Ciara Trotman is an executive assistant and event planner with over 20 years of experience in corporate finance and big box technology.
In this episode of The Leader Assistant Podcast, Ciara talks about career paths for assistants, office politics, DEI for assistants, forming professional relationships, and perception vs reality when it comes to what an assistant’s job is.
LEADERSHIP QUOTE
I will not lose, for even in defeat there’s a valuable lesson learned, so it evens up for me.
– Jay Z
CONNECT WITH CIARA
ABOUT CIARA
A New York native, Ciara Trotman has spent over a decade in finance and big box tech honing her skills for c-level executives. Combining her love of all things creative, trendy, and current with efficiencies in leadership, she has been deemed a “strategic partner” and innovated the executive/assistant dynamic all the while championing the DEI space.
When she isn’t redefining corporate BAU, you can find her spending time with loved ones, watching every Housewives franchise on Bravo, or dreaming of ways to drive executives to goals in a unique, innovative, and exciting way.
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ezCater is the nation’s most trusted provider of corporate food solutions — the best way for companies to order food for daily employee lunches, meetings, and events of any size or budget. ezCater’s simple-to-use platform provides a network of over 100,000 restaurants nationwide, business-grade reliability, food spend management tools, and 24/7 support from their highly trained customer service team.
To explore corporate food solutions or place a catering order, visit ezcater.com.
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
00:00:00.000 –> 00:00:10.960
CIARA: My name is Ciara Trotman, and today’s leadership quote is, I will not lose, for even in defeat, there’s a valuable lesson learned, so it evens up for me.
00:00:11.940 –> 00:00:12.820
CIARA: Quoted by Jay-Z.
00:00:19.433 –> 00:00:27.033
<v SPEAKER_3>The Leader Assistant Podcast exists to encourage and challenge assistants to become confident, game-changing leader assistants.
00:00:34.630 –> 00:00:37.350
JEREMY: Are you tasked with ordering food for your office?
00:00:38.150 –> 00:00:40.030
JEREMY: Let me tell you about Easy Cater.
00:00:40.730 –> 00:00:53.310
JEREMY: With over 100,000 restaurants to choose from nationwide and 24-7 customer support, Easy Cater helps assistants like you and me succeed at work and makes our lives easier.
00:00:53.890 –> 00:00:59.350
JEREMY: Visit easycater.com/leaderassistant to find out more.
00:01:00.290 –> 00:01:02.490
JEREMY: Hey friends, welcome to The Leader Assistant Podcast.
00:01:02.710 –> 00:01:06.930
JEREMY: It’s your host, Jeremy Burrows, and it’s episode 254.
00:01:07.650 –> 00:01:17.350
JEREMY: You can check out the show notes at leaderassistant.com/254, leaderassistant.com/254.
00:01:17.850 –> 00:01:21.870
JEREMY: Today, I’m very excited to be speaking with Ciara Trotman.
00:01:22.570 –> 00:01:32.710
JEREMY: Ciara is an executive assistant, has been an executive assistant with a career spanning 20 years in corporate finance and big box technology.
00:01:33.870 –> 00:01:36.130
JEREMY: I’m very excited to jump in and chat with her.
00:01:36.150 –> 00:01:37.550
JEREMY: So, Ciara, welcome to the show.
00:01:38.130 –> 00:01:39.970
CIARA: Thank you for having me, Jeremy.
00:01:41.090 –> 00:01:42.310
JEREMY: What part of the world are you in?
00:01:43.190 –> 00:01:44.710
CIARA: I’m in Brooklyn, New York.
00:01:45.630 –> 00:01:46.490
JEREMY: Brooklyn, nice.
00:01:46.690 –> 00:01:53.430
JEREMY: I was in New York City a month ago or so with my family, took my boys and my wife for the first time.
00:01:53.790 –> 00:01:54.510
JEREMY: Oh, nice.
00:01:54.530 –> 00:01:57.350
JEREMY: It was a fun little three-day trip.
00:01:57.930 –> 00:02:01.010
CIARA: Yeah, I’m sure it was pretty loud and exciting.
00:02:03.630 –> 00:02:04.270
JEREMY: Definitely.
00:02:05.310 –> 00:02:09.090
JEREMY: What’s your favorite thing to do on your weekends?
00:02:10.730 –> 00:02:12.450
CIARA: Really just hang out with my family.
00:02:12.470 –> 00:02:27.230
CIARA: I have a 10-year-old niece who is 10 going on 25, and she’s just really exciting and we usually just watch a lot of good movies, cook some good food, really just enjoy loving on each other.
00:02:27.250 –> 00:02:28.670
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:02:28.690 –> 00:02:31.710
JEREMY: What’s one of the better movies you guys have seen lately?
00:02:36.230 –> 00:02:39.970
CIARA: Nothing spectacular, but we’re really excited to see Wonka.
00:02:40.670 –> 00:02:41.170
JEREMY: Oh, nice.
00:02:41.310 –> 00:02:42.170
CIARA: Quality break.
00:02:43.290 –> 00:02:43.870
JEREMY: Good deal.
00:02:43.890 –> 00:02:44.690
JEREMY: Sounds like a plan.
00:02:45.730 –> 00:02:49.630
JEREMY: Well, what got you into the whole executive assistant world?
00:02:49.650 –> 00:02:51.870
CIARA: Oh my goodness.
00:02:51.890 –> 00:02:52.750
CIARA: Funny story.
00:02:53.330 –> 00:02:55.270
CIARA: My father was an entrepreneur.
00:02:55.670 –> 00:02:59.130
CIARA: He was a sports photographer for the New Jersey Nets eons ago.
00:02:59.990 –> 00:03:03.770
CIARA: And so I started working for him as my summer job.
00:03:04.630 –> 00:03:09.370
CIARA: And I noticed he had a couple of gaps in his corporate structure.
00:03:09.750 –> 00:03:14.050
CIARA: So I offered to fill them and I bargained for my payment of my bike.
00:03:14.750 –> 00:03:25.510
CIARA: And just said, if I can do a great job for you over the summer, will you get me a bike and will you, you know, do something about my allowance and getting increasing it?
00:03:26.290 –> 00:03:38.010
CIARA: And so I was able to actually not only begin my executive assistant career with him, but I also retained my first international client with his business at 12.
00:03:39.250 –> 00:03:42.610
CIARA: So it just kind of, you know, that’s where the spark started for me.
00:03:43.910 –> 00:03:44.310
JEREMY: Nice.
00:03:44.330 –> 00:03:46.770
JEREMY: Well, how did you end up with the international client?
00:03:46.790 –> 00:03:54.670
JEREMY: Was that, was that like just an inbound thing for the business, or did you have to go reach out to people?
00:03:54.690 –> 00:03:55.690
JEREMY: How did that happen?
00:03:56.250 –> 00:03:57.570
CIARA: Yeah, really interesting.
00:03:57.590 –> 00:04:06.730
CIARA: He was working with the US-based publications for the most part, and he was starting to expand his services overseas, but had a major communication barrier.
00:04:07.630 –> 00:04:24.650
CIARA: And so I did some quick recon, went to the library, and, you know, just looked for a couple of key greetings and things that I could say to open a meeting and start a conversation, and maybe jump in to interpret negotiations from point to point.
00:04:24.670 –> 00:04:30.190
CIARA: Nothing too heavy, though, but the effort made really resonated with the client.
00:04:30.210 –> 00:04:38.970
CIARA: And so because they were so impressed with the amount of work that was done, and they obviously could tell that I was a child, they were just like, this is adorable, this is great.
00:04:39.310 –> 00:04:41.410
CIARA: And so they wanted to get in business with my father.
00:04:41.430 –> 00:04:49.170
CIARA: So he was able to secure his first international publication in Spain, and then I believe one in Italy behind that.
00:04:49.990 –> 00:04:50.750
JEREMY: Wow, that’s great.
00:04:50.770 –> 00:04:52.690
JEREMY: That’s some initiative for sure.
00:04:53.390 –> 00:04:55.210
CIARA: What a kid, right?
00:04:55.330 –> 00:04:55.890
JEREMY: Yeah.
00:04:55.910 –> 00:05:06.070
JEREMY: So then, okay, so then as you grew up and got into the corporate world, did you just enjoy that type of work?
00:05:06.090 –> 00:05:07.890
JEREMY: Is that what you sought after?
00:05:08.150 –> 00:05:13.570
JEREMY: Did you, I noticed in your bio, you mentioned event planner as well.
00:05:13.870 –> 00:05:16.390
JEREMY: When did you kind of get into that?
00:05:16.410 –> 00:05:18.430
JEREMY: Or has it always been part of your assistant roles?
00:05:21.850 –> 00:05:25.970
CIARA: It’s something I enjoy doing, and I’m very passionate about event planning.
00:05:26.030 –> 00:05:33.690
CIARA: So in one way or another, I’ve always kind of invited that or offered that service, even if it was just a mindset.
00:05:34.950 –> 00:05:43.970
CIARA: I approach my desk job as an event and try to just bring some excitement to the day-to-day.
00:05:44.470 –> 00:05:56.090
CIARA: And I think because of that, my manager kind of flagged me for my first opportunity with corporate finance and said, you’ve got something unique here, why don’t you give it a shot?
00:05:57.590 –> 00:06:03.850
CIARA: And there are a lot of aspects of executive assistant work that do lend itself naturally to event planning.
00:06:04.070 –> 00:06:06.590
CIARA: And it was just a match made in heaven.
00:06:06.610 –> 00:06:12.630
CIARA: And I just kind of went full throttle in those places.
00:06:13.690 –> 00:06:20.650
JEREMY: What’s your number one tip for those who, their CEO or their executive calls and says, hey, I need you to plan this event?
00:06:21.290 –> 00:06:23.370
JEREMY: What’s your number one tip?
00:06:23.390 –> 00:06:28.250
CIARA: My number one tip is start early and design that budget early.
00:06:30.090 –> 00:06:36.910
CIARA: And just make making sure that you’re talking to your executive team about what they’re hoping to accomplish with the event.
00:06:37.650 –> 00:06:46.990
CIARA: Because more than just throwing a good party or a good social experience, you want it to be able to tie back to a business need.
00:06:47.410 –> 00:06:55.570
CIARA: When people walk into the event, they should know why they’re there on many different levels, except to just enjoy yourself.
00:06:55.590 –> 00:06:59.210
CIARA: And it kind of it centers the purpose of the event.
00:07:01.790 –> 00:07:02.310
JEREMY: Good tip.
00:07:02.330 –> 00:07:02.750
JEREMY: Good tip.
00:07:05.430 –> 00:07:21.450
JEREMY: So let’s let’s talk about then maybe what was throughout your career as an assistant, what was maybe your most challenging time or or maybe the most difficult thing that you’ve faced as an assistant?
00:07:22.870 –> 00:07:25.810
CIARA: Oh, Jeremy, we could be here all day.
00:07:26.370 –> 00:07:30.510
CIARA: I’ve had a lot of unique challenges throughout my career.
00:07:30.530 –> 00:07:36.590
CIARA: I think the first one was just understanding how I wanted to show up to the space.
00:07:38.310 –> 00:07:44.910
CIARA: And second, of course, is establishing a great relationship and a good rapport with your executive team.
00:07:44.930 –> 00:07:59.430
CIARA: And then if I’m being fully transparent, just jumping the hurdle through corporate politics as an African-American woman, you know, it is a very real thing that happens, and it is very, very challenging.
00:08:00.430 –> 00:08:06.190
CIARA: Managing imposter syndrome along the way are some things that kind of crop up that you didn’t see coming.
00:08:07.050 –> 00:08:14.990
CIARA: And it really just requires you to push through in a very nuanced way to manage your career.
00:08:16.730 –> 00:08:17.250
JEREMY: Interesting.
00:08:17.270 –> 00:08:31.170
JEREMY: So tell us a little bit more about the office politics and maybe how can we as assistants navigate office politics?
00:08:31.590 –> 00:08:33.550
CIARA: Office politics are tricky.
00:08:33.670 –> 00:08:36.370
CIARA: They’re unique to one’s environment.
00:08:36.370 –> 00:08:52.970
CIARA: I think in my own experience, I have always been raised with the mentality of being a worker bee, just put your head down, work really hard, and eventually by magic someone will notice how hard you work and just reward you.
00:08:53.650 –> 00:08:58.870
CIARA: And that’s not how it works at all.
00:08:58.890 –> 00:09:06.610
CIARA: So much later on in my career, I kind of relented to the mentality of you have to form relationships.
00:09:07.850 –> 00:09:23.790
CIARA: As much as you don’t think about that, and yes, a good work ethic is very important, but also establishing some key relationships with decision makers, with managers within your team to just be able to say, I’m showing up as more than a doer.
00:09:24.670 –> 00:09:26.350
CIARA: I’m a team player as well.
00:09:27.170 –> 00:09:31.230
CIARA: Really changed the narrative for me and kind of changed my reality as well.
00:09:33.330 –> 00:09:33.670
JEREMY: Nice.
00:09:33.690 –> 00:09:41.830
JEREMY: So how have you seen that corporate, or forming those professional relationships?
00:09:42.730 –> 00:09:44.410
JEREMY: Do you have tips on that?
00:09:44.430 –> 00:09:54.390
JEREMY: Like is it, hey, you know, I’m going to grab lunch with this colleague and just talk shop or ask them about their personal life and try to just build that rapport?
00:09:56.590 –> 00:10:05.470
JEREMY: Is there kind of certain boundaries in those professional relationships based on the org chart and where you fall and all that kind of thing?
00:10:05.490 –> 00:10:08.870
JEREMY: Is there any tips that you would have through your experience?
00:10:09.910 –> 00:10:10.790
CIARA: Absolutely.
00:10:10.810 –> 00:10:21.450
CIARA: I think first and foremost, executive assistants have a very unique position and that we are the human being in the equation.
00:10:22.930 –> 00:10:36.510
CIARA: Most people are just doing cross-functional partnerships or managers are talking to their directs and their skip levels, but they kind of lose the humanity in that situation.
00:10:37.050 –> 00:10:43.730
CIARA: And I realized that one of my specialties was just being a confidant in that space.
00:10:44.190 –> 00:10:49.390
CIARA: And some of the things that I did for my managers, I started to apply them to myself.
00:10:49.750 –> 00:10:55.710
CIARA: When you onboard a new executive, the first thing we do for them is coordinate meet and greets.
00:10:55.730 –> 00:10:57.110
CIARA: Who should they be talking to?
00:10:57.890 –> 00:10:59.330
CIARA: Who should they be connecting with?
00:10:59.350 –> 00:11:02.670
CIARA: And who are we putting in that what I’d like to call their phase five?
00:11:02.690 –> 00:11:05.230
CIARA: Who are they always going to be connecting with and talking with and meeting with?
00:11:06.110 –> 00:11:08.010
CIARA: But I noticed I wasn’t doing that for me.
00:11:08.030 –> 00:11:11.070
CIARA: And here I am a key right arm in that situation.
00:11:11.430 –> 00:11:13.510
CIARA: So I put it into work.
00:11:13.570 –> 00:11:21.490
CIARA: During my first 30 days, I looked at the chart of the org chart and said, who are the people closest to my manager?
00:11:21.610 –> 00:11:22.650
CIARA: I need to meet with them.
00:11:23.150 –> 00:11:27.810
CIARA: I need to do coffee intros and just let them know that I’m here.
00:11:27.890 –> 00:11:29.110
CIARA: I’m part of the team.
00:11:29.110 –> 00:11:36.430
CIARA: I’m going to be working closely with my executive, but I’m also a resource, an open door, a safe space for you as well.
00:11:37.670 –> 00:11:39.730
CIARA: I was really diligent about following up.
00:11:40.130 –> 00:11:46.810
CIARA: I made sure that whenever I saw people, I was always reaching out, friendly, made a joke or two.
00:11:46.930 –> 00:11:48.830
CIARA: Just people understand me.
00:11:49.890 –> 00:11:54.530
CIARA: Then I developed curiosities about what they did in their professions.
00:11:54.550 –> 00:11:57.870
CIARA: I always asked about, what is it that you do?
00:11:57.950 –> 00:11:59.310
CIARA: What are you passionate about?
00:11:59.770 –> 00:12:01.030
CIARA: What are your pain points?
00:12:01.190 –> 00:12:02.490
CIARA: Let me think about that.
00:12:03.150 –> 00:12:15.790
CIARA: Then I used that information to be very strategic with my manager about pointing out how his or her organization runs on a broader scale and tying those things back.
00:12:17.050 –> 00:12:21.270
CIARA: It put me in a great place to be a true eyes and ears to the org.
00:12:22.670 –> 00:12:27.530
CIARA: In that process, I have been branded as a strategic partner.
00:12:27.550 –> 00:12:35.990
CIARA: I would say when I think of myself and where my career is going and headed and currently is, it’s a true strategic partner.
00:12:36.010 –> 00:12:38.410
JEREMY: That’s amazing.
00:12:38.430 –> 00:12:46.930
JEREMY: So I love what you said about being curious, because I’ve talked about that all the time as far as what makes a good assistant.
00:12:46.950 –> 00:12:47.730
JEREMY: Well, you got to be curious.
00:12:47.750 –> 00:12:49.030
JEREMY: You got to go, oh, well, how do we do this?
00:12:49.030 –> 00:12:50.890
JEREMY: And how can we figure this out?
00:12:50.910 –> 00:12:57.850
JEREMY: And even curious about the industry and just general curiosity of what’s going on in the macro environment.
00:12:58.630 –> 00:13:11.850
JEREMY: But I love how you specifically brought that curiosity skill set into relationships and being curious about your colleague and what they enjoy doing and what their skills are and what their passions are.
00:13:11.870 –> 00:13:13.630
JEREMY: So that’s a great, great tip.
00:13:14.070 –> 00:13:25.170
CIARA: And, you know, if I may add something else to that, I sort of put myself up as a tribute, if you will, to be the one that would fall on the sword for them.
00:13:25.770 –> 00:13:32.890
CIARA: You know, I always say, like, if there’s a question you want to ask and you’re just shaking in your boots about it, pass it to me.
00:13:33.470 –> 00:13:43.050
CIARA: You know, I’m in a great position to be green, to not really know everything about everything, so I can ask your question for you.
00:13:43.070 –> 00:13:56.810
CIARA: And just having that extra added layer of trust so people knew that they could maintain their professionalism and they had someone fighting for them in the background really went a long way.
00:13:56.830 –> 00:14:06.930
CIARA: It also helped me quite a bit in learning to lose the fear of walking in certain situations or conversations that may be a little bit above me.
00:14:07.770 –> 00:14:26.010
CIARA: Instead of wasting the time being fearful about what I don’t know, I jumped in blindfolded and just said, hey, I’m going to ask the question, you know, and be a driver for truth and always making sure that whatever we’re doing, we’re getting to the root of that situation.
00:14:26.030 –> 00:14:29.490
CIARA: And sometimes that just means asking a tough question.
00:14:35.187 –> 00:14:37.767
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00:14:38.707 –> 00:14:46.387
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00:14:59.207 –> 00:15:01.607
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00:15:11.947 –> 00:15:12.707
JEREMY: Yeah, that’s great.
00:15:12.727 –> 00:15:13.267
JEREMY: I love that.
00:15:13.307 –> 00:15:23.247
JEREMY: And it’s like, it’s almost like you could be, it’s like good cop, bad cop in a way, where it’s like, oh, you know, you’re gonna go over and you’re gonna ask that hard question and take one for the team.
00:15:23.267 –> 00:15:23.927
JEREMY: So that’s awesome.
00:15:24.107 –> 00:15:24.787
CIARA: Absolutely.
00:15:24.807 –> 00:15:26.387
CIARA: It’s what us Brooklyn girls do.
00:15:28.527 –> 00:15:29.367
JEREMY: Nice, nice.
00:15:30.407 –> 00:15:42.747
JEREMY: Well, let’s talk a little bit about career paths and what you’ve seen in your career and what you, you know, there’s always that question of, what do you do as an assistant?
00:15:43.047 –> 00:15:53.907
JEREMY: Or the also one of the more common questions I get, and I know a lot of assistants get is, you know, what are you going to do next?
00:15:54.767 –> 00:15:57.667
JEREMY: What, you know, like, okay, you’re an assistant, that’s great.
00:15:57.707 –> 00:16:00.067
JEREMY: What do you want to do after that?
00:16:00.087 –> 00:16:03.427
JEREMY: So how do you wrestle with the career path idea for assistants?
00:16:03.447 –> 00:16:08.087
JEREMY: And what’s maybe what’s your career path hopes and dreams?
00:16:08.167 –> 00:16:13.207
JEREMY: And then what do you think is, are a few good options or maybe just one good option for assistants?
00:16:14.827 –> 00:16:21.067
CIARA: I have so much to say about it, but I know you have a time limit on your show, so I’ll try to put it down.
00:16:21.547 –> 00:16:35.147
CIARA: I am super passionate about this because I’ve seen through the years, and I’ve heard a lot from my colleagues about what a dead-end executive assistant work can be.
00:16:35.167 –> 00:16:43.287
CIARA: And that’s largely because it takes a special or specific type of person to be an executive assistant.
00:16:43.307 –> 00:16:55.127
CIARA: And we really get in the weeds about our work and the people that we work with that sometimes we can nurture too far to the left and not worry about ourselves.
00:16:55.147 –> 00:16:57.887
CIARA: We’re the first people we forget all of the time.
00:16:58.807 –> 00:17:12.347
CIARA: And so for that, again, I’ve allowed the hurdles that I’ve faced to make me braver to really kind of forge my own path because I’ve looked for it, I’ve asked for it.
00:17:12.367 –> 00:17:16.787
CIARA: I’ve had terrible career conversations where I just failed epically.
00:17:18.367 –> 00:17:27.187
CIARA: And then I’ve learned you can’t always ask for the things you want, you have to sometimes create it, demonstrate it, let it show up, let people live with it.
00:17:27.927 –> 00:17:34.827
CIARA: And then when they realize that there is value in this, they’re ready for a different kind of conversation.
00:17:35.367 –> 00:17:43.607
CIARA: So while I’m not putting that forward as a concrete game plan, it’s definitely something to consider.
00:17:43.627 –> 00:17:50.847
CIARA: I’ve also tried to just be organic to the things that I do well and just keep doing those.
00:17:52.307 –> 00:17:56.487
CIARA: Being unafraid to ask a tough question made me a disrupter.
00:17:56.507 –> 00:18:05.907
CIARA: A lot of things that were done just because I questioned, I challenged, I pushed back on, and it can be very efficient.
00:18:06.047 –> 00:18:14.967
CIARA: So I think of my career, I’m always going to authentically show up as a disrupter and a strategic partner.
00:18:15.567 –> 00:18:17.927
CIARA: And I will never relinquish those two things.
00:18:19.127 –> 00:18:34.487
CIARA: And while, again, I’m in the boat with a lot of other executive assistants where the path is not always clear, I’m definitely working to kind of split it somewhere between a chief of staff and an assistant.
00:18:34.507 –> 00:18:38.327
CIARA: I think that’s the organic progression for me.
00:18:40.447 –> 00:18:49.607
JEREMY: So then like you see the strategic partner and disrupter as one of those, you know, chiefs of staff, if you will, skill sets.
00:18:49.627 –> 00:18:51.687
JEREMY: Is that kind of what you’re…
00:18:52.327 –> 00:19:00.907
CIARA: I think to be an effective chief of staff, you really have to be able to look at the broad picture and the small picture.
00:19:01.527 –> 00:19:12.487
CIARA: You can’t lose either vision, and you really have to have that in mind to drive a strategy forward and understand what it takes to build the steps for the strategy to live.
00:19:13.587 –> 00:19:23.167
CIARA: So I think executive assistants have a lot of those qualities baked into what we do and who we are, and it seems like a natural transition.
00:19:25.147 –> 00:19:26.087
CIARA: Or at least I hope it is.
00:19:27.007 –> 00:19:27.827
JEREMY: Yeah, yeah.
00:19:29.747 –> 00:19:32.987
JEREMY: Well, this has been a great conversation.
00:19:33.667 –> 00:19:36.787
JEREMY: Just a couple more questions if you’re cool with it.
00:19:39.727 –> 00:19:42.327
JEREMY: So, you know, there’s perception versus reality.
00:19:42.347 –> 00:19:52.067
JEREMY: Like what’s an EA, you know, like, you know, those memes where it’s like, oh, this is what my mom thinks I do, and this is what people think I do, and this is what I actually do.
00:19:52.067 –> 00:19:56.027
JEREMY: And so what’s an EA’s real job?
00:19:58.527 –> 00:19:59.607
CIARA: Ruler of the world.
00:20:01.227 –> 00:20:01.947
JEREMY: Done and done.
00:20:01.967 –> 00:20:03.727
JEREMY: She said it.
00:20:03.747 –> 00:20:04.547
JEREMY: She said it.
00:20:05.327 –> 00:20:06.547
CIARA: That’s a fact, people.
00:20:06.567 –> 00:20:14.027
CIARA: I think our real job is we mirror everything our executive team does.
00:20:15.587 –> 00:20:20.727
CIARA: And we make their ideas happen in real life.
00:20:22.467 –> 00:20:30.347
CIARA: And while I’m not speaking to an actual running a corporation, it takes true leadership to do that.
00:20:30.687 –> 00:20:32.587
CIARA: So I won’t undermine that process.
00:20:33.007 –> 00:20:49.227
CIARA: But I think it speaks to what we do to really be able to just walk in the door and get that broad picture and be able to, in real time, respond to keep the pieces moving forward in order for them to be able to accomplish that free and clear.
00:20:49.647 –> 00:21:19.507
CIARA: So it’s about thought, leadership, true partnership, being able to be crystal clear again about the vision from the bottom to the top and the top to the bottom, and then really have an understanding of the organization and how it actually works, what’s right about it, what’s broken about it, who are the people who should be in those conversations versus who shouldn’t be at a specific moment in time.
00:21:20.027 –> 00:21:25.067
CIARA: Those are the things that it takes to just really be a great executive assistant.
00:21:25.087 –> 00:21:37.827
CIARA: And so while I hear a lot of people saying, oh, I’m a true right hand, I hate that expression because my executive has a right hand, his or her own.
00:21:38.367 –> 00:21:40.407
CIARA: They don’t need me to be a right hand.
00:21:40.767 –> 00:21:44.687
CIARA: They need someone to like pick things up on their own and run with it.
00:21:45.347 –> 00:21:48.327
CIARA: And so I think that’s what I focus more on.
00:21:48.347 –> 00:21:52.927
CIARA: Like you do your job, I’ll make everything else happen while you’re away.
00:21:53.587 –> 00:21:56.607
CIARA: And when you come back, I have all of the answers that you need.
00:21:56.747 –> 00:21:58.227
CIARA: That to me is a partnership.
00:22:00.107 –> 00:22:00.607
CIARA: A good one.
00:22:01.467 –> 00:22:02.287
JEREMY: Yeah, totally.
00:22:03.767 –> 00:22:04.167
JEREMY: Love it.
00:22:04.187 –> 00:22:05.327
JEREMY: Well, what do you think about AI?
00:22:05.347 –> 00:22:16.907
JEREMY: What’s your like 60 second, you know, elevator pitch, cocktail hour answer to the AI replacing assistants and all that?
00:22:17.747 –> 00:22:24.927
CIARA: I think, first of all, the AI photo enhancements are top tier because they don’t look better.
00:22:26.727 –> 00:22:30.687
CIARA: But I think AI is worth delving into.
00:22:30.707 –> 00:22:35.807
CIARA: I haven’t finalized my thoughts on it, but it’s a natural progression.
00:22:35.887 –> 00:22:44.127
CIARA: The world changes, technology changes, and I’m just at a place where I’m staying open minded and open to learning more about it.
00:22:44.527 –> 00:22:48.687
CIARA: I’ve seen some quick ways that it makes my life a lot easier.
00:22:48.707 –> 00:22:54.687
CIARA: And I think if we look at it from a perspective of it’s just another tool.
00:22:55.887 –> 00:22:58.007
CIARA: Before we had BlackBerrys, now we have iPhones.
00:22:59.247 –> 00:23:00.987
CIARA: iPhones are so much more efficient.
00:23:01.007 –> 00:23:02.667
CIARA: They have so much more that they can offer.
00:23:02.687 –> 00:23:11.547
CIARA: So AI could probably fit the bill like that for us now if we just keep an open mind about learning what it actually does and where it’s going to go.
00:23:12.747 –> 00:23:13.587
CIARA: We’re in charge.
00:23:13.707 –> 00:23:15.047
CIARA: We have to create AI.
00:23:15.067 –> 00:23:16.047
CIARA: It didn’t create itself.
00:23:16.567 –> 00:23:21.927
CIARA: So as long as we’re the makers, we’re always in a position to drive how that looks and feels.
00:23:23.487 –> 00:23:24.007
JEREMY: Well said.
00:23:24.027 –> 00:23:25.707
JEREMY: That’s a great elevator pitch for AI.
00:23:27.847 –> 00:23:28.447
CIARA: Thank you.
00:23:31.107 –> 00:23:35.487
JEREMY: What about diversity and inclusion for assistants?
00:23:35.487 –> 00:23:47.587
JEREMY: I asked my guests on the show what topics they would like to talk about and to wrap up our conversation, I would love to hear your thoughts on DEI.
00:23:49.247 –> 00:23:55.007
JEREMY: I don’t really know any specific questions that I necessarily want to ask right now.
00:23:55.027 –> 00:23:58.227
JEREMY: I’m just curious to hear your thoughts on it.
00:24:00.247 –> 00:24:01.247
CIARA: That’s a mouthful.
00:24:02.187 –> 00:24:11.207
CIARA: And I’m super passionate again about this space, again, specifically because I’m an African American woman.
00:24:11.427 –> 00:24:13.807
CIARA: I’m also a Caribbean American woman.
00:24:13.967 –> 00:24:16.347
CIARA: I live in New York, which is the melting pot.
00:24:16.347 –> 00:24:21.287
CIARA: So I’ve been accustomed to world culture all my life.
00:24:21.807 –> 00:24:27.987
CIARA: I’m not surprised by or shocked by anything, but a lot of people around me are not.
00:24:28.747 –> 00:24:32.387
CIARA: So it’s a natural thing for me.
00:24:32.887 –> 00:24:40.867
CIARA: I think DEI is important because it helps the greater ecosystems to understand how it shows up in real life.
00:24:41.727 –> 00:24:46.467
CIARA: Things that may not be an issue for you can be an issue for someone else.
00:24:46.647 –> 00:24:54.187
CIARA: And the simple example is a tall person never has a problem reaching the top shelf, but a short person would.
00:24:54.727 –> 00:25:01.407
CIARA: So it benefits the tall person to understand, hey, I’m 5’1, I’m always going to need a ladder.
00:25:02.047 –> 00:25:10.167
CIARA: So if you can be empathetic to something like that, then you understand that my experience is inherently different than yours.
00:25:10.607 –> 00:25:16.967
CIARA: It’s not something we need to spend a ton of time focusing on if it’s real or if it’s valid, because it is.
00:25:16.987 –> 00:25:22.747
CIARA: And that’s not where the work in that process is.
00:25:22.767 –> 00:25:32.527
CIARA: The work is now let’s understand the different nuances and the many different layers of diversity, equity and inclusion, that those words are very different.
00:25:32.547 –> 00:25:36.187
CIARA: They mean very different things, and we have to dig into that.
00:25:36.627 –> 00:25:38.947
CIARA: And it just doesn’t include someone’s race.
00:25:39.707 –> 00:25:44.547
CIARA: It’s ableism, you know, physical, sexual, it covers the gamut.
00:25:44.647 –> 00:25:58.947
CIARA: And it’s also a new area for a lot of corporations, so we need to give ourselves some grace in wrapping our minds around learning about it and really, truly integrating it into corporate culture.
00:26:00.587 –> 00:26:01.247
JEREMY: That’s well said.
00:26:01.267 –> 00:26:06.827
JEREMY: I love the analogy, you know, of the example of the tall person versus the short person.
00:26:06.847 –> 00:26:08.007
JEREMY: You know, I’m tall.
00:26:08.407 –> 00:26:11.467
JEREMY: For those listening, I’m 6’2.5.
00:26:11.487 –> 00:26:23.187
JEREMY: I’m the one that’s reaching up in the top shelf for my kids or my wife or whatever, but that’s a very simple yet powerful example to kind of describe it.
00:26:23.207 –> 00:26:24.027
JEREMY: So thanks for sharing that.
00:26:24.047 –> 00:26:24.507
JEREMY: That was great.
00:26:24.867 –> 00:26:25.787
CIARA: No problem.
00:26:25.847 –> 00:26:28.407
CIARA: And I’ll be looking for you anytime I need to reach something.
00:26:29.547 –> 00:26:30.187
JEREMY: There you go.
00:26:30.727 –> 00:26:31.347
JEREMY: I got you.
00:26:31.387 –> 00:26:31.967
JEREMY: I got you.
00:26:33.467 –> 00:26:33.887
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:26:33.907 –> 00:26:36.147
JEREMY: Well, Ciara, thank you so much again for being on the show.
00:26:36.167 –> 00:26:39.807
JEREMY: What’s maybe the best place for people to reach out if they wanted to say hi?
00:26:40.387 –> 00:26:41.327
CIARA: That’s awesome.
00:26:41.347 –> 00:26:45.187
CIARA: Yeah, you can find me on Instagram or you can find me at LinkedIn.
00:26:45.227 –> 00:26:53.967
CIARA: LinkedIn is probably my preferred because I love meeting people and chatting and all the information is there so we know where we can pick up a conversation.
00:26:55.067 –> 00:26:55.487
JEREMY: Perfect.
00:26:55.507 –> 00:27:05.687
JEREMY: Well, I’ll put your LinkedIn URL in the show notes at leaderassistant.com/254, leaderassistant.com/254.
00:27:05.707 –> 00:27:06.907
JEREMY: Ciara, thank you so much.
00:27:07.267 –> 00:27:11.427
JEREMY: Have a great rest of your day and it’s been a pleasure speaking with you.
00:27:11.827 –> 00:27:12.747
CIARA: Thank you so much.
00:27:12.767 –> 00:27:13.727
CIARA: This was a blast.
00:27:13.747 –> 00:27:14.627
CIARA: Highlight of my week.
00:27:25.086 –> 00:27:27.846
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00:27:34.205 –> 00:27:36.005
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