Mary Rabin has over a decade of experience as an executive personal assistant, and currently supports the CEO of an international hi-tech digital health organization.
In this episode, Mary talks about the difference between supporting a man vs supporting a woman, how not to lose your identity after supporting an executive for a long time, and working with a chief of staff.
LEADERSHIP QUOTE
Earn your leadership every day.
– Michael Jordan
CONNECT WITH MARY
ABOUT MARY
Mary Rabin has been an executive personal assistant for over a decade, starting out by chance when after graduating from college with a degree in communications and management, she was hired as the office manager and personal assistant for a real estate entrepreneur. That’s where Mary first met the assistant universe and understood the 24-hour challenges of being a successful PA.
Mary has had an exciting career so far, continuing as the PA for executive managers at a leading fast-paced advertising agency and then at the NYC HQ of a real estate hi-tech public company. Mary is now the personal assistant for a demanding CEO of an international hi-tech digital health organization, and she’s loving every minute of it.
Mary is also a certified event planner having completed a course of study at NYU, which honed her organizational skills. These two worlds are closely related since managing an executive’s diary is essentially a daily production. Both take an innate capacity for organization to do it right. Mary knows that what it takes is in her blood, and she enjoys it all every day.
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
00:00:00.000 –> 00:00:00.900
MARY: Hi, everyone.
00:00:00.920 –> 00:00:02.320
MARY: My name is Mary Rabin.
00:00:02.460 –> 00:00:05.800
MARY: Today, the leadership quote comes from Michael Jordan.
00:00:06.640 –> 00:00:08.500
MARY: Earn your leadership every day.
00:00:14.742 –> 00:00:22.342
<v SPEAKER_2>The Leader Assistant Podcast exists to encourage and challenge assistants to become confident, game-changing leader assistants.
00:00:30.455 –> 00:00:32.075
JEREMY: Good morning, all executive assistants.
00:00:32.335 –> 00:00:37.335
JEREMY: Are you looking for a way to elevate your skills or earn that promotion you’ve been eyeing?
00:00:38.215 –> 00:00:45.875
JEREMY: Nova Chief of Staff’s online certification course provides you with the knowledge and confidence you need to stand out on the job.
00:00:46.575 –> 00:01:00.335
JEREMY: Whether you want to land your dream position or level up in your current role, Nova’s self-paced course gives you hands-on practice doing what Chiefs of Staff do every day.
00:01:01.035 –> 00:01:07.215
JEREMY: Visit leaderassistant.com/nova to learn more and secure your spot.
00:01:07.815 –> 00:01:12.355
JEREMY: That’s leaderassistant.com/nova.
00:01:12.995 –> 00:01:15.555
JEREMY: Hey friends, welcome to The Leader Assistant Podcast.
00:01:15.575 –> 00:01:20.015
JEREMY: It’s your host Jeremy Burrows and welcome to episode 259.
00:01:20.575 –> 00:01:25.075
JEREMY: You can check out the show notes at leaderassistant.com/259.
00:01:25.575 –> 00:01:38.435
JEREMY: leaderassistant.com/259 to check out links to today’s guest and the bio and all the fun stuff, links to my sponsor and everything on the show notes.
00:01:39.115 –> 00:01:43.015
JEREMY: So today, I’m excited to be speaking with Mary Rabin.
00:01:43.215 –> 00:01:50.135
JEREMY: Mary has over a decade of experience as a personal executive assistant.
00:01:50.155 –> 00:01:52.535
JEREMY: And we’ve got some fun topics to chat about.
00:01:52.735 –> 00:01:54.935
JEREMY: But Mary, first of all, welcome to the show.
00:01:57.335 –> 00:01:58.375
MARY: Thanks for having me.
00:01:58.955 –> 00:01:59.915
JEREMY: Yeah, you’re welcome.
00:01:59.935 –> 00:02:02.075
JEREMY: Thanks for, you know, I posted on LinkedIn.
00:02:02.095 –> 00:02:05.495
JEREMY: I said, hey, every assistant has a story to share.
00:02:06.255 –> 00:02:13.855
JEREMY: So I encourage the assistants of the world to step out of their comfort zone and reach out and say, hey, I want to be on the show.
00:02:13.855 –> 00:02:15.015
JEREMY: And Mary, you did that.
00:02:15.015 –> 00:02:17.355
JEREMY: So props to you for having courage to do that.
00:02:18.075 –> 00:02:18.755
MARY: Thank you.
00:02:18.775 –> 00:02:19.295
MARY: Thank you.
00:02:20.295 –> 00:02:23.455
JEREMY: So you’re in a different part of the world than I am right now.
00:02:23.475 –> 00:02:30.595
JEREMY: And you said, you know, currently, I’m looking out my window in Kansas City, Missouri, and there’s snow on the ground and you’re in a part of the world that never gets snow.
00:02:30.615 –> 00:02:31.535
JEREMY: So tell us where you’re at.
00:02:33.015 –> 00:02:35.195
MARY: I live in Tel Aviv, Israel.
00:02:35.215 –> 00:02:37.635
MARY: We never get snow here.
00:02:37.995 –> 00:02:43.495
MARY: And winter is basically just rainy, but we don’t even get a lot of rain.
00:02:43.515 –> 00:02:46.455
MARY: So nothing close to where you are right now.
00:02:47.875 –> 00:02:48.195
JEREMY: Great.
00:02:48.215 –> 00:02:51.735
JEREMY: Well, it’s awesome to speak with an assistant on the other side of the world.
00:02:52.575 –> 00:02:55.835
JEREMY: Tell us about how you got into the role of an assistant.
00:02:56.235 –> 00:03:00.895
JEREMY: How did you end up as you began your career and got into the working world?
00:03:00.915 –> 00:03:02.195
JEREMY: How did you end up as an assistant?
00:03:03.615 –> 00:03:10.775
MARY: I feel like being an assistant, everyone just accidentally started as being an assistant.
00:03:10.775 –> 00:03:14.495
MARY: So it’s funny because my story is the same.
00:03:14.515 –> 00:03:22.315
MARY: I finished school, I finished college, I studied communications and management, and I was sure I was going to be a journalist.
00:03:23.495 –> 00:03:36.155
MARY: And the day after I finished school, my friend told me that her brother-in-law is an entrepreneur, and he’s looking for an office manager and an assistant to his office here in Tel Aviv.
00:03:38.315 –> 00:03:49.155
MARY: I at first was nervous because I’ve never done it, but then I heard of the pay and it was much more than what the newspaper office offered me.
00:03:49.175 –> 00:03:53.815
MARY: I’m like, okay, I’m just a student, so I want to make more money.
00:03:53.835 –> 00:03:58.235
MARY: I started with him and that’s where my journey began.
00:03:59.835 –> 00:04:05.075
MARY: He left to London after two and a half years, and I wanted to stay in Tel Aviv.
00:04:06.035 –> 00:04:14.995
MARY: So I moved to being an assistant to CEO of the biggest advertisement company here in Israel.
00:04:16.315 –> 00:04:23.855
MARY: Through him, I met an entrepreneur who was opening a startup in real estate in New York City.
00:04:24.595 –> 00:04:30.275
MARY: And I think that was the big step of my career when I just decided one day to pack up my stuff.
00:04:30.295 –> 00:04:35.435
MARY: I sold my car, I left my apartment in Tel Aviv, and I hopped on a plane to New York.
00:04:36.455 –> 00:04:39.755
MARY: The beginning was not easy at all because he…
00:04:39.775 –> 00:04:45.415
MARY: I don’t know if he ignored my emails when I got there or he just missed them because he’s a CEO.
00:04:46.195 –> 00:04:48.935
MARY: But for three months, I never heard back from him.
00:04:48.955 –> 00:04:58.855
MARY: And I was just with $7,000 in the big city trying to survive doing babysitting jobs and trying to apply to other places.
00:04:59.055 –> 00:05:04.795
MARY: But I only got no, because nobody knew my background because it’s from a foreign country.
00:05:06.415 –> 00:05:10.495
MARY: After three months, I called my best friend who lived those days in Toronto.
00:05:10.515 –> 00:05:12.115
MARY: And I told her, listen, I failed.
00:05:12.135 –> 00:05:12.955
MARY: I’m going back.
00:05:13.935 –> 00:05:16.235
MARY: And she told me, you email him again.
00:05:16.255 –> 00:05:17.515
MARY: And if you don’t, I will.
00:05:18.255 –> 00:05:19.975
MARY: I emailed him one last time.
00:05:20.075 –> 00:05:24.235
MARY: He replied after three minutes, told me to come to his office the following day.
00:05:24.255 –> 00:05:25.155
MARY: And there I was.
00:05:25.215 –> 00:05:28.595
MARY: And I worked for his company for about four and a half years.
00:05:30.115 –> 00:05:32.495
MARY: So that’s a story to share.
00:05:32.935 –> 00:05:34.215
MARY: Never give up, people.
00:05:34.235 –> 00:05:36.855
MARY: Never give up.
00:05:36.995 –> 00:05:41.155
MARY: After four and a half years, COVID hit and changed everyone’s plans.
00:05:41.215 –> 00:05:43.455
MARY: I moved back to my family in Israel.
00:05:44.475 –> 00:05:49.875
MARY: And I worked remotely for almost a year for the company New York.
00:05:50.195 –> 00:05:53.955
MARY: But I felt like an assistant needs to be in person.
00:05:54.055 –> 00:06:00.915
MARY: Like it was fun during COVID, but I felt like I want to be the best assistant I could be.
00:06:00.995 –> 00:06:02.975
MARY: And it needs to be in an office.
00:06:03.615 –> 00:06:05.795
MARY: So I decided to leave that job.
00:06:05.935 –> 00:06:08.155
MARY: And I found a job by working out today.
00:06:10.795 –> 00:06:11.615
MARY: That’s my journey.
00:06:11.995 –> 00:06:14.335
JEREMY: That’s an incredible journey for sure.
00:06:14.355 –> 00:06:19.035
JEREMY: And then where, you know, you mentioned this to me before we started recording.
00:06:19.075 –> 00:06:21.455
JEREMY: But where are your parents from?
00:06:22.295 –> 00:06:22.695
MARY: Yeah.
00:06:22.715 –> 00:06:25.135
MARY: So my dad is from Cleveland, Ohio.
00:06:25.155 –> 00:06:28.875
MARY: My mom is from West Orange, New Jersey.
00:06:29.575 –> 00:06:31.815
MARY: They met at a wedding in New York.
00:06:32.275 –> 00:06:33.655
MARY: I hope I’m not mistaken.
00:06:34.695 –> 00:06:38.775
MARY: Got married, moved to Cleveland, had my two older sisters.
00:06:38.895 –> 00:06:44.435
MARY: My dad got a job offer in Tel Aviv, packed up his family and moved here.
00:06:45.435 –> 00:06:48.415
MARY: My sister and I were born here.
00:06:48.435 –> 00:06:51.335
MARY: And I was born and raised here, but in an American house.
00:06:51.355 –> 00:06:59.795
MARY: So it was kind of funny to grow up in Israel because it’s such a different mentality with American parents.
00:07:00.455 –> 00:07:02.315
JEREMY: Wow, that’s crazy.
00:07:03.915 –> 00:07:05.375
JEREMY: Well, thanks for sharing your story.
00:07:05.395 –> 00:07:11.715
JEREMY: So what’s been maybe your favorite part about being an assistant over the years?
00:07:13.775 –> 00:07:25.515
MARY: My favorite part, I must say, is, I think, just knowing that I’m helping people go out through their day smoothly.
00:07:26.515 –> 00:07:32.995
MARY: Like I go into bed at night, I fall asleep, and I know my boss is on the correct flight she needs to be.
00:07:33.015 –> 00:07:35.155
MARY: She has her schedule for tomorrow.
00:07:35.175 –> 00:07:39.435
MARY: Everyone has their itinerary, and I do what I love every day.
00:07:40.335 –> 00:07:43.095
MARY: It’s not an easy job, as people think.
00:07:43.115 –> 00:07:52.195
MARY: You know, sometimes throughout my career, people will be like, Oh, so all you do is make coffee, you grab her lunch, you open the door for her.
00:07:52.955 –> 00:07:57.535
MARY: And first of all, let me tell you, yeah, I do make her coffee.
00:07:57.555 –> 00:08:02.115
MARY: And I love grabbing her lunch for my boss and for my other bosses I supported.
00:08:02.395 –> 00:08:03.855
MARY: That’s also part of the job.
00:08:03.875 –> 00:08:05.735
MARY: But we do so much more.
00:08:06.675 –> 00:08:12.935
MARY: Like, we do so much more that people don’t understand that we run the show basically behind the scenes.
00:08:12.975 –> 00:08:18.475
MARY: So I do think our position is like number one in the company.
00:08:20.515 –> 00:08:21.235
JEREMY: Well said.
00:08:21.255 –> 00:08:21.815
JEREMY: I agree.
00:08:22.055 –> 00:08:23.495
JEREMY: I am on board with that.
00:08:24.155 –> 00:08:25.775
JEREMY: Yeah, that’s great.
00:08:25.795 –> 00:08:38.555
JEREMY: So, you know, a couple of topics that you shared were, you know, one was supporting a woman executive versus a man executive.
00:08:40.395 –> 00:08:51.035
JEREMY: And then one was not how to not lose your identity once you support someone for so long and you’re just deeply ingrained in their lives, especially as doing personal assistant work as well.
00:08:52.475 –> 00:08:54.735
JEREMY: So let’s start off with the first one.
00:08:54.755 –> 00:08:57.575
JEREMY: You know, what was the difference, you know, throughout your career?
00:08:57.735 –> 00:09:04.955
JEREMY: So I’m assuming because you brought this topic up that you’ve supported male executives and also female executives.
00:09:04.975 –> 00:09:12.555
JEREMY: So talk to us about the differences throughout your experience in supporting both types.
00:09:17.635 –> 00:09:18.555
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00:09:18.855 –> 00:09:21.355
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00:09:21.775 –> 00:09:29.455
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00:09:29.955 –> 00:09:31.155
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00:09:31.695 –> 00:09:39.235
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00:09:39.915 –> 00:09:45.575
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00:09:46.355 –> 00:09:50.795
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00:09:51.535 –> 00:09:56.415
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00:09:57.075 –> 00:10:01.415
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00:10:05.675 –> 00:10:06.175
MARY: Sure.
00:10:06.215 –> 00:10:10.635
MARY: So I supported up to my job currently here in Tel Aviv.
00:10:11.055 –> 00:10:13.835
MARY: I supported only male executives.
00:10:14.775 –> 00:10:18.555
MARY: And I felt like everything would always go so smoothly.
00:10:19.915 –> 00:10:21.595
MARY: I would basically manage them.
00:10:21.675 –> 00:10:24.575
MARY: I would tell them what to do, where to be.
00:10:26.835 –> 00:10:28.835
MARY: Everything was just easier.
00:10:28.895 –> 00:10:29.975
MARY: That’s how I felt.
00:10:31.715 –> 00:10:40.715
MARY: And if you ask my executive that I support today, which is a female, what was the first thing I told her in our interview?
00:10:40.735 –> 00:10:42.935
MARY: She asked me, what are you afraid of?
00:10:43.095 –> 00:10:45.595
MARY: So I straight up told her that you’re a woman.
00:10:46.435 –> 00:10:53.335
MARY: Because I only supported male executives, and I was afraid of it because I know women.
00:10:53.355 –> 00:10:54.155
MARY: I’m a woman.
00:10:54.155 –> 00:10:55.335
MARY: There’s dramas.
00:10:55.355 –> 00:10:56.615
MARY: There’s motherhood.
00:10:57.975 –> 00:11:00.235
MARY: All kinds of things that come along with that.
00:11:01.295 –> 00:11:06.875
MARY: So yeah, now that I’m a year with my executive, I feel the difference.
00:11:07.635 –> 00:11:16.975
MARY: But the one thing that is an advantage supporting a woman is every weekly one-on-one we have, she always opens with, how are you?
00:11:17.555 –> 00:11:18.615
MARY: Like, how are you doing?
00:11:18.635 –> 00:11:26.555
MARY: And we sometimes can get into deep conversations, you know, like a woman to a woman, which I never had with my male executives.
00:11:26.575 –> 00:11:30.275
MARY: Like, they were always super nice, but they would never like go deep.
00:11:31.975 –> 00:11:35.615
MARY: So this is something I find actually nice to have.
00:11:35.635 –> 00:11:39.835
MARY: But it’s two different worlds.
00:11:41.115 –> 00:11:41.995
JEREMY: Yeah, well said.
00:11:42.075 –> 00:11:57.535
JEREMY: I think I’ve always supported male executives, and, you know, I’m kind of a unique, in a unique role in the sense of 98% or 96% to 98% of assistants of the world are female.
00:11:58.075 –> 00:12:04.335
JEREMY: And so being a male assistant is a minority in this profession.
00:12:05.675 –> 00:12:29.135
JEREMY: But I have had that privilege of what you mentioned, is that like deep connection and that kind of like, I don’t know, there’s certain things that, you know, you’re going to talk to your male CEO about versus if, you know, if he had a female assistant or if I had a female executive, it’s just, there’s just different dynamics.
00:12:29.595 –> 00:12:40.915
JEREMY: Not that one’s better than the other, but it’s just different dynamics that you can utilize, almost like personalities, you know, when you’re working with an executive with this personality, there’s pros and cons to it.
00:12:41.615 –> 00:12:44.775
JEREMY: And so, yeah, that’s cool that you’ve had that experience with both.
00:12:44.775 –> 00:12:47.655
JEREMY: And yeah, thanks for sharing.
00:12:48.935 –> 00:12:49.295
JEREMY: Sure.
00:12:50.295 –> 00:12:55.975
JEREMY: So, okay, so you support, you do both personal and executive assisting, is that right?
00:12:56.515 –> 00:12:57.535
MARY: Yes, yes.
00:12:57.535 –> 00:12:59.055
MARY: Today I do both worlds.
00:12:59.075 –> 00:13:01.455
MARY: I support both worlds.
00:13:02.995 –> 00:13:26.315
MARY: Personal is everything from styling to household to my CEO is a mother, so also taking care of the schedule of her son, babysitters, running that, and all kinds of personal issues that she needs to be done.
00:13:26.495 –> 00:13:29.435
MARY: My CEO, she travels a lot.
00:13:29.475 –> 00:13:31.075
MARY: It’s an international company.
00:13:31.895 –> 00:13:36.355
MARY: So let’s say three weeks out of the month, she’s traveling.
00:13:36.375 –> 00:13:41.975
MARY: Yeah, so there’s a lot of personal stuff to take care of when she’s not here.
00:13:41.995 –> 00:13:45.995
MARY: And also I support her executive-wise.
00:13:45.995 –> 00:13:48.695
MARY: That’s everything to do with the business.
00:13:49.415 –> 00:13:54.855
MARY: Only recently we joined to our team Chief of Staff.
00:13:55.935 –> 00:14:00.815
MARY: So that’s a nice fresh air that I got after one year of doing both.
00:14:02.415 –> 00:14:06.155
MARY: Also my first time actually working in a team.
00:14:06.715 –> 00:14:10.615
MARY: Always I was the only person.
00:14:10.615 –> 00:14:12.335
MARY: I’ve never been part of a team.
00:14:12.355 –> 00:14:15.295
MARY: I’m sure other EAs relate to that.
00:14:16.215 –> 00:14:17.935
MARY: We’ve never been part of a team.
00:14:18.015 –> 00:14:20.335
MARY: It’s such a solo role.
00:14:21.495 –> 00:14:24.315
MARY: And now I have this Chief of Staff with me, so it’s fun.
00:14:24.335 –> 00:14:27.115
MARY: I can also vent.
00:14:27.135 –> 00:14:28.635
MARY: She also understands me.
00:14:28.655 –> 00:14:30.375
MARY: She deals with the same person.
00:14:30.395 –> 00:14:33.155
MARY: So workload is different.
00:14:33.175 –> 00:14:37.235
MARY: So I can’t say that I have less work since she joined.
00:14:38.055 –> 00:14:49.335
MARY: But yeah, so I take care of my executives’ travels, schedule, meetings, itinerary agendas, you know, what we all do.
00:14:49.355 –> 00:14:51.155
JEREMY: Love it.
00:14:51.175 –> 00:15:01.515
JEREMY: So I actually have always supported, well, as I’ve supported CEOs, which is most of my career as an assistant, I’ve supported them personally and professionally.
00:15:02.375 –> 00:15:07.875
JEREMY: And so I prefer that because I feel like they have one life and I’m managing their one life.
00:15:08.155 –> 00:15:11.935
JEREMY: And that involves personal, that involves professional.
00:15:12.355 –> 00:15:15.715
JEREMY: Which do you have, like a preference toward either side?
00:15:15.735 –> 00:15:24.935
JEREMY: Like, are you more excited about personal assistant stuff or more excited about professional or you just kind of go with the flow and love it all?
00:15:25.595 –> 00:15:28.415
MARY: I think it depends on the day.
00:15:28.855 –> 00:15:34.855
MARY: If we’re having a good day, personal wise, then I would be happy doing those kind of tasks.
00:15:34.875 –> 00:15:41.455
MARY: But as you said, I just see the two worlds are one world of the executive.
00:15:41.475 –> 00:15:45.135
MARY: So maybe for me, I divided to professional and personal.
00:15:45.155 –> 00:15:48.875
MARY: But for the exec, it’s all one world, all merges together.
00:15:52.375 –> 00:16:00.215
MARY: So I think both excite me in the same way and much to do in both worlds.
00:16:01.835 –> 00:16:03.915
JEREMY: So tell us a little bit about the Chief of Staff thing then.
00:16:03.915 –> 00:16:10.275
JEREMY: So what has been something you’ve learned now that you’re part of a team?
00:16:10.835 –> 00:16:16.935
JEREMY: And was there any sort of initial, okay, wait, is this my job or is this the Chief of Staff job?
00:16:16.955 –> 00:16:19.575
JEREMY: Like, was there anything like that as far as working with the Chief of Staff?
00:16:20.715 –> 00:16:25.655
MARY: So one fear I want to share that I had was like, okay, what does this mean?
00:16:25.675 –> 00:16:27.255
MARY: Now I’m supporting two people.
00:16:27.275 –> 00:16:32.295
MARY: Now I’m going to support the Chief of Staff because she’ll be traveling with the CEO.
00:16:32.315 –> 00:16:34.195
MARY: So now I need to book travels for her.
00:16:34.215 –> 00:16:37.455
MARY: Like first was a bit like I had fear.
00:16:37.475 –> 00:16:43.715
MARY: And also, I also liked being the one person that my exec trusts.
00:16:44.215 –> 00:16:48.295
MARY: And so I was a bit afraid of that.
00:16:48.315 –> 00:16:51.455
MARY: But first of all, we clicked from day one.
00:16:52.295 –> 00:16:57.055
MARY: We’re almost the same age, so we understand each other.
00:16:57.715 –> 00:17:02.435
MARY: She’s based in LA, so we have like a 10-hour difference between us.
00:17:02.455 –> 00:17:07.055
MARY: So that’s a bit hard to connect during the week, but we find our time.
00:17:08.055 –> 00:17:13.475
MARY: And I just find it having it easier to have her on the team.
00:17:13.495 –> 00:17:28.135
MARY: She helps me with all like leadership meeting, preparing for board meeting, and it takes a lot off of my plate so I can be focused in logistics and as we said, like the personal life of my exec.
00:17:29.315 –> 00:17:37.895
MARY: So it’s definitely an advantage, and I’m happy that we clicked, because I think if we wouldn’t click, that would be a big issue.
00:17:38.575 –> 00:17:38.895
JEREMY: Right.
00:17:40.175 –> 00:17:40.955
JEREMY: Yeah, that’s great.
00:17:40.975 –> 00:17:49.555
JEREMY: I know I’ve heard stories with, you know, horror stories of executives and chiefs of staff kind of button heads and not getting along.
00:17:49.575 –> 00:17:53.255
JEREMY: And so that’s great that you guys are starting off on the right foot.
00:17:53.855 –> 00:18:07.175
JEREMY: So, you know, being ingrained with the personal life of your executive and supporting them for a while, you get so deeply ingrained in their lives.
00:18:08.515 –> 00:18:10.795
JEREMY: You know, you know, you know, their kids.
00:18:11.315 –> 00:18:18.875
JEREMY: Sometimes you know, you feel like you know their kids better than they know their kids or, you know, their life better than they know their own life.
00:18:20.515 –> 00:18:35.155
JEREMY: How have you held on to your own identity as Mary Rabin, you know, versus losing it because you’re so ingrained in what’s going on with their life?
00:18:37.295 –> 00:18:39.395
MARY: Let me tell you, Jeremy, it’s a challenge.
00:18:39.915 –> 00:18:43.255
MARY: It’s a challenge I deal with daily.
00:18:43.275 –> 00:18:49.815
MARY: It’s not been easy just because I’m so dedicated to my work.
00:18:49.955 –> 00:18:57.655
MARY: So I always want to be the best EA and the best version of Mary I can be.
00:18:57.755 –> 00:19:00.555
MARY: So I always want to give even more than what I do.
00:19:00.575 –> 00:19:07.315
MARY: And sometimes that drains me out and I can get to a point where I’m burnt out from everything.
00:19:08.175 –> 00:19:14.155
MARY: So that’s something I definitely need to work on, my OCD of being the best EA.
00:19:16.175 –> 00:19:26.335
MARY: The way I deal with it that I found that helps me is like, I know an EA is a 24-7 hour, like we never stop.
00:19:26.395 –> 00:19:27.255
MARY: We never stop.
00:19:27.275 –> 00:19:30.275
MARY: So I can’t say like from 9 to 6, this is my job.
00:19:30.295 –> 00:19:32.435
MARY: And from 6 p.m.
00:19:32.675 –> 00:19:34.435
MARY: I’m back to being Mary.
00:19:35.915 –> 00:19:49.535
MARY: But I think I just learned to bring out my personality more during the day, using a lot of humor and trying to just ease the day.
00:19:51.575 –> 00:19:58.555
MARY: Also, finding time to just hang out in the office with other employees.
00:20:00.075 –> 00:20:05.535
MARY: I’m also part of the people team in the office here in Tel Aviv.
00:20:05.555 –> 00:20:09.255
MARY: So we do have this kind of part of like a…
00:20:09.995 –> 00:20:14.475
MARY: I always say I have like deep inside of me a social worker.
00:20:15.795 –> 00:20:27.195
MARY: So I find time to like stroll around the office, sit down with employees and that’s where I can like disconnect for like a few minutes from my actual job.
00:20:27.795 –> 00:20:28.735
MARY: And that helps me.
00:20:28.755 –> 00:20:31.355
JEREMY: That’s great.
00:20:32.875 –> 00:20:35.035
JEREMY: Well, what is your…
00:20:36.375 –> 00:20:41.435
JEREMY: What would be your words of wisdom or your challenge?
00:20:43.155 –> 00:20:51.235
JEREMY: Maybe your kind of final thoughts, if you will, for executive assistants of the world who are listening.
00:20:51.575 –> 00:20:56.615
JEREMY: And yeah, if there’s one thing you could say to the assistants of the world, what would you say?
00:20:58.555 –> 00:21:00.915
MARY: First, I want to say that we rule the world.
00:21:02.815 –> 00:21:04.055
MARY: We basically do.
00:21:04.695 –> 00:21:06.775
MARY: We handle everything.
00:21:07.595 –> 00:21:11.995
MARY: It’s behind scenes, but our execs know.
00:21:12.355 –> 00:21:34.735
MARY: Our execs know how hard we work, and I just hope all the EAs around the world are appreciated and their execs tell them every day how much they appreciate their work, and they say please and thank you, and don’t be shy to demand it, because we need to hear that.
00:21:36.035 –> 00:21:36.775
MARY: And that’s it.
00:21:36.915 –> 00:21:38.295
MARY: I just hope everyone…
00:21:38.295 –> 00:21:42.295
MARY: I think this is a job that you can’t learn to be an EA.
00:21:42.315 –> 00:21:44.055
MARY: You need to be born with it.
00:21:44.075 –> 00:21:47.915
MARY: You need to love this kind of work.
00:21:53.775 –> 00:21:55.495
JEREMY: I’ve just always loved helping others.
00:21:56.975 –> 00:21:59.115
JEREMY: And I think that’s to your point.
00:21:59.135 –> 00:22:03.815
JEREMY: It’s like, if you don’t enjoy helping others, this is probably not the job for you.
00:22:04.635 –> 00:22:06.395
MARY: No, it’s not.
00:22:06.415 –> 00:22:07.295
MARY: Definitely not.
00:22:08.715 –> 00:22:09.395
JEREMY: Awesome, Mary.
00:22:09.415 –> 00:22:12.375
JEREMY: Well, thank you so much for being on the show.
00:22:12.775 –> 00:22:16.595
JEREMY: Where’s the best place for people to reach out if they want to say hi?
00:22:18.715 –> 00:22:20.795
MARY: LinkedIn would be the best place.
00:22:22.815 –> 00:22:32.675
JEREMY: Well, I’ll put your LinkedIn link in the show notes at leaderassistant.com/259, leaderassistant.com/259.
00:22:32.715 –> 00:22:55.675
JEREMY: Before we go though, Mary, I would love, I’ve done this a few times in the past, English is your second language, and I would love to hear you say something along the lines of, thank you for listening to The Leader Assistant Podcast or something like that in your first language of Hebrew, is that right?
00:22:56.295 –> 00:22:56.655
MARY: Yes.
00:22:56.955 –> 00:23:04.155
JEREMY: Yeah, so I’d love to have you do something along those lines in your original first language.
00:23:05.835 –> 00:23:10.995
MARY: Thank you all for listening to The Leader Assistant Podcast.
00:23:18.235 –> 00:23:18.795
JEREMY: Beautiful.
00:23:18.815 –> 00:23:20.115
JEREMY: Thank you so much for doing that.
00:23:21.535 –> 00:23:22.615
JEREMY: Now, tell us what you said.
00:23:23.055 –> 00:23:31.295
MARY: I basically said thank you for listening, and I hope you liked my story, and who knows, maybe we’ll meet in the future.
00:23:32.395 –> 00:23:32.895
JEREMY: Perfect.
00:23:32.895 –> 00:23:34.275
JEREMY: Great way to end the conversation.
00:23:34.295 –> 00:23:37.035
JEREMY: Thank you so much, Mary, and best of luck to you.
00:23:38.375 –> 00:23:41.835
JEREMY: And hopefully you can come over and experience a snowstorm someday.
00:23:43.455 –> 00:23:44.275
MARY: Start one day.
00:23:56.545 –> 00:23:59.065
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00:24:05.660 –> 00:24:07.460
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