Vickie Maldonado has a long career in administration and is currently the business ministry chief of staff at Bayside Community Church in Bradenton, Florida.
In this episode of The Leader Assistant Podcast, Vickie talks about how to keep all of your plates spinning without burning out, building relational equity within a team of assistants, and the difference between executive assistant and a chief of staff.
LEADERSHIP QUOTE
When you serve someone, serve them as if you are serving Jesus, then, it’ll be easy to flow from a place of love and care.
– Dad
CONNECT WITH VICKIE
ABOUT VICKIE
Vickie Maldonado’s background and experience are from her career in administration of nearly 20 years. She began as a 17-year-old volunteer Administrative Assistant to her youth pastor and later was hired full-time. She was promoted to the Executive Administrative Assistant to the CFO and is now the Business Ministry Chief of Staff at Bayside Community Church in Bradenton, Florida. She is also attending evening classes online, as well as running an event planning, coordination, and rental business, Events by V.
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
00:00:00.300 –> 00:00:04.600
VICKIE: Hi, this is Vickie Maldonado, and you are on The Leader Assistant Podcast.
00:00:05.100 –> 00:00:06.820
VICKIE: Today’s quote is from my dad.
00:00:07.220 –> 00:00:14.580
VICKIE: When you serve someone, serve them as if you’re serving Jesus, then it’ll be easy to flow from a place of love and care.
00:00:21.000 –> 00:00:28.273
<v SPEAKER_3>The Leader Assistant Podcast exists to encourage and challenge assistants to become confident, game-changing leader assistants.
00:00:36.256 –> 00:00:46.376
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.
00:00:46.976 –> 00:00:55.496
JEREMY: There are over 300 students in the Nova Chief of Staff Certification Course, many of which are growth-minded executive assistants like you.
00:00:56.036 –> 00:01:07.076
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.
00:01:07.736 –> 00:01:14.856
JEREMY: Over 18 countries around the globe are represented by students in Nova’s course, so I highly recommend you join the club.
00:01:15.276 –> 00:01:22.156
JEREMY: Visit leaderassistant.com/nova to learn more about this amazing professional development resource.
00:01:23.536 –> 00:01:26.316
JEREMY: Hey friends, welcome to The Leader Assistant Podcast.
00:01:26.336 –> 00:01:32.636
JEREMY: It’s your host Jeremy Burrows and this is episode 274.
00:01:32.656 –> 00:01:40.476
JEREMY: You can check out the show notes for this episode at leaderassistant.com/274.
00:01:40.936 –> 00:01:46.516
JEREMY: Today I’m very excited to have Vickie Maldonado on the show.
00:01:46.676 –> 00:02:00.736
JEREMY: Vickie is a business ministry chief of staff and she has nearly 20 years of experience as an assistant in the administrative assistant world.
00:02:02.076 –> 00:02:04.796
JEREMY: So, Vickie, welcome to the show.
00:02:05.396 –> 00:02:06.216
VICKIE: Thanks so much.
00:02:06.576 –> 00:02:07.456
VICKIE: Excited to be here.
00:02:08.096 –> 00:02:09.136
JEREMY: Yeah, yeah.
00:02:09.156 –> 00:02:10.536
JEREMY: And what part of the world are you in?
00:02:11.696 –> 00:02:13.836
VICKIE: I am in Whatula, Florida.
00:02:16.376 –> 00:02:17.396
VICKIE: Central Florida.
00:02:17.556 –> 00:02:18.476
VICKIE: Central Florida.
00:02:19.376 –> 00:02:19.556
JEREMY: Nice.
00:02:20.116 –> 00:02:22.016
VICKIE: It’s a sweet, small town.
00:02:24.036 –> 00:02:24.816
JEREMY: Are you from there?
00:02:25.996 –> 00:02:27.516
VICKIE: I’m originally from California.
00:02:28.856 –> 00:02:31.656
JEREMY: So you really went to the other side of the country, huh?
00:02:33.576 –> 00:02:34.896
JEREMY: What part of California are you from?
00:02:35.636 –> 00:02:36.716
VICKIE: San Bernardino.
00:02:37.516 –> 00:02:38.396
JEREMY: OK, cool.
00:02:38.416 –> 00:02:39.236
VICKIE: It’s kind of southern.
00:02:39.256 –> 00:02:41.836
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:02:41.856 –> 00:02:45.036
JEREMY: And tell us a little bit about what you like to do when you’re not working.
00:02:46.996 –> 00:02:56.996
VICKIE: I am usually working all the time, but on the weekends, I have an event business, so we do a wedding day of coordination and things like that.
00:02:57.016 –> 00:03:02.376
VICKIE: So that’s something that brings me a lot of joy and spending time with my family.
00:03:05.436 –> 00:03:10.076
JEREMY: So how did you get into the event business side of things?
00:03:11.356 –> 00:03:16.896
VICKIE: That side, I just loved celebrating people and throwing parties.
00:03:17.256 –> 00:03:21.556
VICKIE: And I started having people ask me like, hey, would you do my party?
00:03:21.576 –> 00:03:22.396
VICKIE: Would you decorate?
00:03:22.416 –> 00:03:23.376
VICKIE: Would you coordinate?
00:03:23.836 –> 00:03:29.416
VICKIE: And so it just became like so often that I thought I could make some side money off of this.
00:03:30.196 –> 00:03:31.616
VICKIE: And that’s how it all started.
00:03:32.956 –> 00:03:39.156
JEREMY: Yeah, that’s actually a really good little side note is, you know, people say, well, I want to I want to I need a side hustle.
00:03:39.176 –> 00:03:41.056
JEREMY: I need to make a little bit of money on the side.
00:03:41.076 –> 00:03:44.936
JEREMY: I need a part time gig, kind of supplement my full time gig.
00:03:45.436 –> 00:03:59.836
JEREMY: And that’s one of the first things that people talk about is, you know, when you’re trying to figure out what to do for a side hustle, just think about, all right, well, what do people say you’re good at?
00:03:59.976 –> 00:04:03.476
JEREMY: Or what do people ask you to do?
00:04:04.116 –> 00:04:06.096
JEREMY: What do they ask you to help them with?
00:04:07.156 –> 00:04:10.176
JEREMY: And a lot of times that can point you in the right direction.
00:04:10.196 –> 00:04:12.076
JEREMY: So it sounds like that’s how it happened for you.
00:04:12.796 –> 00:04:14.896
JEREMY: That is cool.
00:04:14.916 –> 00:04:17.156
JEREMY: Well, tell us then a little bit about your career.
00:04:17.176 –> 00:04:18.216
JEREMY: Let’s go back.
00:04:18.336 –> 00:04:20.476
JEREMY: And how did you end up in the assistant role?
00:04:21.816 –> 00:04:26.376
VICKIE: So I actually started as a volunteer assistant when I was 17 years old.
00:04:27.916 –> 00:04:32.556
VICKIE: My youth pastor, he loved young people, but he was so disorganized.
00:04:33.436 –> 00:04:36.356
VICKIE: And that is something that just came naturally to me.
00:04:36.356 –> 00:04:45.516
VICKIE: So I just noticed things that I thought, you know, I could help you with this if you need help with organizing this event or scheduling meetings.
00:04:45.596 –> 00:04:47.816
VICKIE: Just, you know, it was very natural to me.
00:04:49.016 –> 00:04:50.196
VICKIE: So that’s how I started.
00:04:50.216 –> 00:04:55.856
VICKIE: And then he eventually hired me on staff because he said, well, you’re already doing the job.
00:04:55.876 –> 00:04:57.076
VICKIE: Would you like to get paid for it?
00:04:57.096 –> 00:04:59.856
VICKIE: And I was like, yeah, this doesn’t even seem like work to me.
00:05:00.796 –> 00:05:08.236
VICKIE: So that’s how I started and then got promoted into executive assistant role with our CFO.
00:05:08.936 –> 00:05:11.336
VICKIE: And I’ve done that for five years.
00:05:11.356 –> 00:05:15.896
VICKIE: And then the last year I’ve been the chief of staff at my church.
00:05:15.916 –> 00:05:17.676
VICKIE: So Bayside Community Church.
00:05:19.416 –> 00:05:20.016
JEREMY: That’s crazy.
00:05:22.956 –> 00:05:27.416
JEREMY: So how many years is that you’ve been there?
00:05:27.416 –> 00:05:30.736
VICKIE: Since I started as a volunteer, it’ll be 20 years this July.
00:05:33.716 –> 00:05:35.176
JEREMY: So that’s, that’s cool.
00:05:35.196 –> 00:05:40.136
JEREMY: I mean, it’s very rare to be at the same organization for that long.
00:05:41.536 –> 00:05:41.896
VICKIE: Yeah.
00:05:41.916 –> 00:05:48.076
VICKIE: I started as the volunteer with the church and then just, we were adopted by another church.
00:05:48.096 –> 00:05:50.376
VICKIE: So it kind of just stayed with the same people.
00:05:51.056 –> 00:05:55.736
VICKIE: But I’m very passionate about God and the church.
00:05:55.976 –> 00:05:57.796
VICKIE: And so it just kind of oozes out.
00:05:57.816 –> 00:05:59.756
VICKIE: It’s just what I love to do.
00:05:59.776 –> 00:06:00.816
VICKIE: I get paid to do it.
00:06:00.816 –> 00:06:07.916
VICKIE: And then I also volunteer in my spare time at the church, which is crazy to assume people, but I genuinely love doing it.
00:06:07.936 –> 00:06:10.136
JEREMY: That’s awesome.
00:06:10.156 –> 00:06:20.056
JEREMY: So what’s been your favorite part about being an assistant or what, or what, you know, now you’re the chief of staff, right?
00:06:20.076 –> 00:06:20.096
<v SPEAKER_2>Right.
00:06:20.856 –> 00:06:23.916
JEREMY: So what was, what was your favorite part about being an assistant?
00:06:23.936 –> 00:06:25.916
JEREMY: And then we’ll talk about your chief of staff role.
00:06:27.356 –> 00:06:36.576
VICKIE: I would say the relationships that I was able to build with my team and also, you know, beyond that, they are friends of mine.
00:06:36.596 –> 00:06:38.696
VICKIE: They’ve been close friends for a long time now.
00:06:39.576 –> 00:06:42.116
VICKIE: And I just can’t imagine my life without them.
00:06:43.336 –> 00:06:47.756
VICKIE: It’s like big brothers and sisters, you know, kind of feeling.
00:06:47.936 –> 00:06:51.416
VICKIE: So I just really enjoy the family that we’ve created.
00:06:51.436 –> 00:06:53.696
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:06:53.716 –> 00:07:10.636
JEREMY: And then is there, do you want to share anything about like challenging times or, you know, because there can be seasons where you’re working with people, your friends within, they’re your family, they’re your church community.
00:07:12.196 –> 00:07:17.056
JEREMY: That’s all great when things are going well, but when things are not going so well, it can be a little awkward.
00:07:18.036 –> 00:07:21.476
JEREMY: I’m speaking from my own experience, for sure.
00:07:21.496 –> 00:07:28.356
JEREMY: But how has there been any sort of challenges throughout that time and how have you navigated that?
00:07:29.256 –> 00:07:29.936
VICKIE: Definitely.
00:07:29.936 –> 00:07:38.596
VICKIE: I think in the beginning, I try to put my superhero cape on and say yes to everybody for everything at all times.
00:07:39.016 –> 00:07:45.296
VICKIE: And they laugh at me now because I say, I was meant to be a layer of cake, not a crepe.
00:07:45.856 –> 00:07:50.636
VICKIE: So I don’t want to be spread so thin that I’m barely hanging on and holding things together.
00:07:50.656 –> 00:07:57.856
VICKIE: And I want my interactions with people to be pleasant and enjoyable, you know, to be sweet and satisfying.
00:07:57.876 –> 00:08:04.976
VICKIE: So in the beginning, I would go to work before the sun was out, go home after the sun was down.
00:08:05.716 –> 00:08:09.856
VICKIE: So there was a long period of time that I didn’t even see the daylight.
00:08:10.516 –> 00:08:16.256
VICKIE: And I realized, I would say after I started like locking my keys in my car.
00:08:16.356 –> 00:08:20.856
VICKIE: And I think I did that five times in a month, which was insane.
00:08:20.876 –> 00:08:25.516
VICKIE: Thank you, Geico for coming to my rescue all the time.
00:08:26.076 –> 00:08:53.016
VICKIE: But just, I think, overextending myself out of either fear or I think I did have pride in the beginning because I liked that I could do all those things later on realizing it was, you know, I was like becoming a self-martyr, I think, by just neglecting, I think, especially in the church world, because we’re so gracious and like loving, it can get kind of gray.
00:08:53.536 –> 00:09:05.576
VICKIE: But when I learned what my role was, what my responsibilities were, it was easier to just drive in my lane than kind of wondering if I was doing what I was supposed to be doing.
00:09:07.896 –> 00:09:35.516
JEREMY: So how then have you, over the years, kind of set boundaries and kept all of the things going on, you know, kept the plates spinning without being exhausted and burning out or maybe you do burn out to an extent, and then you have rest periods?
00:09:35.596 –> 00:09:39.436
JEREMY: What, how have you kind of balanced that whole world?
00:09:39.676 –> 00:09:46.816
JEREMY: And, you know, like, like you said, like everything’s kind of in the same, same bucket, your, your community, your job and everything.
00:09:46.836 –> 00:09:50.736
JEREMY: And so it can be difficult to shut it off and take care of yourself.
00:09:50.756 –> 00:10:01.736
JEREMY: So have you resisted burnout and, you know, fought against exhaustion, but also kept, kept the plate spinning?
00:10:02.496 –> 00:10:11.436
VICKIE: Yeah, I think one thing for me is when I barely, when I first started, my schedule revolved around my executive.
00:10:12.236 –> 00:10:14.856
VICKIE: I almost felt like a puppy chasing him all the time.
00:10:15.016 –> 00:10:17.236
VICKIE: Like wherever he was, I was his shadow.
00:10:18.036 –> 00:10:30.356
VICKIE: And later on, realizing that I needed to use my own calendar too, and just take a step back and see, okay, what are my highest contributions to the organization?
00:10:31.176 –> 00:10:33.056
VICKIE: When am I my best?
00:10:33.096 –> 00:10:34.356
VICKIE: When can I give my best?
00:10:34.516 –> 00:10:45.556
VICKIE: And so I created a block schedule where I basically have a template every day where I have prep time in the morning, project time, lunchtime, and then meetings.
00:10:45.996 –> 00:10:52.576
VICKIE: So whatever fits in those blocks, it has established a really good rhythm for me.
00:10:53.156 –> 00:10:55.156
VICKIE: So that’s definitely one thing.
00:10:55.956 –> 00:11:05.896
VICKIE: And the other thing I would say is training and empowering my team, because in our umbrella, in the business division, we only hire leaders.
00:11:06.316 –> 00:11:14.376
VICKIE: And so I realized I was doing things for them that they could do on their own, and I was really babying them.
00:11:15.016 –> 00:11:29.616
VICKIE: And so just letting them step into the full responsibility of what they were interested with really helped them step up to say, you know, I never have to remind them about a meeting that they have with my executive anymore.
00:11:29.636 –> 00:11:33.196
VICKIE: I never have to remind them to provide an agenda.
00:11:33.336 –> 00:11:34.476
VICKIE: They lead that time.
00:11:35.596 –> 00:11:41.276
VICKIE: Even after their meeting, they will follow up with me and say, okay, Vickie, I have these action items.
00:11:41.296 –> 00:11:43.716
VICKIE: I’m going to get them to you by dot, dot, dot.
00:11:44.216 –> 00:11:48.056
VICKIE: And so before I was always the one, hey, remember you have a meeting.
00:11:48.476 –> 00:11:49.836
VICKIE: It’s in this conference room.
00:11:50.836 –> 00:11:58.056
VICKIE: This is the agenda and it was very, I think the roles were reversed at the time.
00:11:58.416 –> 00:12:15.856
VICKIE: So I think now that they have settled into, which it’s taken time, it’s not something that happened overnight, but I think after training them, I was able to let go to now not being, being the one that they rely on for those things that they can do on their own.
00:12:17.196 –> 00:12:27.416
JEREMY: Yeah, kind of letting go of that desire to control and the micromanaging and, you know, the control freak part of like what, at least that’s how I am.
00:12:27.436 –> 00:12:30.056
JEREMY: I’m a control freak, so I can relate.
00:12:30.756 –> 00:12:31.196
VICKIE: Yes.
00:12:31.736 –> 00:12:33.456
JEREMY: So how many assistants are on your team?
00:12:34.996 –> 00:12:35.496
VICKIE: Gosh.
00:12:36.056 –> 00:12:41.116
VICKIE: So I don’t, I don’t supervise our assistants, but we have 22.
00:12:43.536 –> 00:12:49.456
JEREMY: What’s, what’s maybe a tip for working with a team of assistants?
00:12:51.256 –> 00:13:09.736
VICKIE: I would say build relational equity as much as you can and open the door for regular feedback has also been helpful because then it makes times that could be awkward less awkward because you’ve already welcomed it.
00:13:10.476 –> 00:13:15.556
VICKIE: You’ve already established that open door where they can give you feedback and feel comfortable.
00:13:15.576 –> 00:13:25.136
VICKIE: I think if you don’t have a relationship with someone and then all of a sudden, hey, I need to talk to you, then people put their guard up.
00:13:25.996 –> 00:13:35.256
VICKIE: And so when you have that relational equity of this is someone who cares about me more than what I do for them or at my job, they care for me as a person.
00:13:36.076 –> 00:13:38.136
VICKIE: Then I think it takes it to a whole other level.
00:13:43.935 –> 00:13:46.535
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00:13:47.455 –> 00:13:55.135
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00:13:55.755 –> 00:14:07.275
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00:14:07.955 –> 00:14:10.355
<v SPEAKER_2>It’s the perfect next step for executive assistants.
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00:14:20.835 –> 00:14:22.875
JEREMY: That’s super, super wise.
00:14:23.295 –> 00:14:24.175
JEREMY: Thank you for sharing.
00:14:24.195 –> 00:14:29.595
JEREMY: What’s maybe a very specific way to build that relation, relational equity?
00:14:31.715 –> 00:14:35.555
VICKIE: When a new assistant starts, I spend, I invite them to lunch.
00:14:35.755 –> 00:14:37.715
VICKIE: And so we have lunch, I hear their story.
00:14:39.375 –> 00:14:40.015
VICKIE: They’ll share.
00:14:40.035 –> 00:14:42.755
VICKIE: It’s not an interview, because they’re already at the job, right?
00:14:42.775 –> 00:14:47.855
VICKIE: But it’s more like an introduction of what they do, what they’re good at.
00:14:47.895 –> 00:14:51.255
VICKIE: How can I empower you to be successful in your role?
00:14:51.975 –> 00:14:57.355
VICKIE: And so we exchange cell phone numbers and follow up with them throughout the week.
00:14:57.715 –> 00:15:08.195
VICKIE: So I would say just having that initial introduction and time to get to know them as a person is the first step.
00:15:08.215 –> 00:15:08.755
VICKIE: I would say.
00:15:10.595 –> 00:15:11.255
JEREMY: Nice, nice.
00:15:12.015 –> 00:15:20.415
JEREMY: So what led to the Chief of Staff title and role, really?
00:15:21.335 –> 00:15:26.195
JEREMY: Was that something that you aspired to throughout your career?
00:15:26.235 –> 00:15:28.415
JEREMY: Is it something that just kind of happened?
00:15:28.435 –> 00:15:33.255
JEREMY: Talk to us about that transition from Executive Assistant to Chief of Staff.
00:15:34.735 –> 00:15:41.575
VICKIE: Yeah, so I was an Executive Assistant for five years, and I don’t think I even…
00:15:41.595 –> 00:15:45.015
VICKIE: It wasn’t a goal of mine to become a Chief of Staff.
00:15:45.315 –> 00:15:48.695
VICKIE: We actually never even had that as a job at our church.
00:15:49.235 –> 00:15:59.795
VICKIE: And so it was a position that was created for me by my Executive because he saw that I was doing more than secretarial work.
00:16:00.655 –> 00:16:05.015
VICKIE: So he basically said, You’re already doing what a Chief of Staff would do with my team.
00:16:05.775 –> 00:16:18.395
VICKIE: For example, like meeting with his direct reports without him, I would check in with them and have at least like a 15 minute meeting with them once a week to keep them in the loop, keep things going.
00:16:19.655 –> 00:16:22.735
VICKIE: And so he just said, You’ve already done those things.
00:16:23.335 –> 00:16:30.355
VICKIE: The other thing is his daughter was in a really bad car accident, so he was gone for an extended amount of time.
00:16:30.975 –> 00:16:36.975
VICKIE: And so he basically said, I trust you to keep all the balls rolling and all the plates spinning.
00:16:37.235 –> 00:16:43.935
VICKIE: And so he was gone, I want to say like six weeks, eight weeks, maybe it was a long time, especially in our world.
00:16:45.235 –> 00:16:47.315
VICKIE: So that’s how that evolved.
00:16:47.655 –> 00:16:52.675
VICKIE: And he said, This is what I would like, and let me know if you’re open to it.
00:16:52.835 –> 00:16:58.175
VICKIE: And I was just really excited because I didn’t realize that it was even an option.
00:16:59.955 –> 00:17:00.275
VICKIE: Yeah.
00:17:00.695 –> 00:17:12.595
JEREMY: What would you say is the main difference then between an executive assistant role and a chief of staff role or maybe the top one or two differences that if people ask, you know, what’s the difference?
00:17:13.555 –> 00:17:27.895
VICKIE: Yeah, I would say for me, the difference has been changing from assisting my executive to partnering as a co-labor on his team.
00:17:28.595 –> 00:17:29.355
VICKIE: Does that make sense?
00:17:29.755 –> 00:17:34.255
VICKIE: So I was more of an equal as his other direct reports.
00:17:35.575 –> 00:17:37.355
VICKIE: That was probably the biggest thing.
00:17:37.975 –> 00:17:46.635
VICKIE: And then also me being intentional about that time with them away from their monthly meeting with him.
00:17:47.515 –> 00:17:57.275
JEREMY: The difference between executive assistant and a chief of staff is the direct support.
00:17:57.275 –> 00:18:03.655
JEREMY: If you’re an assistant, it’s that direct support to the executive or the executives that you support.
00:18:04.495 –> 00:18:15.815
JEREMY: And then the chief of staff is more of, hey, I’m actually partnering as leading this team and supporting the team or the organization overall.
00:18:17.335 –> 00:18:17.895
VICKIE: Exactly.
00:18:19.675 –> 00:18:27.315
JEREMY: What about the chief of staff role is maybe not for every assistant listening?
00:18:27.335 –> 00:18:31.915
JEREMY: Because I know a lot of people talk about these days, especially it’s like, oh, there’s you’re an EA.
00:18:31.935 –> 00:18:32.975
JEREMY: What’s the next level?
00:18:32.995 –> 00:18:35.075
JEREMY: A lot of people say, well, chief of staff is the next level.
00:18:35.095 –> 00:18:45.275
JEREMY: But I also know assistants who don’t want to be a chief of staff, or at least in the near future, they’re like, I don’t really, it’s not really exciting to me.
00:18:47.035 –> 00:18:53.095
JEREMY: So, yeah, what about that role might turn away an assistant?
00:18:53.435 –> 00:19:03.075
VICKIE: Yeah, I would say if you know that you’re called to support, like a peer supportive role, then you would thrive better in an EA seat.
00:19:04.455 –> 00:19:21.635
VICKIE: Chief of staff role, if you enjoy leading projects and leading teams of people, then you will really enjoy and find, you know, you’ll find a lot of fulfillment in the chief of staff role, because I’m basically doing all the EA responsibilities.
00:19:21.655 –> 00:19:28.475
VICKIE: That’s like the base of my role, plus the secondary items of my executive.
00:19:28.815 –> 00:19:34.635
VICKIE: So there are things that still have to happen, but he doesn’t have to necessarily be the person to do them.
00:19:35.195 –> 00:19:42.615
VICKIE: Either I’ve assumed them or we’ve delegated that to someone on our team, but ultimately I would be responsible to make sure that that happens.
00:19:43.255 –> 00:19:43.635
JEREMY: Cool.
00:19:43.655 –> 00:20:02.215
JEREMY: Well, what would you want to say to assistants and chiefs of staff, you know, in the world, if you could put a message on a billboard for all the assistants and chiefs of staff, what would you want to say to them?
00:20:02.835 –> 00:20:03.875
VICKIE: I love that image.
00:20:05.395 –> 00:20:11.875
VICKIE: I would say to everyone listening that you matter as much as your executive matters.
00:20:15.055 –> 00:20:23.975
VICKIE: Because it took me a long time to realize that I was just as important, because we were meant to be a strategic partner with them.
00:20:24.795 –> 00:20:33.435
VICKIE: And so I think if we don’t see the value that we bring us together as a team, we don’t operate as strongly.
00:20:35.795 –> 00:20:38.635
VICKIE: So yeah, you matter as much as your executive matters.
00:20:39.855 –> 00:20:40.875
JEREMY: Wow, that’s really good.
00:20:40.895 –> 00:20:43.515
JEREMY: And that’s really billboard worthy, too.
00:20:43.535 –> 00:20:55.835
JEREMY: That’s like, you know, you just have to picture big, bold letters and, you know, a strong font on a billboard and easy to quickly read it while you’re driving by.
00:20:55.855 –> 00:20:56.615
JEREMY: So nice job.
00:20:56.875 –> 00:20:57.415
JEREMY: Nice job.
00:20:59.255 –> 00:20:59.635
JEREMY: Cool.
00:20:59.655 –> 00:21:17.955
JEREMY: Well, is there any other, you know, topics you’re passionate about or, you know, even questions for me as far as your assistant role over the years and what you are curious about or want to share with the assistance of the world?
00:21:19.855 –> 00:21:21.955
VICKIE: Yes, I would love to ask you some questions.
00:21:21.975 –> 00:21:22.715
JEREMY: Yeah, sure.
00:21:24.575 –> 00:21:31.975
VICKIE: OK, so I heard when you came to Orlando, to the conference, that you had been like in the nonprofit world.
00:21:32.315 –> 00:21:33.395
VICKIE: Was it church world?
00:21:33.415 –> 00:21:41.855
VICKIE: OK, so what made you switch over to like the business world and what do you love about it?
00:21:41.875 –> 00:21:43.495
JEREMY: That’s a great question.
00:21:43.535 –> 00:21:56.015
JEREMY: So, yeah, for those of you who don’t know, I was at a nonprofit church for 12 years and I was an executive assistant for about nine and a half of those years.
00:21:56.975 –> 00:22:00.355
JEREMY: And I, my executive got fired at the end of that.
00:22:00.375 –> 00:22:06.695
JEREMY: And so that was kind of the transition period where I was like, OK, well, now what am I going to do?
00:22:07.315 –> 00:22:09.995
JEREMY: And that really helped me see that I was burned out.
00:22:09.995 –> 00:22:14.775
JEREMY: My executive had burned out and I was ready for something different.
00:22:15.775 –> 00:22:28.775
JEREMY: But I also was had done a little bit of research and realized that, you know, I was underpaid being in a nonprofit, which is very common if you are in the nonprofit world, underpaid.
00:22:29.055 –> 00:22:47.595
JEREMY: And the I think I was ready for a break from the whole confusing circumstance of, oh, my boss is also my pastor and my friends are also my coworkers.
00:22:47.875 –> 00:22:51.215
JEREMY: And, you know, it was just this whole like muddy thing.
00:22:51.515 –> 00:22:55.195
JEREMY: And so I kind of wanted a new start in that world, too.
00:22:57.435 –> 00:23:05.175
JEREMY: And I really wanted to I knew that the executive assistant skills that I had were transferable.
00:23:06.455 –> 00:23:17.135
JEREMY: But I really wanted to give that a shot to, you know, and but all that to say, I was really came to game down to the point where I was like, you know, I just need to find a job.
00:23:17.155 –> 00:23:23.895
JEREMY: And if it’s in the for profit or the nonprofit sector, you know, let’s let’s just get a job and figure it out.
00:23:24.935 –> 00:23:31.775
JEREMY: So I met my CEO and he was an acquaintance and saw that he was starting a new company.
00:23:31.835 –> 00:23:33.955
JEREMY: And so I was like, let’s let’s jump on board there.
00:23:33.975 –> 00:23:36.775
JEREMY: So that’s kind of how I made that that jump.
00:23:37.375 –> 00:23:49.735
JEREMY: And then I think the biggest differences are, you know, there’s in some ways being in the for profit world is a lot more defined and clear as far as goals.
00:23:50.295 –> 00:23:54.035
JEREMY: So, for example, we want to hit a certain revenue target.
00:23:54.475 –> 00:24:01.475
JEREMY: You know, we need to raise a certain amount of money for to be able to pay our employees and stuff like that.
00:24:02.515 –> 00:24:09.935
JEREMY: And I enjoy the overall high level goal of let’s let’s hit this revenue number.
00:24:10.135 –> 00:24:10.995
JEREMY: And that’s our goal.
00:24:11.235 –> 00:24:14.495
JEREMY: And everything we do is to try to hit that revenue number.
00:24:15.055 –> 00:24:18.575
JEREMY: And then I also enjoy the pay.
00:24:18.595 –> 00:24:21.635
JEREMY: I think the pay is better than the nonprofit profit.
00:24:21.655 –> 00:24:27.235
JEREMY: And it’s it’s actually helped a lot for me to step outside of that nonprofit world and see that.
00:24:27.235 –> 00:24:38.515
JEREMY: Hey, you know what, like I was not just underpaid, but I was pretty extremely underpaid in a lot of senses for the amount of work that I put in.
00:24:39.695 –> 00:24:40.955
JEREMY: So that’s been a big difference.
00:24:42.475 –> 00:24:51.755
JEREMY: And then, you know, the other the other interesting thing, obviously, when you work at a ministry or a church nonprofit, people have the same values as you.
00:24:51.775 –> 00:24:52.135
JEREMY: They have this.
00:24:52.655 –> 00:24:57.315
JEREMY: For the most part, they have the same belief system as you, the same faith as you.
00:24:57.335 –> 00:25:06.615
JEREMY: And so stepping out into the world and being at an organization where not everyone has the same beliefs, not everyone has the same faith, not everyone has the same values.
00:25:08.495 –> 00:25:21.035
JEREMY: You know, at that level is very has been very freeing for me because I am, you know, a pastor’s kid and I grew up in the church and I grew up in that world, just soaked in it.
00:25:21.055 –> 00:25:30.835
JEREMY: And so to kind of get out of that world and meet people that I would have never met unless I got a job at a for-profit company.
00:25:31.235 –> 00:25:36.415
JEREMY: So anyway, that’s kind of the semi short answer to your great question.
00:25:36.595 –> 00:25:37.715
JEREMY: Hopefully that answers it.
00:25:38.235 –> 00:25:39.215
VICKIE: Yeah, that’s great.
00:25:40.315 –> 00:25:40.695
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:25:41.835 –> 00:25:42.175
<v SPEAKER_3>Cool.
00:25:42.195 –> 00:25:42.875
JEREMY: Well, that’s good.
00:25:42.895 –> 00:25:47.535
JEREMY: I need to get you doing some interviews, Vickie.
00:25:47.555 –> 00:25:49.275
JEREMY: He has a good question.
00:25:50.495 –> 00:25:50.875
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:25:50.895 –> 00:25:55.275
JEREMY: Well, what’s the best place for people to reach out if they want to connect and say hi?
00:25:56.295 –> 00:25:57.855
VICKIE: I would say LinkedIn would be great.
00:25:58.435 –> 00:25:59.995
JEREMY: OK, cool.
00:26:00.095 –> 00:26:11.855
JEREMY: I’ll put your LinkedIn URL in the show notes at leaderassistant.com/twosevenfour leaderassistant.com/twosevenfour.
00:26:13.295 –> 00:26:15.675
JEREMY: And then, yeah, Vickie, thank you so much for being on the show.
00:26:15.875 –> 00:26:16.735
JEREMY: Really appreciate it.
00:26:16.755 –> 00:26:21.855
JEREMY: It was fun having you at the Orlando event last year and getting to meet you and your team.
00:26:22.695 –> 00:26:26.195
JEREMY: And hopefully we get to do another Florida event in the future.
00:26:27.215 –> 00:26:28.135
VICKIE: Yeah, thank you so much.
00:26:28.155 –> 00:26:28.815
VICKIE: It was great.
00:26:29.255 –> 00:26:29.775
VICKIE: Great time.
00:26:40.468 –> 00:26:42.988
VICKIE: Please review on Apple Podcasts.
00:26:49.584 –> 00:26:51.364
<v SPEAKER_2>goburrows.com.
