Publishing a book is a lot of work. Lots of staring at a screen wondering if you’ll find the words to say. When they finally do come, you spend hours editing and cutting most of it. Once the manuscript is fully drafted, there’s no chance to sit back and enjoy your accomplishment. Instead, you have to nail down the title and sub-title, and design the book cover. Oh, and then the fun part – line-by-line proofreading. Not to mention the doubts that cloud your mind throughout the entire process. One minute you think, “Will anyone read this?” The next minute you think, “Oh crap, people are going to read this. I better not screw this up.”
But thankfully, there was one decision throughout the process that came easily for me. As I thought about who might be willing to write the foreword for The Leader Assistant: Four Pillars of a Confident, Game-Changing Assistant, I immediately thought of Monique Helstrom (former Executive Assistant and Chief of Simon Sinek).
Monique knows what it’s like to be an executive assistant. She also knows leadership, having worked with one of the most influential leadership gurus in the world. She also happens to be an excellent communicator. Of course, I still had to ask Monique to write the foreword, and she still had to say yes. Thankfully, she did, and I’m very honored and thankful for her generosity.
Today, I’m excited to share her foreword for the first time! I hope it encourages and inspires you like it has me.
BONUS: To celebrate the official release of The Leader Assistant, Monique will join me for an exclusive Book Launch Webinar Party on release day – Tuesday, June 23. It’s FREE, so save your spot here.
Are You Ready to Lead?
By Monique Helstrom
I had the advantage of learning from the foremost leadership expert, Simon Sinek, as I was his “Chief of Simon” for nearly a decade. During that time, one of the most essential lessons I learned is that leadership and rank are not the same thing.
I’ve met plenty of those who sit at the top of organizations and command authority, and we do as we are told because of that authority, but they are not leaders. I have also met many working in the middle or bottom ranks of organizations, and they absolutely are leaders.
This is because leadership is not about power, title, or salary. Leadership is an act, a practice, a discipline to take care of the people around us, regardless of how the team, client, or executive is showing up. It’s how we make the world a better place for the person to our right and the person to our left. Leadership is about strength, integrity, gratitude, fortitude, patience, empathy, and generosity.
You, too, can be a leader, and the world needs you to act as such.
Make no mistake, you carry a heavy load. You are expected to have a high leadership capacity and to “make things happen”—even when your colleagues fail to lead, support, or get out of your way. You are expected to think ahead, communicate up, look down, and stay balanced. You are expected to be the backbone, the innovator, the task-doer, the culture-keeper, the encyclopedia, the workaholic, and about a thousand more…and are expected to do so with a wink and a smile. This is the hard truth.
And within that lies the power of choice. You can choose to play the victim and let the heavy load wear you down until your relationships and health are at risk. Or you can choose to change the script—right here and right now.
CHOOSE TO BE THE LEADER YOU WISH YOU HAD. Know in your heart that you help those around you accomplish their mission, that you are valuable, and that you help businesses succeed. You have more strength and resourcefulness than most, and you never back down from a challenge. And when you finally make the choice to lead with passion, to keep a positive outlook, and to hold your head up high with pride, the entire assistant profession rises with you.
Continue to lead by serving those around you. Look for opportunities to fill the leadership gaps in your workplace. Use your voice. You have an opportunity not only to make your organization better, but to make the world better.
People look to you—the assistant—for guidance and leadership.
Are you ready to lead?
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Check out Monique’s website at moniquehelstrom.com to learn more about the amazing work she’s doing.
Join Monique and me for our FREE Book Launch Webinar Party to celebrate on release day (June 23)!
