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!). […]
6 Things You Need to Know About Working With a Founder
Listen to our podcast episode about this topic here: I’ve worked with a multi-passionate entrepreneur for over twelve years. I have some (albeit limited) experience working for leaders in more traditional settings (a diligent and determined non-profit Executive and the leader in the bureaucratic environment of secondary education). Suffice it to say, I knew those […]
The 5 Daily Accountability Questions
The 5 Daily Accountability Questions is great communication tool we use with all of our team members. I have all of my direct reports email me their questions at the end of every day. In turn, they have their staff members email these questions to them, and so on, throughout the organization. It creates a […]
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 […]
8 Ways to Create a Positive and Powerful Relationship with Your Executive Assistant
You may have seen or heard of successful long-time leader/Force Multiplier (a.k.a. Executive Assistant, Chief of Staff, Executive Business Partner) partnerships such as Conan O’Brien and Sona Movsesian, President Obama and Reggie Love, Eric Schmidt and Ann Hiatt, John F. Kennedy, Jr. and RoseMarie Terenzio, Sara Blakely and Kenya Graham and Lisa Magazine, and of […]
What is Organizational Whiplash?
Listen to our podcast episode about this topic here: Leaders, particularly entrepreneurial, visionary leaders, have great ideas on the daily. Well, some ideas are greater than others, but these leaders certainly don’t lack the ability to generate ideas at a sometimes alarming rate. I’m sure you’ve been in a meeting or on an email thread […]
4 Reasons You Should Never Miss a Meeting With Your Executive Assistant or Chief of Staff
“My Executive canceled our weekly 1:1 meeting… again.” This might be one of the most frequent frustrations we hear from Force Multipliers. These weekly 1:1 meetings between a leader and their right hand partner are often the only dedicated time that an EA or Chief of Staff has to meet with their Exec during the […]
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 […]
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 […]
Survey Says: Confidence, Career Development Opportunities, and Communication are Key
A few months ago, we conducted a survey for Founders, leaders, Force Multipliers, Executive Assistants, and Chiefs of Staff to find out more about how we can help you grow in your business, your career, and your life. Thank you to everyone who participated in the survey! This information is invaluable in learning more about […]
6 Ways to Get Your Boss to Share Their Time, Knowledge, and Work
What do Force Multipliers want? What do most Force Multipliers (Executive Assistants and Chiefs of Staff) want? Believe it or not, they want more! Specifically, they want more time with their Executive, more insight into, and context around, their leader’s thinking and priorities, and more responsibility and projects. Why? Because they want to make an […]
Leaders, Let Go So You Can Actually Lead
Listen to our podcast episode about this topic here: Picture This… A CEO and an Executive Assistant walk into an office… The Executive Assistant says: “What can I take off your plate today? I’ve reviewed your emails and see eight that I can address for you.” The CEO says: “No, no. I’ll get to those. […]
What’s a Force Multiplier?
Throughout my (almost) twelve years of working side-by-side with Adam Hergenrother, Founder & CEO of Adam Hergenrother Companies, I have held many titles: Listing Assistant, Executive Assistant, Coach, Consultant, co-Founder, co-author, and Chief of Staff. But what didn’t change during that time? My commitment to operating as Adam’s right-hand strategic business partner. About seven or […]
The Loneliness Epidemic of Executive Assistants and Chiefs of Staff
“It’s Lonely at the Top” I’ve never really liked the phrase, “It’s lonely at the top.” Perhaps its just the context from which it’s usually said – from a place of privilege, as an excuse, or as a subtle request for pity. I swear I’m not cynical! Just bear with me here. “At the top” […]
What Business Metrics Should Entrepreneurs and Executive Assistants Track?
Think of the last time you missed a sports game that you wanted to watch. Maybe you were at a wedding and missed an NFL playoff game with your favorite sports team (go Steelers!) or maybe you just missed your kid’s soccer game because you were out of town on business. Either way, what’s the first question […]
How to Build Trust Between Executive Assistants and CEOs
Last week I had a fantastic book discussion with some wonderful women about Brené Brown’s latest book, Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience. As we discussed the various emotions highlighted in the book, we paused to talk for a few minutes about trust. Trust is one of those […]
Are Executive Assistants and Chiefs of Staff the Ultimate Intrapreneurs?
Join Hallie Warner, Chief of Staff, for a FREE webinar at 3pm EST on September 28 about how to tap into your natural entrepreneurial or intrapreneurial tendencies to create a career and life you love. I’ve always been entrepreneurially inclined. I’ve dabbled with starting different businesses over the years – coaching, some freelance public relations […]
Should Force Multipliers Be Friends with Their Bosses?
Friendships and business partnerships. It can be a tricky situation to navigate. Should Force Multipliers be friends with their bosses? With the amount of time you spend together, how do you NOT cross over into a friendship with your Executive? A couple of weeks ago this topic came up during one of my webinars. I […]
The 36 Best Quotes for Maximizing Your Productivity
Dictionary.com defines productivity as “the quality, state, or fact of being able to generate, create, enhance, or bring forth goods and services”. If you couple that with Investopedia’s definition—”productivity, in economics, measures output per unit of input, such as labor, capital, or any other resource”—then you get a pretty good sense of what productivity means. […]
Strategic Partnerships in Action: Ross Paterson, President of XM Performance, and Fanni Gambero, Chief Business Xcelerator
In this series, Strategic Partnerships in Action, we highlight some of the Executive and Force Multiplier duos who are doing it right. This week, we chatted with the powerful strategic partnership behind XM Performance. Hallie Interviews Ross and Fanni About Their Strategic Partnership at XM Performace Could you tell us about your position within the company and the […]
How to Create a Strategic Partnership with Your Executive Assistant – 2021 Edition
NOTE: This post first appeared on the Herg Life blog by Adam Hergenrother on April 28, 2016 and again on October 22, 2020 on The Founder & The Force Multiplier blog. It’s funny to look back now on how far Adam, and I, and Adam Hergenrother Companies have come since this blog was originally written […]
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, […]
Building Your Strategic Partnership with the Trust Triangle
For visionary leaders and growth-minded, business-savvy Force Multipliers, a strategic partnership is the Holy Grail. There is no hierarchical, superior/subordinate relationship here, just a purely powerful partnership where together, both individuals achieve more. What is a strategic partnership? A strategic partnership is a mutually beneficial relationship where both parties are working towards a common goal. […]
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 […]