Natasha Huynh (pronounced “win”) is a bi-lingual executive assistant with 8+ years of international business experience in the machine tool industry supporting C-Suite Executives.
In this episode, Natasha talks about the challenges of working in a cross-cultural environment, across global time zones (check out worldtimebuddy.com fyi), and how she learned to not take things personally.
She also shares a bit about her experience attending the all-day, online Leader Assistant Workshop. Speaking of, if you’re interested in joining us next time, visit leaderassistantlive.com/workshop.
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ABOUT NATASHA
Natasha Huynh is a Bi-lingual Executive Assistant with 8+ years of international business experience in the Machine Tool industry supporting C-Suite Executives, and 2 years living and working overseas in Japan.
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Natasha Huynh 0:00
Hi, I’m Natasha Huynh. And today’s leadership quote comes from Ron Paul. When you become the image of your own imagination, it’s the most powerful thing you could ever do.
Podcast Intro 0:13
The Leader Assistant Podcast exists to encourage and challenge assistants to become confident, Game Changing leader assistant.
Jeremy Burrows 0:24
Hey, friends, Happy New Year. It’s episode 148. And you’re listening to The Leader Assistant Podcast. I’m your host, Jeremy Burrows. And I’m excited to share this interview. But before we jump in, you’ll hear a couple of mentions about our online in depth all day workshop that we had. And I wanted to let you know that we’re having another one. So leaderAssistantlive.com/workshop, that’s leaderassistantlive.com/workshop. Check it out for details on our all day online intensive workshop. We’re limiting the attendees to that 20 to 25 people at the most so that we can really dive in and get to know you and help you grow and lead yourself lead your executive and lead those around you. Hope you can join us again leaderAssistantlive.com/workshop. And now to the interview. Hey friends, thanks for tuning in to The Leader Assistant Podcast, your host Jeremy Burrows. I am in Kansas City, Missouri, right smack in the middle of the US. And I’m very excited to be speaking with Natasha Huynh today. Natasha is executive assistant to the president at DMG Mori and Natasha, you’re in Chicago. Is that right?
Natasha Huynh 1:53
Yes, that’s correct.
Jeremy Burrows 1:54
Awesome. So it’ll be very chilly there pretty soon if it’s not already, right.
Natasha Huynh 2:00
It’s, it is getting a little tricky, where it gets cold and you get a little afraid. And then it backs off. So you know, it’s it’s playing with us right now, which is typical of Chicago weather.
Jeremy Burrows 2:11
Nice. And how long have you been in Chicago?
Natasha Huynh 2:15
I’ve been in Chicago about nine years at this point. Almost a decade.
Jeremy Burrows 2:20
Okay. And you’ve been a DMG Mori for quite a while to write?
Natasha Huynh 2:26
Yes, I have been a DMG Mori for almost six of those eight years.
Jeremy Burrows 2:29
Okay, tell us a little bit about your career and leading up to this role and how you ended up here?
Natasha Huynh 2:36
Sure, okay. So my career, I would say, I always identify as a bilingual executive assistant. And my bilingual a second language is Japanese. And so I studied that in high school, and then went on to teach in Japan for about two years with the JET Program, which stands for Japanese exchange teaching. And it’s a Japanese government sponsored program. And they can bring anybody from actually any country, it’s quite competitive, as long as you have a bachelor’s degree, and then, you know, teach English in a variety of cities and different levels. So that led me to when I came back to the United States, to seek employment where I could use my language skills. And when I returned, actually, where I’m from, is Minnesota. And when I returned back to Minneapolis, there weren’t really excuse me very many options. There isn’t a huge industry there for machine tools. There’s some sprinkled in, but not enough. And at the time, I wasn’t able to find, I wasn’t able to find work. And I was also taking care of my mother at the time. So I was back for about a year. And then I started to look elsewhere, we know I started to try and branch out and find what I could make work for myself. Because when I went through university, my major was Asian Languages and Literature with a focus on Japanese language, culture and media. So a lot of people gave me this reaction, almost as if to say, you know, what are you going to do with that? Right, so I, I always answered, you know, you know, I’m going to teach English and then I want to try to find something where I can use my Japanese and that’s, that’s what I really stuck with. I didn’t try to narrow it down anymore. I just went with something where I can use my Japanese. So that’s, that’s what I did. And I reached out to a recruiting company in Chicago, that places Japanese speakers whether native or non native in Japanese speaking roles or roles where Japanese is required. So that led me to my first role with a company in Arlington Heights and they make accessories to machine tools. So, you know, they make hydraulic clamps and pumps and smaller parts of that nature that will assist in the making of a larger piece. That makes sense. So I work, yeah. So I worked there for a few years, and I didn’t inside sales there. And it was a really small office. So it was my first experience, not only back in the United States working, but also working for a Japanese company in the United States. So that adds a mixture to it, because I was the only in the office on a daily basis, the only non Japanese. So that was, that was my first, you know, dip into that experience. And I, it was challenging, you know, I, it was the first time I really realized, maybe numbers aren’t something that resonates with me, or, you know, this kind of repetitive work might not be best for me, but it was a good learning experience. And the employees were also colorful, you know, some, some of them were nicer than others. And, and that was also an experience to have, actually, not so pleasant experiences with Japanese women in the workplace. When I was teaching, I had, you know, very positive experiences. So I was really taken aback by that, and I didn’t quite know how to navigate it.
Jeremy Burrows 6:33
Was it like competitive? Or, you know, are you willing to share a little more on that?
Natasha Huynh 6:39
Yeah, it was, it wasn’t, I wouldn’t say competitive, it was just that I felt unwelcome to know that. I was really trying, and I wanted to learn more, and I wanted to do better, but maybe it was perceived as, as differently. You know, I didn’t, I didn’t receive a positive response, when I would express my feelings in that way. It was just more I think, I really, I really have a hard time understanding what it was. Maybe it was an age gap. Maybe it was a cultural misunderstanding, I’m not sure you know, but it was, it was interesting, but it was challenging to navigate, because I had moved back from Japan to Minnesota for you know, about a year and then I moved again. And so I’m in a new place again. And so it was a lot of a lot of adjusting, but I ended up you know, I’m a little bit better of an expat than I am, you know, living living in the US at that time. So, jumping around was okay for me. But the two years was it was difficult, but it taught me a lot. And, you know, I stuck with it. And I ended up then going on to do a job with United Airlines, which did not last very long. But that’s okay. I flew for them as a Japanese speaking flight attendant. And so the training, you know, the training was about six weeks. And it was, it was also challenging, that was all day long. And so that was that was an experience, but it was more of a lifestyle change that didn’t work out for me. So, you know, as I go along this, this journey, I start to understand that I understand why people asked me, What are you going to do with that, because as I’m going along this, this road is getting more zigzagged. If you know what I’m saying it’s not go to school to be a nurse, and then you are a nurse, you know, it’s more not to I’m not to minimize that or anything, I don’t want to come across that way. But it’s, it’s a lot more finding your own way. And so for me, I did that for the next, you know, year when, when I didn’t work with United. I, when I ended with them, I ended up working in and helping out at a recruiting agency just for the holiday period. And, you know, I it was great because I got to test that out. And realize, for me, that was more to me, that’s really sales oriented. And that’s not that’s not my strong suit, you know, I don’t feel comfortable, you know, pushing people like that or or calling him that way. So I got to really try out some different experiences and at the time, my my partner was in the army and had just come back from Afghanistan. So I was the main support as as money in the household so I really had to make anything work you know. So I you know, I went on after that to work at a private equity company as an executive assistant. So I really got a lot of my start, we know mostly at my first company, and then each company I went on after I was able to pull something from, you know, weather, you know, for United, it was the training and it was, you know, the poise and the etiquette and bringing that into my service when I worked as an executive assistant, so I was really able to pull something from each experience, whether it ended up positively or not, or whether, you know, it turned out how I anticipated or not. So I worked with a private equity firm in downtown Chicago for for a little bit. And they really realized that they wanted someone with more of an accounting background, and you know, someone who has experienced doing bank reconciliations for their various accounts, and paying bills for other offices and a lot of variety of tasks. And at the time, I was trained for me what I thought to be a short amount of time. And I would have, you know, I wanted to have a little bit more feedback as to what, you know, what I could have done better, but at the time, you know, that wasn’t, that wasn’t offered to me. So I, I was let go at that time. And the same day, you know, I, that was hard, you know, I gathered my things and got in a taxi and went home. And that was really hard, because it’s just, you know, a lot in a row in a short period. So that, you know, I just had to keep persisting, and that day I went home. And, you know, I was sad, and I was upset for a while. And, you know, I realized I had received some various LinkedIn messages before about getting back into the machine tool industry, which I wasn’t keen on, because I didn’t have such a great experience to begin with. And I was really hesitant. But at the time, I, you know, I felt more tenacity. So I messaged that recruiter back and that’s the recruiter from DMG Mori. And, you know, I inquired, I said, you know, it looks like you’re looking for Japanese speaking executive assistant. And I’m wondering if this position is still open. And he messaged me back that day, and I interviewed later that day at 4pm. And I met with their CEO and see Oh, actually, both of whom were German. Just had come, you know, either from Germany and my other boss was spending time working in Canada, but both of them were German. And the office was largely mixed a lot of German and Japanese as it is now. And I ended up getting the job the, that Friday, so it was maybe a Wednesday or Thursday, and, and I was hired quite quickly, and they wanted me to start, you know, that Monday. So it really, it really ended up that, you know, I started and it was a long dry. For me, it was a lot longer than I was used to I moved into the city, and was living in the city for some time. And this role was quite far. So I was hesitant about that and hesitant about the traffic. You know, when I really, because of my, that bad experience, I it really made me so afraid to go back into the industry. But I wanted to give it a chance. And I ended up, you know, learning a lot. And that’s where I’ve been since and I’ve had a lot of different executives who have come and gone and whoever assisted move, we’re still there. And at this point, I’m assisting the president solely.
Jeremy Burrows 14:02
Awesome. So how, how does that work with your language skills? So you know, does your is the president, German Japanese,
Natasha Huynh 14:13
so the president now is Japanese and our global President recently sent him to the United States about a year ago, and this is his first time working in the US. So I we both are having, you know, our first time experience with each other and working, you know, more side by side. He’s also quite young at 39 or 40. So it’s really, you know, a different experience than I’ve had in the past with other cultures. And it’s really been a pleasant experience this past year to really get to know him and also to get to know his wife. They’re really a lovely couple. And, you know, they’ve really been so welcoming to me. So it’s really it’s a nice breath of fresh air for me.
Jeremy Burrows 14:59
So okay, So then do you literally go back and forth between, like, during the day during during any given day? Between speaking English to speaking Japanese? Like, in a matter of minutes back and forth all day? Or is it predominantly one language? With most
Natasha Huynh 15:19
can be either? You know, it depends because at different points in time we have more Japanese expats in the building. So some of them, you know, are speaking to me only in Japanese, but with my boss, we’re starting to mix and, you know, mixing English and mixing Japanese and it’s, it’s kind of a dance. I know, it sounds a little bit strange, but, you know, I, with my language skills, I’ve been studying Japanese for now. 15 or 16 years. So, more, almost, yeah, more than half of my life. I’m 31. So, it’s been a really, it’s been a long, a long time. And it’s such an important part of my life. But I still, you know, I’m still shy about my my language ability, because I feel I’m much, of course, I’m much more articulate in my native language. So, you know, when I’m speaking with him, and presenting, I always want to present in the most professional way, but I’m working on, you know, lowering my filter to be able to practice both.
Jeremy Burrows 16:22
So does he say like, Hey, try it? Let’s try talking in, you know, speaking to each other in Japanese today, or anything like that? Or does it just kind of naturally go one way or the other?
Natasha Huynh 16:34
I think, I think it’s just a mix, I think it’s kind of what we’re feeling at the time, I, you know, maybe we can settle on different languages for different days. But, you know, I think we never really discussed it, it’s just some things and also some sentiments can be expressed in Japanese that can be expressed in English, which is interesting. So it really depends. And sometimes I can express so much in in Japanese, and then I switch to a topic where, you know, I am struggling, or maybe the vocabulary isn’t something that, you know, I’m as familiar with, or maybe it’s, you know, a more important topic that I want to make sure, I’m clear on. So I switched to English. And so it really depends, and, you know, emails are also coming in Japanese. And, you know, I’m needing to read that context as well, you know, just to make sure I’m understanding the, the purpose of the meeting, and also the nuance of it. Well, so it’s I, you know, with, with my start at the Japanese Machine Tool Company at the beginning, and then, you know, working my way, doing united with a Japanese speaking that I did briefly, I wasn’t able to keep my language skills for every job. But I always made sure that that was my goal. You know, my end goal was to make sure that I was at a company where I could utilize my language ability. And I have, you know, I’ve been able to really excel and they’ve sent me to Japan multiple times. And that’s really been, you know, a great opportunity for me, I went to study with their reception team there because their corporate services team is so refined, they’re actually taught by, I think it’s either ama or gel flight attendants. You know, for etiquette and serving. So I wanted to find out how we could more fine tune our reception team and our Corporate Services team. I also was able to take German lessons for about a year or two. And that was really, that was really fun and really interesting because I also traveled to Germany when we have our open house in front end, and is in front in Germany. And it’s really been wonderful to experience that as well. Because I’m, I was able to learn enough to you know, communicate with the bus drivers and, you know, be responsible for large groups of customers. And so it really has given me the ability to reach on both sides of this company because it is a German and Japanese machine tool manufacturer. And our manufacturer our factories are one is in Davis, California, but the majority is in Germany and Japan.
Jeremy Burrows 19:28
I mean, Natasha, I have to say, I’m just blown away, like I can barely speak English. And the fact that you’re going back and forth in the same conversation sometimes is pretty impressive. So well done on on just, you know, just learning that skill, you know, 15 years ago or whatever and then just continuing to practice it and keep it up because it sounds like it’s a very I mean, that’s that’s that’s a very valuable skill in especially in your Your company and something it’d be very hard for them to find somebody like you with this experience to replace you. So anyway, well, well done.
Natasha Huynh 20:11
Thank you. Yes, it’s really been, it’s really been nice to also use my ability, you know, my personal I feel that, you know, personally, I am a really empathetic person and I am really sympathetic. So I like to, you know, be able to use that as well and translate that with speaking Japanese. And there’s this concept called kooky or young, which means to read the air. And that’s a really important concept in Japanese culture. Because a lot of it is so indirect. No one says anything, yes, or no, it’s, you know, maybe or perhaps. So it’s if you can’t read the air of the room and read between the lines, you know, you really, you you’re almost, you know, a social outcast, because it’s, it’s really their culture and their language ability, I think is so highly based on sensing, you know, these things, sensing the air and sensing the room.
Jeremy Burrows 21:10
Yeah, that’s awesome. I love that. So before we move on, I have a couple other questions for you. But before we do that, would you would you love to hear something in Japanese? Maybe something like thanks for listening to The Leader, Assistant Podcast or, you know, some something like anything you want? Okay, be funded. Fun to hear something?
Natasha Huynh 21:35
Yeah. So okay, I will say thanks for listening to The Leader Assistant Podcast today. And I’ll say it in a more formal way. I don’t know if I’ll end it formally. But I’m gonna short and give it my best shot. To all who are listening and possibly checking on my Japanese feel free to you know, give me a shout. Want you to need leader assistant podcast? Okita? Kurita? Arigato, gozaimasu. That that’s that.
Jeremy Burrows 22:02
Awesome. Thank you for doing that. Yeah, no
Natasha Huynh 22:05
problem. Thank you for asking.
Jeremy Burrows 22:08
So okay, so there’s the language issue, obviously, but talk to us about global company timezones, cultural differences. I know there a lot of assistants listening who worked for large companies that have offices in different cities, different time zones, and also different countries? What are some of the best things that you’ve learned in managing across time zones and cultures?
Natasha Huynh 22:41
That’s a good question. And, you know, I talked with my coworker, Amy, who is the executive assistant to our CFO. And we definitely gripe about making meetings for these three different time zones, because Japan is 14 hours ahead, and Germany’s only about seven from here. So connecting all three people at once is really difficult. And if there’s more people, it’s even more difficult. So a lot of it is, honestly, sometimes the US has to give, and a lot of our executives are up at midnight, and you know, even our general managers up at midnight until two in the morning or three, and then there’s a break. And then there’s other meetings, it just really, it really depends. So for me, I really rely on this website called time, buddy, it’s you can it’s essentially, I’m sure there’s so many of them, but you’re able to show three or four different clocks at once and time zones and select the time that you have the meeting and on that day, and then it will show you set times of what that will be in each country, on what day and etc. So it makes it really clear. So there’s no guesswork.
Jeremy Burrows 23:58
Nice. That’s a huge help, like just time. buddy.com
Natasha Huynh 24:02
Yeah, I think so. I you know, I would have to double check that and send it to you, but it’s I think, if you google.com Yes, yep, that might be it. So it was really that’s really something that myself and Amy both rely on a lot. And in terms of, you know, when you talk about not only these time zones, but it’s cultural zones, you know, so to speak, and DMG Mori actually offered and continues to offer a fantastic leadership program and it’s taught by Fraser Marshall and he is has done a lot of teaching for our sales and a lot of consulting you know, around the LA area in California area and beyond. So he’s really a fantastic teacher and he led a group of global participants and we worked on you know debunking this, this you know, Leadership, you know, challenges and a lot of it focus on the cultural differences. Because we had people in my group, specifically from our offices in Malaysia, China, Japan, the United States from multiple states, Canada, Mexico. I might be missing one. But there was I mean, we were just one of the largest global groups. And so it was just really interesting to see that and a lot of it focuses on cross cultural navigating, you know, and so for me, you know, the, the Japanese culture is so indirect. And when I came in, I was working with both Germans and both assistants were also German. And so that was, that was a huge change. Because I’m, I would say, you know, I’m, I have at times, you know, I’m more intense personality, I’m told, but I’m also more quiet. And, you know, when I speak Japanese, that’s easy for me to, you know, slip into that role. But for Germans and the way that they expect things, it’s now it was yesterday, it was five minutes ago. And, you know, it’s a lot quicker paced, and it’s more terse, you know, it’s it, and it has nothing to do with a personality or, or someone being nice or mean, it’s just a quicker culture, and it’s a lot less pleasantries. You know, I think a lot of my German colleagues say, you know, Americans really sugarcoat everything, or they’re quite surprised when they go into the grocery store. And the checkout person is asking them how they are. You know, the, they almost all comment that on that, but it’s such a strange occurrence for them, because it never happened. So rare, it rarely happens in Germany. Yeah, so it’s, it’s, I really had to juggle not taking things personally, that took me a long time, because Japanese people would never be rude outwardly, you know, you’ll never know what they’re thinking, because they’re so polite. But then you have Germans on the other side, that, you know, they can go into meetings, yell and scream, and call each other terrible names. And then they end the meeting, shake hands and go have a beer. You know, and the Japanese look stunned, like, they’ve been hitting the middle of the eyes, and the Americans are also, you know, mouths open, what’s happening? Are we angry, Who’s mad? So it’s, it’s a lot, I find that a lot of head butting, you know, and a lot of assumptions. And something that I really took away from the leadership assistant course that I took by Jeremy and Al Hussein, just shouting that out. I took that leadership course. And that was wonderful. Al Hussein said, assume best intent. And I think that really, although that can be difficult, I think that really rings true, because that’s what I experienced in Japan. You know, when I was there, I was one of few foreigners in my city. And a lot of Japanese people had never seen a foreign person, in person, you know, a white person or or anyone else in person. So it was such a rare occurrence that a lot of staring happened. And I met foreigners who could understand that the staring was just out of curiosity. And there were others that were really offended by it. But it’s, it’s, it’s dependent on on your ability or your desire to want to understand someone else’s culture or your interest. And, you know, more than that.
Jeremy Burrows 28:53
Yeah, so assume best and to kind of, at least helps you start off with giving them the benefit of the doubt, and then working from there.
Natasha Huynh 29:05
Right, and it doesn’t always end up that way. And nothing is all flowers and rainbows, however, you know, it does. It does help explain things and you can still think, Oh, well, that guy’s a jerk, or, you know, he’s usually a he’s so rushed, or he’s such a nag, but you can just this German culture, you know, or, or one way or another, and it’s not to, you know, categorize or group anything, but some of that is is just business culture, you know, and it’s something to get used to, and some of it is also the company culture as well, you know, so it’s, it’s really dependent on how the businesses are run and other cultures. And then when you have expats coming in, there’s so much assuming happening on everyone’s ends where, well, I would do it this way. So this person should do it that way. But when you come to our office, you know, our headquarters in Chicago, it’s You know, we have a mix of people, but a lot of a lot of us are, you know, either American or, or others. And so it’s, it’s a big group of people, but a lot of it is, is based on American cultural business expectations. So you know what the expectation for Japanese people to work until the boss leaves, that can be until midnight or 2am. But you’d never see that in the United States. So it’s, you have to read that, you know, you have to know what that limit is, or really how to how to know if you’re reading something, because it’s just a cultural misstep. Or if there’s really something bigger at play, and I found, sometimes it’s cultural, and the person just doesn’t, in their culture, respect your position, or whatever it may be, you know, not everyone is is of great intent, but we like to assume it. And I think that’s easiest to start with. And it helps soften the situation instantly, you know, if you’re, I’m not sure if I’m, culturally, maybe not understanding or, you know, starting off with something like that is, to me, I think it disarms the situation. We know when doesn’t cause
Jeremy Burrows 31:21
for like, you find that it’s best to just, you know, put it out there and say, Hey, am I understand this correctly?
Natasha Huynh 31:32
Yes, yes, absolutely. And that’s to say that that works for me, you know, when it really is, it really depends how you ask, I think it’s not so much what you ask, but how you ask it and, you know, trying to be sensitive, and, you know, caring about that situation. And obviously, there are situations that escalate and, you know, that person is just indignant or won’t change. And, you know, that’s a different case. But I just see a lot of a lot of situations that people misunderstand, you know, the, like I said, I’ll go back to the meeting example. You know, for Americans, we like to make a decision, immediately, we talk about it, and boom, we make a decision. For Japanese people, generally, I found a more analytical style, where they are more comfortable to get the notes and things about a week in advance and say, This is what we’re going to discuss the agenda is this, please have your to dues done, so that they can have time to analyze, and really get all of the details and then make their decision to have that at the meeting. And, you know, Germans are also quite quick. So they make a decision right then. And, you know, so that, that causes a lot of confusion, you know, because if you’re in a meeting and you haven’t given your Japanese co workers, maybe an agenda, they will be hesitant to speak up and give their opinion, because they don’t maybe feel as knowledgeable about it. And so that maybe makes them uncomfortable. So, you know, putting people on the spot like that, if you’re from Japanese culture, is a lot different than putting you know, someone from German culture on the spot and say, Well, what do you think that’s a much more culturally acceptable thing to freely give your opinion? And then, you know, in Japanese culture, it’s not that it’s not free to give the opinion, but there’s a lot more arrangement to the room. And, you know, I think there’s a lot more of unless you’re directly asked, you know, one doesn’t as much freely give their opinion as we do in America, or,
Jeremy Burrows 33:45
you know, perhaps Germany, or more nuance.
Natasha Huynh 33:49
Yeah, yeah, exactly. So it’s, you know, what, what a Japanese person could see as a German person being so aggressive and rude or mean is just maybe they’re passionate about something, and they speak more loudly or too quickly. And, you know, so it really, it’s really hard to know, at times, and it’s even more difficult over email. So it’s, it’s nice to, you know, I’ve found that in situations where, you know, maybe the person is, you know, unhappy or, or not understanding or we’re having trouble getting something organized. Maybe I’ll just try to make a call or, you know, ask as something personal and reach out and say, you know, I really have this question about, you know, your culture or or this or you’re trying to find the common ground and because you can’t meet each other, it, it makes it sometimes difficult to put the face behind the name, you know, when we can work with our colleagues and meet each other. A lot of things can be communicated differently, but through email, you know, and all the time zones and all of that sometimes It can be difficult.
Jeremy Burrows 35:01
Yeah. Well, Natasha, thanks so much for sharing your story and just being open and honest about your experience with, you know, different cultures and working in a company with different languages even appreciated hearing your, your insight and your story. But before we before we wrap up, you’ve mentioned briefly the leader assistant workshop experience that you attended here earlier this year. What can you tell us? So for those of the those of you who don’t know, and they’re listening, we had a an all day online workshop with myself and Al Hussein, Matt Hani. And there was about 20 of us, I think, and it’s kind of an all day intensive training workshop. And if you’re interested in learning more about that, we actually have another one coming up in 2022. So leader, Assistant, live.com/workshop, leader, Assistant live.com/work shop to find out about that and sign up if you’re interested. But tell us Natasha, why did you sign up for this event? And what was your biggest takeaway?
Natasha Huynh 36:23
Well, I signed up, not only for myself, but also, you know, I signed up to, you know, really show my boss that I want to, you know, make, I want to constantly improve, and I’m really wanting to grow with him and make this you know, more long term and, and constantly, you know, constantly grow and be able to aid him the best way as he grows, because, you know, his first year in the US and so I always like to, I think I really like learning. So, you know, I had followed you on LinkedIn, and I really have seen, you know, your posts a lot and, you know, bought your book. And, you know, it really, I really wanted to challenge myself to make some improvements and get myself motivated to work on myself more in terms of my career and other ways as well. But it’s, I had great support from my boss to not only, you know, they supported me financially to do this, but it was, you know, it was great that he supported me, and believes, you know, that this kind of career, and this training is worthwhile, you know, when he asked for a report afterwards, and, you know, we are able to discuss that and, you know, my, my biggest takeaways is just a lot of it was self focused for me that it was believing more in my own abilities, and in my own experiences within the company, but also, you know, standing beside my executive, and really doing what I can to meet his needs, and adjust my skills and update them and make sure that I’m not missing something, or there’s always something that I think, you know, especially with language, you know, I’m so used to constantly learning something that I’m always I think, itching to make sure that I’m doing a good job. And I really, I learned that with, with your training and also, you know, really how to think about this career instead of how to hear about it from other people who might not understand it, but from your perspectives and your perspectives. In your experience, but also as the non majority gender in this kind of role. You know, I’m, I was just so fascinated about your, your, what you had to say, you know, both of you about your work experience, but also your personal experience, and you know, just how passionate you are, it was, it’s really great to see that and it’s really motivating for me. And it allows me to really see my potential in in this role and beyond, you know, in this in this realm, you know, in this realm of work, because I really enjoy it and i Whenever my way, although it’s definitely a zigzag pattern, I’m still always looking to do something more, and stick with something that I really enjoy. You know, like my Japanese, I have a passion for being an executive assistant and doing more within that sphere. So you guys really harness that and having such a communicative group really made it such a great experience and a group that was from all over as well.
Jeremy Burrows 39:50
Awesome. Well, we were glad you were able to join us and it was a blast having you and thanks for sharing a little bit about your experience again for those listening. You’re interested in joining us add our next one go to leader assistant live.com/workshop. Well, Natasha, thanks again for being on the show. How can people reach out to you if they want to say hi or connect?
Natasha Huynh 40:12
So I am on LinkedIn, Natasha, when my last name is Huynh, also have my email. So if you want to reach out, you can reach out to me on LinkedIn, and then you know, we can connect that way. So that’s usually the best way to reach me. Perfect. And I’ll put I know, it’s a little strange these days not to have more social media. But no, that’s, that’s where I’m at. And I’m liking it. So
Jeremy Burrows 40:37
yeah. Great. Well, I’ll put your LinkedIn link in the show notes for people to find and yeah, definitely reach out to Natasha say hi. She’s been great to connect with and yeah, thanks again, Natasha, and best of luck to you and your career.
Natasha Huynh 40:55
Thanks so much, Jeremy. I really appreciate it.
Jeremy Burrows 40:58
Thanks again for listening. Check out the show notes at leaderassistant.com/148.
Unknown Speaker 41:14
Please loom you on Apple podcasts. Goburrows.com
