Natalie Schaefer is executive business partner at Aparium Hotel Group, and founder of EAPathfinder – a guidebook for Executive Assistants.
In this episode of The Leader Assistant Podcast, Natalie talks about five common challenges for emerging executive assistants: communication, time management, leadership and initiative, relationship building, and career development.
LEADERSHIP QUOTE
When people talk, listen completely.
– Ernest Hemingway
CONNECT WITH NATALIE
ABOUT NATALIE
With over half a decade of dedicated experience as an Executive Assistant and Executive Business Partner, Natalie Schaefer has continuously developed her skills to become a trusted partner for C-Suite Executives. Her expertise lies in precise, goal oriented communication, complex time and calendar management and coordination, and the ability to adapt her approach in moments of ambiguity. She takes pride in her ability to optimize workflows, streamlining processes to enhance efficiency and productivity. Natalie’s commitment to fostering open lines of communication enables informed decision-making and ensures that strategic visions of the leadership team are effectively translated into action.
She is passionate about helping leaders achieve their goals by offering strategic support that extends beyond traditional functions, but also providing support to the growing EA community and act as a resource, guide and inspiration to those who are just getting started. That’s why she created EAPathfinder in early 2024, a guidebook for Executive Assistants under the age of 30 or with less than 2 years of experience that addresses the 5 most common challenges they run into, paired with targeted journaling prompts to start creating a fulfilling, successful career.
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
00:00:00.000 –> 00:00:01.640
NATALIE: Hi, I’m Natalie Schaefer.
00:00:01.660 –> 00:00:05.660
NATALIE: I am the Executive Business Partner at Aparium Hotel Group.
00:00:05.700 –> 00:00:09.080
NATALIE: And today’s leadership quote comes from Ernest Hemingway.
00:00:09.920 –> 00:00:13.000
NATALIE: And it reads, When People’s Heart Listen Completely.
00:00:19.146 –> 00:00:26.606
<v SPEAKER_3>The Leader Assistant Podcast exists to encourage and challenge assistants to become confident, game-changing, leader assistants.
00:00:34.568 –> 00:00:44.688
JEREMY: Everyone is talking about NOVA Chief of Staff, and it’s no surprise when graduates walk away with huge benefits, like greater confidence and the validation that they can do the role.
00:00:45.288 –> 00:00:53.828
JEREMY: There are over 300 students in the NOVA Chief of Staff Certification course, many of which are growth-minded executive assistants like you.
00:00:54.348 –> 00:01:05.388
JEREMY: Many of the leader assistants taking the course aren’t necessarily looking for a promotion, they simply want to become more effective, strategic, and game-changing assistants.
00:01:06.048 –> 00:01:13.168
JEREMY: Over 18 countries around the globe are represented by students in NOVA’s course, so I highly recommend you join the club.
00:01:13.588 –> 00:01:20.468
JEREMY: Visit leaderassistant.com/nova to learn more about this amazing professional development resource.
00:01:21.668 –> 00:01:24.388
JEREMY: Hey, friends, welcome to the Leader Assistant Podcast.
00:01:24.408 –> 00:01:28.348
JEREMY: It’s your host, Jeremy Burrows, and this is episode 272.
00:01:28.848 –> 00:01:34.728
JEREMY: You can check out the show notes for this episode at leaderassistant.com/272.
00:01:35.208 –> 00:01:47.348
JEREMY: Today I’m speaking with Natalie Schaefer, who is the executive business partner at Aparium Hotel Group and also founder of EAPathfinder, a guidebook for executive assistance.
00:01:48.028 –> 00:01:52.228
JEREMY: Natalie, thank you so much for joining me this evening and welcome to the show.
00:01:56.068 –> 00:01:57.028
JEREMY: What part of the world are you in?
00:01:58.148 –> 00:02:04.808
NATALIE: I am located in Chicago, but I’m originally from Germany, have been living in the United States for about eight years now.
00:02:05.948 –> 00:02:06.268
JEREMY: Great.
00:02:06.288 –> 00:02:07.948
JEREMY: And what brought you to the States?
00:02:09.008 –> 00:02:09.908
NATALIE: My husband.
00:02:11.428 –> 00:02:11.788
JEREMY: Nice.
00:02:11.808 –> 00:02:12.368
JEREMY: How did you meet?
00:02:13.568 –> 00:02:19.988
NATALIE: We actually met here in Chicago when I was on a family trip slash vacation.
00:02:20.328 –> 00:02:21.448
NATALIE: And so we met here.
00:02:22.988 –> 00:02:27.448
JEREMY: Great, and do you like Chicago or is it too cold for you in the winter?
00:02:27.468 –> 00:02:30.868
NATALIE: I loved it in the very beginning.
00:02:30.888 –> 00:02:34.448
NATALIE: There was obviously a lot to explore, a lot of new things.
00:02:34.448 –> 00:02:41.068
NATALIE: I’m coming from a really small town in Germany, so you can only imagine how two worlds kind of crashed.
00:02:41.188 –> 00:02:50.448
NATALIE: But now, you know, you find your groove after a few years, you know, you wait around and there’s always new things to explore in Chicago, so excited to be here.
00:02:51.628 –> 00:02:59.548
JEREMY: Nice and so speaking of exploring Chicago, is that something you like to do in with your free time when you’re not working?
00:03:00.568 –> 00:03:04.948
NATALIE: I do, you know, especially the food scene is amazing in Chicago.
00:03:05.248 –> 00:03:25.788
NATALIE: Every time we travel to another city, and we always find that the Chicago food scene is, you know, unbeatable, so to say, but other than that, I love to spend time outdoors either hiking or gardening, just travel, explore different cultures, exposing myself to different people.
00:03:26.048 –> 00:03:32.268
NATALIE: And if it’s a rainy Saturday night, I like to cook Italian food with my husband at home.
00:03:33.408 –> 00:03:33.828
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:03:34.068 –> 00:03:36.508
JEREMY: That sounds sounds lovely, making me hungry.
00:03:39.708 –> 00:03:44.988
JEREMY: So, tell us about how you ended up in the executive assistant career.
00:03:45.828 –> 00:03:46.268
NATALIE: Yeah.
00:03:46.728 –> 00:03:50.028
NATALIE: So, I have to go way back into my childhood.
00:03:50.168 –> 00:03:55.968
NATALIE: I still remember myself sitting at my desk when I was maybe seven, eight years old.
00:03:55.968 –> 00:04:08.068
NATALIE: I had just started going to school and I was always playing secretary, you know, we’re finding ourselves in the nineties right now, so the secretary word was very much out there.
00:04:09.068 –> 00:04:18.388
NATALIE: I’ve always had a passion for just being organized, organizing paper, planning, so I was sitting there and playing office when I was a child.
00:04:18.728 –> 00:04:22.368
NATALIE: So I knew there was something there that I should pursue.
00:04:22.388 –> 00:04:33.508
NATALIE: Then in my teenage years, I went to vocational school in Germany for office management and in foreign languages, which kind of further paved that path.
00:04:34.548 –> 00:04:51.208
NATALIE: And then I worked for a while as a translator in Germany, but really got into that EA field in about 2019 when I started working as an executive assistant for a global logistics and freight forwarding company and built my career from there.
00:04:52.588 –> 00:05:03.488
JEREMY: Nice, so then, you know, talked about the title secretary, when did you realize as you got into the assistant career, when did you realize it was actually a career?
00:05:03.508 –> 00:05:17.688
NATALIE: I think actually really over the past two years, you know, I’ve been in the EA space for about five years now and a lot of things are new in the very beginning.
00:05:18.088 –> 00:05:33.128
NATALIE: When you change company, things are very new again, but especially over the past two years after settling into my new job, I’ve been sitting there analyzing the why and the reasons for doing what I’m doing.
00:05:34.208 –> 00:05:42.948
NATALIE: So I really started to realize how much material is out there, how many development opportunities are out there.
00:05:43.908 –> 00:05:50.088
NATALIE: I looked for certifications, found, for example, the paid certification that I did last year.
00:05:51.128 –> 00:06:05.148
NATALIE: And then just by getting involved into the admin community and by networking on LinkedIn, reading articles, I think that just increased my awareness that an EA is not just an admin and that was pretty eye-opening to me.
00:06:06.088 –> 00:06:19.008
NATALIE: However, I feel that many assistant positions can be very different, so the type of position that you have can make you feel like it’s a career or it’s not.
00:06:19.028 –> 00:06:25.388
NATALIE: But if you come to the conclusion that it’s not, I think it’s totally in your hands to change that.
00:06:26.808 –> 00:06:28.428
JEREMY: Yeah, that’s a really interesting point.
00:06:29.968 –> 00:06:56.328
JEREMY: Just the fact of that, you could be an executive assistant to a CEO at one organization, and the role that you find yourself in is not very career-like, but yet you could be an administrative level one assistant at a different organization supporting a VP and very much feel like it’s a career, so that’s a very good point.
00:06:57.028 –> 00:06:57.368
NATALIE: Right.
00:06:58.748 –> 00:06:59.128
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:06:59.148 –> 00:07:06.368
JEREMY: Well, what is your favorite part these days about being an assistant?
00:07:07.488 –> 00:07:20.008
NATALIE: My favorite part of being an assistant, I think it’s mainly that it combines my passion and my top skills, which I would name as time management, communication and organization.
00:07:20.888 –> 00:07:30.628
NATALIE: And I always think that when your passion combines with your skills, it becomes something totally different.
00:07:30.968 –> 00:07:37.968
NATALIE: And that’s my favorite part, that I don’t go to work every day and feel like I have to be there, but that I want to be there.
00:07:38.528 –> 00:07:43.768
NATALIE: And also obviously that I can increase these read efficiency through time management.
00:07:44.108 –> 00:07:48.588
NATALIE: I love to see when plans play out that I’ve crafted for days.
00:07:50.068 –> 00:07:58.828
NATALIE: And then just creating a better day-to-day rundown for my executives and taking the pressure off them by just strategically laying out their time.
00:07:58.848 –> 00:08:00.708
JEREMY: Nice.
00:08:00.728 –> 00:08:02.408
JEREMY: And what about your least favorite part?
00:08:03.588 –> 00:08:09.068
NATALIE: My least favorite part, I would say it has to be right now mentality.
00:08:09.288 –> 00:08:13.568
NATALIE: I think many EAs will concur with that.
00:08:14.668 –> 00:08:20.628
NATALIE: You know, executives can have very hectic days of being pulled in so many different directions.
00:08:21.308 –> 00:08:24.668
NATALIE: And it’s just right now, right now, right now.
00:08:24.688 –> 00:08:36.428
NATALIE: So then that doesn’t really allow for sitting back, stepping out of that stress circle a little bit and just thinking big picture strategic thinking.
00:08:36.468 –> 00:08:39.528
NATALIE: Sometimes I’ve been missing that a little bit.
00:08:41.668 –> 00:08:42.748
JEREMY: Yeah, it makes sense.
00:08:44.048 –> 00:08:53.028
JEREMY: Well, one thing you talked about the strategic aspect, your title is executive business partner.
00:08:53.968 –> 00:08:58.608
JEREMY: And so, you know, you mentioned the 90s and the term secretary.
00:09:00.208 –> 00:09:08.508
JEREMY: Tell us a little bit about your path or the how you’ve progressed from that secretary world to executive business partner.
00:09:09.488 –> 00:09:16.888
NATALIE: So yeah, last year in the late summer, it was about the time that my two year review of my role was coming up.
00:09:17.408 –> 00:09:33.248
NATALIE: At that time, I was about five years into my career and I started asking myself, okay, if I’ve kind of mastered, you know, the time management and all these tasks that I do every day, at a certain point, it becomes repetitive.
00:09:33.268 –> 00:09:35.728
NATALIE: And I started asking myself, what else could there be?
00:09:35.828 –> 00:09:37.688
NATALIE: How can I advance my career?
00:09:38.248 –> 00:09:45.708
NATALIE: And like I mentioned before, I wanted just to do something that was a little bit more strategic than just the ad hoc day to day.
00:09:46.608 –> 00:09:54.948
NATALIE: So scheduled the review with my CEO and proactively brought up that thought that, you know, hey, what do you think?
00:09:55.648 –> 00:09:57.348
NATALIE: I would like to do a little bit.
00:09:58.368 –> 00:10:01.128
NATALIE: I would like to increase my responsibilities.
00:10:01.588 –> 00:10:02.748
NATALIE: He was very receptive.
00:10:03.208 –> 00:10:17.768
NATALIE: We had a really open conversation and he just suggested I would do a little bit of brainstorming with our HR department, our CEO, and then bring the results of those brainstorming sessions back to him.
00:10:17.788 –> 00:10:20.348
NATALIE: So we did that.
00:10:20.728 –> 00:10:24.388
NATALIE: I was, I’m really grateful for, you know, feeling heard.
00:10:24.408 –> 00:10:38.028
NATALIE: I think many assistants might not find themselves in the position that they actually do feel heard when they’re asking for some more in their career path, so that was awesome.
00:10:38.208 –> 00:10:53.628
NATALIE: And we really sat down during those brainstorming sessions, seeing what does the company need the most from the CEO and what could a newly created role do to help him get there.
00:10:54.408 –> 00:11:03.748
NATALIE: And so we basically landed on three main things that we thought everybody, including the CEO, could benefit from.
00:11:04.428 –> 00:11:06.448
NATALIE: And that’s what we landed on.
00:11:09.148 –> 00:11:09.528
JEREMY: Nice.
00:11:10.328 –> 00:11:16.348
JEREMY: And so there was a good back and forth conversation and not too much resistance, huh?
00:11:17.088 –> 00:11:17.468
NATALIE: Right.
00:11:17.468 –> 00:11:19.988
NATALIE: Yeah, it was very smooth.
00:11:20.008 –> 00:11:21.468
NATALIE: We worked on this a few months.
00:11:22.728 –> 00:11:24.748
NATALIE: Then we brainstormed titles.
00:11:25.968 –> 00:11:29.528
NATALIE: My ultimate goal is the chief of staff role.
00:11:31.168 –> 00:11:38.508
NATALIE: But we determined that the chief of staff title might not fit into how every company is laid out.
00:11:38.968 –> 00:11:42.548
NATALIE: So we landed on the executive business partner role.
00:11:42.548 –> 00:11:51.448
NATALIE: We found that was a really good title that would fit what I would be doing in addition to my regular tasks.
00:11:53.608 –> 00:11:54.048
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:11:54.288 –> 00:11:54.688
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:11:55.508 –> 00:11:57.968
JEREMY: So that’s super exciting.
00:11:58.368 –> 00:12:10.168
JEREMY: Is there any, I’ll throw a curveball at you, is there any funny or odd or, you know, crazy stories throughout your career as an assistant that you’d like to share?
00:12:11.548 –> 00:12:30.108
NATALIE: Crazy stories, I just, I think that overall as an assistant throughout your career, you just, it’s not crazy, it’s not funny, it’s just very insightful, I would think, that you see these executives, how human they really are.
00:12:30.888 –> 00:12:54.768
NATALIE: You know, when you don’t have a lot of touch points with, you know, C3 executives as a regular employee, you see them very differently, you know, and so as an assistant, just to be able to be that bridge between the CEO and your coworkers, I think that’s super exciting actually.
00:12:56.788 –> 00:13:07.128
JEREMY: Yeah, great, so then there’s this, what I mentioned earlier, you’re the founder of EAPathfinder.
00:13:07.148 –> 00:13:09.108
JEREMY: So tell us about EAPathfinder.
00:13:09.128 –> 00:13:14.708
JEREMY: What is it and what, how did you come to launch this project?
00:13:15.288 –> 00:13:58.388
NATALIE: Yeah, so very exciting, again, end of last year, it seems that last year was kind of my year of reflection, so shortly after my role changed, I started thinking again, okay, now I’m in this role, you know, what else is there that I could do that would be really my own project, my own timeline, my own execution, creativity, what could I put together that would benefit the EA community and, you know, I started doing more research on available resources and you’re finding yourself in that vast ocean of books and podcasts and videos and how to guide.
00:13:58.488 –> 00:14:09.188
NATALIE: And so what I really found was that the market could really benefit from a guidebook that’s.
00:14:14.868 –> 00:14:26.528
NATALIE: For emerging executive assistants, and what topics could they really benefit from if I addressed them and provided everyday tips and tricks around those topics.
00:14:27.568 –> 00:14:47.228
NATALIE: So, I basically thought back about a lot of conversations that I had with peers, things that I experienced myself over the last five years, and really landed on these five topics that I found were striking, that everybody was running into.
00:14:53.108 –> 00:14:55.688
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00:14:56.628 –> 00:15:04.308
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00:15:04.928 –> 00:15:16.448
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00:15:17.128 –> 00:15:19.348
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00:15:25.168 –> 00:15:30.148
JEREMY: Nice.
00:15:30.168 –> 00:15:40.008
JEREMY: And so, which of those five common challenges are, can you kind of walk us through the high level of that outline?
00:15:40.528 –> 00:15:41.228
NATALIE: Definitely.
00:15:41.248 –> 00:15:53.488
NATALIE: So, I found that the five most common challenges were communication, time management, leadership and initiative, relationship building and career development.
00:15:53.508 –> 00:15:56.388
NATALIE: And I’ll speak to each of them a little bit here in a minute.
00:15:58.588 –> 00:16:06.308
NATALIE: What was very important for me when I wrote the guide was that, kind of like the motto, time is a limited resource.
00:16:06.328 –> 00:16:09.488
NATALIE: How can NEA get information fast?
00:16:10.048 –> 00:16:22.808
NATALIE: Maybe someone would want to read a really big book, maybe their first week on the job, and, you know, fires are shooting out the ground and they’re thinking, what can I do?
00:16:23.428 –> 00:16:33.568
NATALIE: So I’m really focusing the guide on hands-on, easily actionable and making them relevant for really every assistant that is getting started.
00:16:34.548 –> 00:16:37.848
NATALIE: So communication obviously is a huge topic.
00:16:37.988 –> 00:16:40.608
NATALIE: Thousands of books exist about it.
00:16:42.588 –> 00:17:01.808
NATALIE: EAPathfinder provides guidance on how to communicate more effectively and precise and addresses also the frequency of communication since in the EA, well, some of us really under-communicate and some over-communicate, so really finding that balance.
00:17:02.668 –> 00:17:05.968
NATALIE: Time management is a huge one in there.
00:17:06.848 –> 00:17:22.928
NATALIE: It’s more a deep dive into really calendar management, which I’m finding is a crucial skill for every EA success, has real-life examples in there, for example, in times of travel, how to stay flexible.
00:17:22.928 –> 00:17:28.448
NATALIE: I know that us EAs love to get everything organized until we understand it of more that way.
00:17:30.168 –> 00:17:40.888
NATALIE: So how can you preserve that flexibility just for your own sanity and being okay with things constantly changing that you put so much effort in?
00:17:41.448 –> 00:17:46.668
NATALIE: And also the art of saying no, which is also essential for time management, obviously.
00:17:47.048 –> 00:17:56.468
NATALIE: We can say yes to everything when we’re being asked for time with our executors.
00:17:57.708 –> 00:18:10.188
NATALIE: And sometimes there is no time, there are certain things that you can do to not just say no to somebody, but go about it in a different way.
00:18:10.208 –> 00:18:13.888
NATALIE: So that chapter lines out how to do that.
00:18:14.328 –> 00:18:18.448
JEREMY: Would you mind sharing just one example of how to say no without saying no, maybe?
00:18:19.328 –> 00:18:37.668
NATALIE: Yeah, I think depending on the context, obviously, and on confidentiality, I always think that people appreciate when you give them the reason why you say no, that makes them more approachable and then just providing an alternative.
00:18:38.048 –> 00:18:45.688
NATALIE: So usually it’s really never a no, it’s a yes-but, I would say, maybe.
00:18:47.148 –> 00:19:05.068
NATALIE: So just working on alternatives in that case, and creating a little bit more awareness of how many things really channel to the CEO and that time really needs to be prioritized and grouped accordingly.
00:19:06.208 –> 00:19:06.908
JEREMY: Super helpful.
00:19:06.928 –> 00:19:08.848
JEREMY: Thanks for sharing.
00:19:10.188 –> 00:19:10.508
NATALIE: Yeah.
00:19:10.528 –> 00:19:16.128
NATALIE: And then so the next one is leadership and initiative, and one would think, well, I’m an EA.
00:19:16.188 –> 00:19:17.848
NATALIE: What does leadership mean?
00:19:17.848 –> 00:19:24.948
NATALIE: So what I’ve seen throughout my career is really that managing up is very much important.
00:19:25.828 –> 00:19:27.708
NATALIE: I think leaders appreciate it.
00:19:27.948 –> 00:19:29.688
NATALIE: They don’t want to micromanage.
00:19:29.688 –> 00:19:32.428
NATALIE: Sometimes they do it, but they really don’t want to.
00:19:33.728 –> 00:19:40.068
NATALIE: It’s intimidating if you’re a young executive assistant and needs to be approached in the right way.
00:19:40.148 –> 00:19:53.788
NATALIE: And what I found is that once you show reliability to your executive, the trust will build and that will make it easier for you to manage up.
00:19:54.988 –> 00:19:59.528
NATALIE: Then obviously things like being proactive, how do you do that?
00:19:59.728 –> 00:20:01.028
NATALIE: How to trust your gut?
00:20:01.108 –> 00:20:10.868
NATALIE: I think it’s imperative for executive assistants to develop that intuition over time and then embrace resourcefulness.
00:20:10.928 –> 00:20:16.488
NATALIE: How do you make the impossible possible with limited resources?
00:20:19.188 –> 00:20:25.028
NATALIE: Fourth one is relationship building, very essential in that career path.
00:20:26.268 –> 00:20:31.088
NATALIE: How do you build relationships but still maintain confidentiality?
00:20:31.708 –> 00:20:44.248
NATALIE: Because you will experience that people try to squeeze that information out of you, even if they don’t say it directly, but you notice that they’re trying, going back to intuition again, you just know.
00:20:45.688 –> 00:20:53.148
NATALIE: But how can you still build valuable relationships around the company, because it will be helpful?
00:20:54.008 –> 00:20:56.128
NATALIE: How do you set boundaries with people?
00:20:56.128 –> 00:20:58.268
NATALIE: How do you navigate through feedback?
00:20:58.308 –> 00:21:05.628
NATALIE: And how do you, even though you’re being professional, give all these interactions a personal touch?
00:21:05.668 –> 00:21:08.428
NATALIE: So that is the relationship building chapter.
00:21:08.448 –> 00:21:12.508
NATALIE: And then the last one is career development.
00:21:12.688 –> 00:21:24.548
NATALIE: I’m listing the six key strategies to just stay ahead of the game and identify opportunities for professional growth in the EEA career path.
00:21:26.008 –> 00:21:45.968
NATALIE: Then I’ve included a little bit of bonus material in the form of a little journaling prompt that go back to each chapter, lessons learned, for just reflection and helping the reader identify ways forward, because I really want the reader to apply the guidance to that database.
00:21:46.188 –> 00:21:48.748
NATALIE: And I want to make it as accessible as possible.
00:21:49.348 –> 00:22:01.648
NATALIE: And I think that when you work through a section and then actually are being prompted to reflect on how that applies to your life, to your day to day, it can be really helpful.
00:22:03.548 –> 00:22:07.968
JEREMY: So what’s the format of your resource?
00:22:08.108 –> 00:22:11.188
JEREMY: Is it a, is it text?
00:22:11.408 –> 00:22:13.268
JEREMY: Is it video?
00:22:13.288 –> 00:22:14.468
JEREMY: What’s kind of the format?
00:22:14.988 –> 00:22:23.948
NATALIE: It is digital, it’s a, it’s a text, so people can either read it on a screen or they can also print it out.
00:22:24.428 –> 00:22:30.128
NATALIE: You know, I, I’m always the person that I like to print out things and put little handwritten notes everywhere.
00:22:30.388 –> 00:22:39.768
NATALIE: And then obviously for the journaling prompts, it would be nice if you kind of had that in front of you that enables you to do the journaling.
00:22:41.488 –> 00:22:58.568
JEREMY: And what, what’s maybe your, like, what’s some feedback you’ve gotten from assistants that have gone through it or even, even just that you’ve helped the systems with in any of these areas, any of these topics?
00:22:59.368 –> 00:22:59.708
NATALIE: Yeah.
00:22:59.728 –> 00:23:02.668
NATALIE: So the feedback has been very positive so far.
00:23:02.988 –> 00:23:08.968
NATALIE: I received a lot of feedback that it would be great if, you know, I started doing little videos.
00:23:08.968 –> 00:23:20.568
NATALIE: That’s why I’m on your podcast today to practice that because, you know, with English not being your first language, that is definitely that comfort zone that you have to leave.
00:23:20.688 –> 00:23:30.648
NATALIE: So I’m taking the feedback and, you know, hopefully in the future I can release a version two or just build up on what’s existing.
00:23:30.668 –> 00:23:43.968
NATALIE: You know, the launch is still relatively new, so I’m still gathering the feedback and then I will compile it and just extract what the demand is and then let’s see where it takes me.
00:23:43.988 –> 00:23:45.508
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:23:45.528 –> 00:23:49.928
JEREMY: And then how long do you think it took you to put all this together?
00:23:49.948 –> 00:23:54.028
NATALIE: About three to four months.
00:23:54.848 –> 00:23:55.168
JEREMY: Okay.
00:23:55.808 –> 00:24:05.768
JEREMY: And is it something that you recommend other assistants that have thought about putting together resources, like any tips on getting started?
00:24:07.728 –> 00:24:23.908
NATALIE: Yeah, I, what I did is I took a huge sheet of paper and did a little brainstorming sessions and I just started writing out, you know, ideas, topics, and then it helped always to visualize things for me on paper.
00:24:23.928 –> 00:24:25.928
NATALIE: So then you start seeing the connections.
00:24:26.068 –> 00:24:27.868
NATALIE: Oh, how does that tie in with that?
00:24:27.868 –> 00:24:36.088
NATALIE: And then, you know, at some point the circle just closes and that then kind of gives you the line out for what you’re writing.
00:24:36.548 –> 00:24:38.368
NATALIE: So that was really helpful for me.
00:24:39.288 –> 00:24:42.308
NATALIE: I also had an awesome graphic designer.
00:24:42.428 –> 00:24:45.988
NATALIE: I tried to do it myself, but it drove me crazy.
00:24:46.008 –> 00:24:49.548
JEREMY: Sounds like me trying to design things.
00:24:50.468 –> 00:25:03.268
NATALIE: I just thought that, you know, it would just soak up so many of my hours and I was not okay with it, so through a connection, I was able to find a graphic designer that did an awesome job for me.
00:25:03.288 –> 00:25:04.948
NATALIE: So that was a huge help as well.
00:25:05.428 –> 00:25:12.008
NATALIE: So I always think that, you know, especially as you’re getting started, you haven’t earned anything yet.
00:25:12.488 –> 00:25:23.988
NATALIE: Obviously, you want to keep your costs low, but when you can find the right value for the right price, I think you can definitely outsource and get some help with the design.
00:25:24.648 –> 00:25:25.028
JEREMY: Yeah.
00:25:26.188 –> 00:25:41.048
JEREMY: Yeah, that’s definitely my number one tip when it comes to trying to create things is to outsource the things that you either don’t enjoy and or can’t really do very well, right?
00:25:43.308 –> 00:25:58.848
JEREMY: So if you could buy a billboard or produce a Super Bowl ad that millions of assistants would see, what message would you put on that billboard or what would the message be for that Super Bowl ad?
00:25:59.708 –> 00:26:04.688
NATALIE: It would be very short and sweet, three words, and it’s own your career.
00:26:05.068 –> 00:26:17.468
NATALIE: And the emphasis would be on the own, simply because I think that there is not a direct, clear career path for EAs and you can just do so much.
00:26:17.508 –> 00:26:18.628
NATALIE: You’re not stuck.
00:26:18.648 –> 00:26:20.068
NATALIE: You’re not just an admin.
00:26:20.088 –> 00:26:23.048
NATALIE: You’re not just there to schedule meetings.
00:26:23.048 –> 00:26:27.828
NATALIE: There’s so much more than you can do, but nobody will lay it out for you but yourself.
00:26:27.928 –> 00:26:33.808
NATALIE: So just to be persistent, proactive, and manage your own goals.
00:26:34.028 –> 00:26:44.148
NATALIE: And I would really encourage everybody to pursue this career path as it brings them joy and they’re good at it and you really need to own it.
00:26:44.268 –> 00:26:51.708
NATALIE: And it’s unlike any other career path where there’s a very clear direction that you’ll be going.
00:26:51.728 –> 00:26:55.088
NATALIE: The DEA career is very different.
00:26:55.108 –> 00:27:05.608
NATALIE: So if you don’t own it, nobody will do it for you and you might get stuck in the same job for 20 years, even though you want to do so much more, but it’s really in your hand.
00:27:08.248 –> 00:27:08.788
JEREMY: Well said.
00:27:08.788 –> 00:27:32.448
JEREMY: I was actually had a coaching session with an assistant and we were talking about this exact idea of, listen, your company, your colleagues, your executive, even if they’re the best company you worked for and the best executive you worked for, they’re still not going to care as much as you do about your future.
00:27:34.008 –> 00:27:45.408
JEREMY: And they’re not going to put as much focus and energy on what you do and your future as you will and you should.
00:27:45.428 –> 00:27:53.768
JEREMY: So yeah, it’s definitely kind of you got to own your career, you got to ask for what you want, what you need.
00:27:55.268 –> 00:28:05.168
JEREMY: Sometimes it’s kind of, especially as assistants, we have to self-manage ourselves and do the work and say, hey, you know what, here’s my new job description, here’s my new title.
00:28:05.588 –> 00:28:07.028
JEREMY: I’ve already done all the work for you.
00:28:07.048 –> 00:28:11.388
JEREMY: All I need is your stamp of approval and a salary increase.
00:28:12.448 –> 00:28:13.768
NATALIE: Yeah, and definitely.
00:28:13.788 –> 00:28:31.048
NATALIE: And especially, I think the personality pairing of the assistant and whoever they assist, be it a CEO or VP or whoever, the personality really needs to be a fit that can make the biggest difference in the world.
00:28:32.048 –> 00:28:34.748
JEREMY: Yeah, yes, definitely.
00:28:35.668 –> 00:28:45.548
JEREMY: Well, what is the best place, Natalie, for people to reach out and learn more about you, say hi, connect, all the things?
00:28:46.108 –> 00:28:49.728
NATALIE: Yes, I’m very active on LinkedIn.
00:28:49.948 –> 00:29:01.808
NATALIE: I am really limiting my social media presence on LinkedIn right now because I just think that it’s the most fruitful for the type of audience that I’m trying to reach.
00:29:01.828 –> 00:29:05.768
NATALIE: They can reach me at eapathfinder.com.
00:29:05.788 –> 00:29:12.808
NATALIE: They can scroll through the website, learn a little bit more about the guidebook, reach out to me.
00:29:12.828 –> 00:29:20.728
NATALIE: There’s a contact box at the bottom of the website and otherwise always happy to connect and network on LinkedIn.
00:29:22.208 –> 00:29:31.828
JEREMY: Perfect, and I will put those links, of course, in the show notes at leaderassistant.com/272.
00:29:31.848 –> 00:29:36.548
JEREMY: That’s leaderassistant.com/272.
00:29:36.588 –> 00:29:38.628
JEREMY: Natalie, thank you so much for your time.
00:29:39.928 –> 00:29:44.728
JEREMY: Thank you so much for putting together this extensive resource for assistance.
00:29:46.068 –> 00:29:54.308
JEREMY: And, yeah, we’ll hope to connect in the future, maybe over some good Chicago food, and best of luck to you.
00:29:55.888 –> 00:29:56.968
NATALIE: I wish you the very same.
00:30:07.608 –> 00:30:10.368
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