In this edition:
- Thursday Thoughts – The Next 5 Years
- Weekly Top 5 – 2026 Admin Salary Report, beehiiv’s Chief of Staff Model, 5 Ways to Wield Influence, Armchair Expert, & More Managing Up
- Language of Business Series – Marketing & Branding
- Reading Recommendations – Traction, Steve Jobs, & The 1-Page Marketing Plan
THURSDAY THOUGHTS
If the version of you from five years ago could see your life today, what would surprise them most? (Thanks James Clear for the great question!)
We overestimate how much we can accomplish in a year and underestimate what we can accomplish in 10. So, let’s split the difference and think about 5 years ago…
Honestly 5 years is SO much time.
We were still living through the pandemic. WFH was still the norm in most places. I was still a Chief of Staff! My fur babies were still using fake plants and paperback books as chew toys. And I hadn’t started taking creatine supplements yet…
There is no doubt that the version of me from five years ago would be shocked (like truly, utterly mind-blown) that I had willingly left my role as Chief of Staff to pursue something on my own.
There are probably a dozen other things she wouldn’t believe either.
What about you? What would surprise the old you?
What are you doing, building, experiencing, or becoming today that five-years-ago-you never would have predicted?
And maybe the better question is: What feels impossible or unimaginable to you today that could be completely normal five years from now?
Just imagine what the next five years could bring!
WEEKLY TOP 5
- The 2026 United States Administrative Professionals Salary Report is here! Click here to download the report. Inside you’ll find a guide to help you ask better questions, make informed comparisons and have more productive conversations about pay, progression and the changing nature of administrative work.
- This is a fantastic conversation with a founder and a Force Multiplier, Tyler Denk, co-founder and CEO of beehiiv, and Chief of Staff, Brian Schneider. Tyler breaks down his view of the Chief of Staff role and the model under which Brian frames the role: “second CEO.” This Chief of Staff Podcast episode also covers trust, radical transparency, daily meetings, context, company-wide deployability, and more.
- Yes, we’re still talking about managing up! The authors of this MIT Sloan Management Review article say, “With some organizations using artificial intelligence to eliminate middle layers of management, the ability to manage up has become even more vital to your career — and your organization’s success.” I agree. But this isn’t anything new. Executive Assistant and right-hand partners have been skilled buffers, translators, and advocates for their leaders and teams since the role was created. It really is a critical skill for any professional, but particularly Force Multipliers.
- When it comes to influence without formal authority… This is yet another skill that Force Multipliers have embraced since day one. HBR shares five ways to wield influence when you lack formal authority. This article offers tactical tips for recognizing who shapes leaders’ thinking, creating connection, mastering strategic thinking, harnessing networks, and getting a better read on your team. Emotional intelligence and effective communication skills definitely form the foundation for building influence.
- I’ve been really enjoying Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard lately. In fact, I’ve only listened to a handful of episodes, but I’m starting to get into the back catalog. The interviews are surprisingly in-depth, candid conversations with celebrities, journalists, academics, and everyday people about their struggles, personal growth, and human vulnerabilities. It’s a side of many of these individuals we don’t often see. Most recently I listened to the Taron Egerton and Emmy Rosum interviews. Both excellent!
LANGUAGE OF BUSINESS SERIES – MARKETING & BRANDING
- Top 10 Famous Ad Campaigns Every Aspiring Creative Should Study – From KFC to Nike to Apple, explore 10 of the most iconic campaigns and what made them groundbreaking. Perhaps less notable, but no less memorable (which didn’t make the list) are “The Most Interesting Man in the World” [Dos Equis] and “Got Milk?” [California Milk Processor Board]. What else should be on the list?
- FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened – Need a movie for a rainy day? Check out FYRE. The Fyre Festival was billed as a luxury music experience on a posh private island, but it failed spectacularly in the hands of a cocky entrepreneur. A cautionary tale for influencer marketers, if nothing else. Read more about what marketers can learn from The Fyre Festival here.
- How Liquid Death’s Founder Plans to Turn Water Into “The Funniest Brand in the World” – Perhaps Liquid Death, a bottled water brand, will make it onto the list of top ad campaigns in the near future… Can you bring humor into your company’s brand?
READING RECOMMENDATIONS
- Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth by Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares | I found this book incredibly helpful when we were building the many businesses at Adam Hergenrother Companies. Traction will teach you the nineteen channels you can use to build a customer base, and how to pick the right ones for your business. Traction makes everything else easier—fund-raising, hiring, press, partnerships, acquisitions. Talk is cheap, but traction is hard evidence that you’re on the right path.
- Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson | Based on more than forty interviews with Steve Jobs conducted over two years—as well as interviews with more than 100 family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues—Walter Isaacson has written a riveting story of the roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing.
- The 1-Page Marketing Plan: Get New Customers, Make More Money, and Stand Out from the Crowd by Allan Dib | Master the timeless marketing system that has helped millions of entrepreneurs scale their businesses. The proven 9-block framework has been refreshed with real-world scenarios and new strategies, providing the perfect foundation to get powerful results from today’s marketing tools, including AI.
“Find out who you are and do it on purpose.”
Dolly Parton
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