” at anything. Good? Sure. At a variety of things. But never really great. I have a wide array of interests, know a little about a lot, and enjoy researching, reading, and collecting information on many different subjects. A subject expert, I am not. Unless, that subject is as broad as […]
Why Would Someone Want To Be Your Assistant?
Hallie just celebrated her nine year anniversary working with me, and Amy is coming up on year two. That’s no easy feat! I’m not always easy to work with and I know it (so do they!). I have high standards and a high sense of urgency. I expect resourcefulness and a “figure it out and […]
What it Means for an Executive Assistant to Think Like a CEO
Several weeks ago I had one of the most exciting and nerve-wracking moments of my life… speaking on stage in Austin in front of 10,000 people on a panel lead by two of the great leaders, Gary Keller and Jay Papasan. I’m a Chief of Staff, former Executive Assistant, and I have purposefully chosen a […]
5 Ways Business Builders and Assistants Achieve More Together
I’ve been in the real estate arena for 13 years now and early on I realized that if I wanted to achieve the levels of success I had envisioned, I would not be able to do it alone. When I graduated college, I started working as a commercial underwriter (which only lasted about six months […]
5 Ways Executive Assistants Can Add Value to Their Company
Last week at a networking event I was called an “office girl” and a “very powerful person” within about 10 minutes by two different people. Yes, I am female. And yes, I work in an office. But that’s about the extent of my identification with the label “office girl.” I mean, what is an office […]
Do This One Thing to Have More Effective Communication at Work
Remember the days when you’d anxiously wait for a call from that girl you liked, only to find out it was your Uncle calling to chat with your Dad? No? Just me? Okay, how about when you were 5 or 6 and loved every opportunity you got to call your grandparents just to tell them […]
Are Private Offices and Closed Door Policies Making a Comeback?
In early 2017, one of my companies, BlackRock Construction, was finishing construction on a new Adam Hergenrother Companies headquarters. While we were in the home stretch, I gave a tour of our new office building to my team. Drywall was up. Windows were going in. And painting was about to start. The office building has […]
5 Things You Need to Decide Before You Become an Entrepreneur
I studied business and finance in college and like any optimistic kid from small-town America, I had my sights set on Wall Street. Bright lights. Big city… where dreams are made of, the lights will inspire you… New York. Corporate America, working for “the man,” those were things that got me excited. While I didn’t […]
How Leaders Can Solve Traffic Jams in Business
If you’ve ever traveled (or just tried to get from one end of the town to the other) during the holidays, you know how crazy people can get! People rush around making sure to pick up Uncle Martin’s favorite cranberry sauce, text their wife while driving, “Where am I picking up the kids?,” speed down […]
The 3 Most Important Things a Leader Must Do
At some point in your entrepreneurial journey, you’re going to wake up and realize that you no longer have a job. Okay, that could be because you built up your company and sold it, but more often than not it’s because you have surrounded yourself with great talent and you are no longer needed in […]
4 Ways to Attract Talent During a Tight Labor Market
My organizations are still considered “small businesses.” Yes, we have over 300 independent contractors nationwide, yet we currently employ under 50 individuals. Adam Hergenrother Companies may be small in staff, but we hit $1 billion in annual revenue across all companies recently. We’re continuing to grow, expand our offerings, and help more clients and customers […]
5 Ways to Grow Your Leadership Capital
As much as business and politics are sometimes at odds with one another, they really go hand in hand. Whether we like it or not, what happens in the global political arena affects the markets. And very often, what happens with the economy affects policy. Business and politics overlap. That’s just a fact. But, I’m […]
The 3 Key Hires You Need for Any Business
Learn how to hire an assistant who will Force Multiply your business with Hallie Warner on April 28th, 2022! Click to learn more about this free webinar. “You don’t build a business. You build people, and people build the business.” -Zig Ziglar Whether you are a sole-proprietor looking to grow your retail store, an investor […]