Claudia Laughter has over 20 years of experience as an executive assistant in startups, established public brands, local government, and software companies.
In this episode, Claudia talks about saying yes to things outside your comfort zone, expanding and customizing the executive assistant role, and developing a long-term strategic partnership with your executive as both of your careers advance.
LEADERSHIP QUOTE
Continuous learning leads to continuous improvement. Commit yourself to advancing your knowledge, skills, and expertise. The business environment is quickly changing, and your understanding of the leading practices, thinking, and emerging tools will help you manage for better results. Be a lifelong student.
– Pamela Gill Alabaster (Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, Centric Brands)
CONNECT WITH CLAUDIA
ABOUT CLAUDIA
Claudia Laughter has been in administrative work for over 20 years. Her experience has been in everything from startups, established public brands, local government, and has been Principal Executive Assistant to the CRO and SVP of Marketing and Revenue Analytics at 6sense, a sales and marketing ABM software leader for the last 5 years.
When not working, she spends time with her husband, 11-year old daughter, and their new addition – 6-month old dog Charlie, traveling, and being involved in the arts and historical research. She is newly transplanted to the East Coast in New Jersey after being in the SF Bay Area.
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
00:00:00.000 –> 00:00:04.820
CLAUDIA: Hi, my name is Claudia Lauder, and today’s leadership quote comes from Pamela Gill Alabaster.
00:00:05.360 –> 00:00:07.640
CLAUDIA: Continuous learning leads to continuous improvement.
00:00:07.900 –> 00:00:10.860
CLAUDIA: Commit yourself to advancing your knowledge, skill, and expertise.
00:00:11.240 –> 00:00:18.880
CLAUDIA: The business environment is quickly changing, and your understanding of the leading practices, thinking, and emerging tools will help you manage for better results.
00:00:19.200 –> 00:00:20.660
CLAUDIA: Be a lifelong student.
00:00:26.605 –> 00:00:34.205
<v SPEAKER_3>The Leader Assistant Podcast exists to encourage and challenge assistants to become confident, game-changing leader assistants.
00:00:42.044 –> 00:00:52.164
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.
00:00:52.764 –> 00:01:01.284
JEREMY: There are over 300 students in the NOVA Chief of Staff Certification Course, many of which are growth-minded executive assistants like you.
00:01:01.824 –> 00:01:12.864
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.
00:01:13.524 –> 00:01:18.304
JEREMY: Over 18 countries around the globe are represented by students in NOVA’s course.
00:01:18.504 –> 00:01:20.644
JEREMY: So I highly recommend you join the club.
00:01:21.064 –> 00:01:27.944
JEREMY: Visit leaderassistant.com/nova to learn more about this amazing professional development resource.
00:01:28.964 –> 00:01:31.284
JEREMY: Hey friends, welcome to The Leader Assistant Podcast.
00:01:31.304 –> 00:01:35.144
JEREMY: It’s your host, Jeremy Burrows and it’s episode 277.
00:01:35.164 –> 00:01:41.304
JEREMY: You can check out the show notes for this conversation at leaderassistant.com/277.
00:01:41.744 –> 00:01:44.744
JEREMY: Today, I’m speaking with my friend, Claudia Lauder.
00:01:44.744 –> 00:01:55.624
JEREMY: Claudia has over 20 years of experience as an executive assistant in startups, established public brands, local government and software companies.
00:01:55.784 –> 00:01:57.484
JEREMY: So lots to talk about today.
00:01:57.504 –> 00:01:58.664
JEREMY: Claudia, welcome to the show.
00:01:58.964 –> 00:01:59.744
CLAUDIA: Thank you, Jeremy.
00:01:59.764 –> 00:02:00.344
CLAUDIA: Glad to be here.
00:02:01.244 –> 00:02:02.964
JEREMY: What city are you in?
00:02:02.964 –> 00:02:05.624
CLAUDIA: Currently near Newton, New Jersey.
00:02:06.064 –> 00:02:09.544
CLAUDIA: Recently transplanted from last summer from the Bay Area.
00:02:09.904 –> 00:02:15.084
CLAUDIA: So this has been a little bit of a culture shock and weather shock, but it’s been great.
00:02:17.064 –> 00:02:19.604
JEREMY: And what’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not working?
00:02:20.404 –> 00:02:20.864
JEREMY: Travel.
00:02:21.264 –> 00:02:22.444
CLAUDIA: That’s always my favorite.
00:02:22.464 –> 00:02:26.524
CLAUDIA: I’m also, when I’m not in EA, I’m also a huge history nerd.
00:02:26.604 –> 00:02:42.344
CLAUDIA: So anything that I’ve researched, studied, read about, seen in a movie, whatever, the opportunity to go to the place and actually see it and just explore any parts of history.
00:02:42.364 –> 00:02:43.244
CLAUDIA: That’s always my favorite.
00:02:43.264 –> 00:02:45.364
CLAUDIA: So cool.
00:02:45.384 –> 00:02:48.364
JEREMY: Where’s your next bucket list travel location?
00:02:49.164 –> 00:02:55.144
CLAUDIA: I’m actually going to go to York in the north of England in June.
00:02:55.184 –> 00:02:56.104
CLAUDIA: So I’m looking forward.
00:02:56.124 –> 00:02:56.784
CLAUDIA: I’ve never been there.
00:02:56.804 –> 00:03:01.284
CLAUDIA: It’s one of the oldest cities from Roman times up through.
00:03:03.204 –> 00:03:06.564
CLAUDIA: They’ve got a really amazing little section called The Shambles.
00:03:06.804 –> 00:03:07.944
CLAUDIA: That looks like it’s out of.
00:03:08.264 –> 00:03:12.824
CLAUDIA: I think it’s actually part of it is the inspiration for Diagon Alley.
00:03:12.824 –> 00:03:15.264
CLAUDIA: So more history.
00:03:15.284 –> 00:03:16.704
CLAUDIA: So I’m going to go check that out.
00:03:19.704 –> 00:03:24.704
JEREMY: Also, well, what or how did you end up in the assistant profession?
00:03:25.864 –> 00:03:29.104
CLAUDIA: So I started out probably like many people did.
00:03:29.124 –> 00:03:30.524
CLAUDIA: I started out as a receptionist.
00:03:30.524 –> 00:03:31.924
CLAUDIA: I worked at a mortgage company.
00:03:33.484 –> 00:03:41.724
CLAUDIA: And one of the things that my parents had told me, my original major was theater in high school and college.
00:03:42.184 –> 00:03:44.644
CLAUDIA: And so there was always the have the backup plan.
00:03:45.084 –> 00:03:54.184
CLAUDIA: So the backup plan was where I sort of got into administrative work and I realized that it was a profession that you can sort of travel between industries.
00:03:54.324 –> 00:03:56.204
CLAUDIA: And I’ve definitely done that in my career.
00:03:58.224 –> 00:04:09.064
CLAUDIA: So it’s been really beneficial to be able to move cities, move entire industries and be able to take those things with me.
00:04:09.084 –> 00:04:16.824
CLAUDIA: So I’ve worked my way up over the past 20 plus years, and I’m now an Executive Principal Executive Assistant at Sixth Sense.
00:04:16.844 –> 00:04:17.804
CLAUDIA: So I’m back in tech.
00:04:20.424 –> 00:04:20.904
JEREMY: Love it.
00:04:20.924 –> 00:04:41.504
JEREMY: So before we kind of get into where you’re at now, and I want to ask you about your title and all that fun stuff, but when going back when you started your career, what was the moment or when did you realize that being an assistant could be a career?
00:04:43.244 –> 00:04:53.184
CLAUDIA: The more I moved up the administrative ladder, the more I realized that this was something that really played to my skill set.
00:04:53.364 –> 00:04:55.084
CLAUDIA: I’m very organized.
00:04:56.144 –> 00:05:01.084
CLAUDIA: I like being able to manage things.
00:05:01.104 –> 00:05:03.024
CLAUDIA: I also like being able to manage things for other people.
00:05:03.964 –> 00:05:18.924
CLAUDIA: So those skills that I’ve had, detail-oriented, all the things that we end up knowing that we have as EAs or any administrative profession, I realized that this could be a career.
00:05:19.944 –> 00:05:34.204
CLAUDIA: And then once you delve into the EA world, you start to see that there are people who are working side-by-side, who are partners with big corporations with big names.
00:05:34.484 –> 00:05:39.424
CLAUDIA: And I really thought that this is exactly what I wanted to do.
00:05:39.444 –> 00:05:43.364
CLAUDIA: And like I said, one of the things, it’s like my career can travel.
00:05:43.364 –> 00:05:44.504
CLAUDIA: I’ve worked in tech.
00:05:44.624 –> 00:05:48.424
CLAUDIA: I’ve worked for Gap Headquarters.
00:05:48.984 –> 00:05:52.724
CLAUDIA: I’ve worked for small government, big government.
00:05:53.204 –> 00:06:03.864
CLAUDIA: And you definitely kind of understand the more you work in different fields and different industries, you understand what you do want to do and what you don’t want to do.
00:06:04.424 –> 00:06:08.804
CLAUDIA: And I think that that’s really important to know that for your own career, no matter what you do.
00:06:10.844 –> 00:06:16.124
CLAUDIA: I found out very quickly that government is probably not for me.
00:06:17.064 –> 00:06:19.664
CLAUDIA: I’m a big believer that the right job comes along at the right time.
00:06:21.684 –> 00:06:32.644
CLAUDIA: Having gone through the first dot-com boom, now the second one, there’s definitely people or opportunities that come up in your life that you just have to kind of say yes to.
00:06:35.284 –> 00:06:42.424
CLAUDIA: I was working for a small government when I was pregnant with my daughter, which was great because it was a flexible schedule.
00:06:43.364 –> 00:06:52.184
CLAUDIA: I eventually went on to being city clerk for a city in Northern California, and about six months in, realized this is not for me.
00:06:52.624 –> 00:06:53.284
CLAUDIA: I want to go back to.
00:07:01.464 –> 00:07:14.564
CLAUDIA: So yeah, I think that really coming to those realizations, what you want, what you don’t want, what the kind of person you want to be able to support, and then being able to advocate for yourself, this is working for me, this is not working for me.
00:07:15.644 –> 00:07:22.124
CLAUDIA: Like I said, when I was in the city clerk job, I realized that it was not what I wanted to do.
00:07:22.664 –> 00:07:31.004
CLAUDIA: It is, if you think regular EA work is detailed, government work is even more detailed, and you can’t control a lot of it.
00:07:32.244 –> 00:07:34.444
CLAUDIA: And I had a friend who came to me and he’s like, how’s it going?
00:07:34.464 –> 00:07:36.284
CLAUDIA: And I said, not great.
00:07:36.364 –> 00:07:40.344
CLAUDIA: He’s like, you want to come back and work in tech, be my EA?
00:07:40.364 –> 00:07:42.164
CLAUDIA: And so I said yes, and jumped at it.
00:07:42.184 –> 00:07:44.204
CLAUDIA: And so now I’m back where I am.
00:07:44.224 –> 00:07:48.164
CLAUDIA: But yeah, I’m again, I’m a firm believer that the right thing comes along at the right time.
00:07:48.764 –> 00:07:50.024
CLAUDIA: But the trick is to say yes.
00:07:51.984 –> 00:07:57.604
JEREMY: For those listening who have never worked in tech, what’s your favorite part about working in this industry?
00:07:58.704 –> 00:08:00.004
CLAUDIA: I’ve worked for several startups.
00:08:00.824 –> 00:08:06.804
CLAUDIA: Like I said, the first.com boom, I was at eVite, and it was literally the last six months of the boom.
00:08:07.604 –> 00:08:11.864
CLAUDIA: And then 75% of the staff got laid off.
00:08:12.684 –> 00:08:17.124
CLAUDIA: And there were about 12 of us who got sent to the building that had the pool table.
00:08:17.364 –> 00:08:21.144
CLAUDIA: And we came back and we were the only staff that was left.
00:08:21.764 –> 00:08:26.524
CLAUDIA: So it was six months of awesome, back in the 2000s, it was great.
00:08:26.544 –> 00:08:33.764
CLAUDIA: And then it was six months of, okay, we have to get the company sold and move on to the next thing.
00:08:33.924 –> 00:08:36.204
CLAUDIA: But I like the startup mentality.
00:08:36.204 –> 00:08:42.304
CLAUDIA: I like working at places where it’s a new technology, it’s a new idea, it’s a new product.
00:08:42.984 –> 00:08:47.544
CLAUDIA: And there’s an excitement and an energy around that from the people that are creating it.
00:08:48.104 –> 00:08:51.164
CLAUDIA: And I find it to be really invigorating.
00:08:51.684 –> 00:08:53.524
CLAUDIA: So it’s like all on board.
00:08:53.544 –> 00:08:54.304
CLAUDIA: Yes, let’s do it.
00:08:54.364 –> 00:08:59.604
CLAUDIA: It really inspires really creative thinking, not only on their part, but also in support.
00:08:59.684 –> 00:09:05.244
CLAUDIA: And you find you’re doing a lot of different things that you never thought you would do.
00:09:05.684 –> 00:09:07.524
CLAUDIA: So you have a lot of projects thrown at you.
00:09:07.544 –> 00:09:13.404
CLAUDIA: You have a lot of asks that are, for me, are exciting challenges.
00:09:13.644 –> 00:09:18.944
CLAUDIA: It’s like, I don’t know how to do that, but give me five minutes and I’ll figure out how to do that and I’ll get back to you.
00:09:19.184 –> 00:09:19.564
JEREMY: Nice.
00:09:20.804 –> 00:09:21.224
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:09:21.264 –> 00:09:27.884
JEREMY: So speaking of maybe stepping outside of your comfort zone, you’re asked about something that you don’t know how to do.
00:09:27.904 –> 00:09:34.444
JEREMY: Tell us about time in your career where you had to step outside of your comfort zone and take risks.
00:09:34.924 –> 00:09:56.484
CLAUDIA: Probably one of the biggest ones, and this is where actually how I met you as well, is that right as COVID was shutting everything down, so it was March of that year, my CMO boss at that point was we were getting ready to publish her first book and we were self-publishing.
00:09:56.504 –> 00:09:59.404
CLAUDIA: I had never done self-publishing, none of us had.
00:09:59.424 –> 00:10:03.384
CLAUDIA: So it was very much like, okay, go figure out how we’re going to self-publish this book.
00:10:03.544 –> 00:10:10.124
CLAUDIA: And Maggie Jacobs, who is also EA to our CEO at Sixth Sense, knew you and she said, go talk to Jeremy.
00:10:10.144 –> 00:10:11.184
CLAUDIA: Jeremy is publishing a book.
00:10:11.644 –> 00:10:13.484
CLAUDIA: So you were amazingly helpful.
00:10:13.504 –> 00:10:22.084
CLAUDIA: And I think that’s where coming, having an EA network really comes in to help with those unusual or new or special tasks that get assigned to you.
00:10:22.404 –> 00:10:25.424
CLAUDIA: So you and I chatted and you were a great resource to me.
00:10:26.684 –> 00:10:33.024
CLAUDIA: But yeah, we basically like, how do you publish a book when you can’t do a book launch in person?
00:10:33.584 –> 00:10:37.364
CLAUDIA: You can’t do all the things around that that you want to.
00:10:37.724 –> 00:10:42.344
CLAUDIA: So we ended up doing a virtual book launch.
00:10:43.544 –> 00:10:48.544
CLAUDIA: We ended up having Michael Fronte do a small 20-minute set for it.
00:10:49.144 –> 00:10:51.624
CLAUDIA: And it was super successful.
00:10:51.884 –> 00:10:56.444
CLAUDIA: And she’s now on her second edition of the book, which we also published.
00:10:56.724 –> 00:11:02.484
CLAUDIA: Actually, that one was through Wiley, but it’s being given these kind of tasks.
00:11:04.304 –> 00:11:08.264
CLAUDIA: And I love the creative aspect of like, I got to figure this out.
00:11:08.424 –> 00:11:09.364
CLAUDIA: Okay, how do we do this?
00:11:09.904 –> 00:11:10.664
CLAUDIA: What are my steps?
00:11:10.684 –> 00:11:12.604
CLAUDIA: Who can I talk to?
00:11:12.624 –> 00:11:13.724
CLAUDIA: Whose brain can I pick?
00:11:14.824 –> 00:11:18.204
CLAUDIA: And that really helps.
00:11:18.244 –> 00:11:24.084
CLAUDIA: And if you’re scared or you’re like, oh my God, I’ve never done this, go to your network, find your network.
00:11:24.104 –> 00:11:35.024
CLAUDIA: I wish in my early career in my 20s that I had had these kind of organizations like yours, you know, Phoenix Norman was a big influence for me.
00:11:35.704 –> 00:11:38.724
CLAUDIA: Just all the organizations that are out there.
00:11:40.224 –> 00:11:54.024
CLAUDIA: If you haven’t already, start reaching out, start finding those, find those chat boards that you can, whether they’re individual chat boards or there’s Facebook groups or LinkedIn groups, but start asking those questions.
00:11:54.044 –> 00:11:59.944
CLAUDIA: You don’t know how to do something because nine times out of 10, somebody out there has done it and they’ve got a recommendation and they’re happy to share.
00:12:00.464 –> 00:12:00.804
JEREMY: Yeah.
00:12:02.344 –> 00:12:02.684
JEREMY: Love it.
00:12:02.784 –> 00:12:03.964
JEREMY: Great, great advice.
00:12:03.984 –> 00:12:24.984
JEREMY: And I think that, you know, it’s one of those things where when you take those risks and get out of your comfort zone and reach out to fellow assistants like you did, it even was encouraging to me because it was like, oh, you know, this is probably something that my CEO is going to want to do eventually too.
00:12:25.024 –> 00:12:32.484
JEREMY: And so just that, that was the word camaraderie between between assistants.
00:12:32.504 –> 00:12:38.384
CLAUDIA: And so there’s definitely I talk to people all the time who are like, okay, tell me how you did it.
00:12:38.404 –> 00:12:41.204
CLAUDIA: And I’m like, well, exactly how are you doing this?
00:12:41.224 –> 00:12:45.704
CLAUDIA: Talk to somebody who’s done it and see what works for you and try different avenues.
00:12:45.724 –> 00:12:55.404
CLAUDIA: But yeah, I would say your network and your EA network is just so important for those, whether it’s publishing a book or how do I find the best restaurant in Milwaukee?
00:13:01.885 –> 00:13:04.465
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00:13:05.385 –> 00:13:13.085
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00:13:25.885 –> 00:13:28.165
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00:13:38.185 –> 00:13:38.905
JEREMY: Yeah, totally.
00:13:40.365 –> 00:13:40.725
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:13:40.745 –> 00:13:42.205
JEREMY: Well, tell us a little bit about your title.
00:13:42.385 –> 00:13:47.745
JEREMY: So if I, it’s Principal EA and Special Projects Manager, is that right?
00:13:49.145 –> 00:13:52.785
JEREMY: So how did that, how did your role expand into that?
00:13:53.125 –> 00:13:56.945
JEREMY: Did you customize your title and role based on what you wanted?
00:13:57.265 –> 00:14:12.205
JEREMY: Like, talk through a little bit because my follow-up point is, you know, I want to ask you about supporting the same executive for a long time, which you have, so that’s kind of probably woven into part of this part of the conversation.
00:14:12.225 –> 00:14:14.905
JEREMY: But yeah, what’s the title?
00:14:15.385 –> 00:14:16.265
JEREMY: What does it mean?
00:14:16.285 –> 00:14:17.505
JEREMY: How did it come to be?
00:14:18.525 –> 00:14:27.405
CLAUDIA: So I’m very fortunate, and we’ll get into talking about her later, but I’ve been supporting the same executive for actually this week, five years now.
00:14:28.165 –> 00:14:38.605
CLAUDIA: And one of the things that I really love about partnering with her is that a couple of years ago, she was, I was supporting multiple executives at the time.
00:14:38.985 –> 00:14:41.565
CLAUDIA: And she asked me, she’s like, what do you want?
00:14:42.445 –> 00:14:47.385
CLAUDIA: And I was able to have that just honest conversation with her and just said, I just want to support you.
00:14:47.785 –> 00:14:48.745
CLAUDIA: Can we make that happen?
00:14:48.765 –> 00:14:50.625
CLAUDIA: She said, yeah, let’s make that happen.
00:14:50.965 –> 00:14:52.265
CLAUDIA: So it’s gone back and forth.
00:14:52.285 –> 00:14:53.525
CLAUDIA: You know, our company’s grown a lot.
00:14:53.605 –> 00:14:57.185
CLAUDIA: So there have been, I have two execs right now, including her.
00:14:57.205 –> 00:15:03.465
CLAUDIA: But, you know, the flexibility, but she has been my number one strategic partner.
00:15:03.485 –> 00:15:16.085
CLAUDIA: And there’s a thing that she talks about when she, she’s former CMO, now she’s our CRO, but in a lot of these CMO groups, she talked about category creation.
00:15:16.645 –> 00:15:19.425
CLAUDIA: So category creation is exactly this.
00:15:19.525 –> 00:15:25.965
CLAUDIA: Let’s find a title that really speaks to what you do.
00:15:26.265 –> 00:15:33.965
CLAUDIA: And so I am her principal EA, and then the special project manager, that’s things like, hey, we’re going to publish a book.
00:15:34.085 –> 00:15:36.905
CLAUDIA: That’s, hey, I want to start a podcast.
00:15:37.465 –> 00:15:41.625
CLAUDIA: That’s, hey, I’m thinking about doing this project or that project.
00:15:41.645 –> 00:15:52.405
CLAUDIA: So I think a lot of times executives, there’s a mindset of, EAs are just, we book calendar and travel and do expense reports.
00:15:52.485 –> 00:15:57.085
CLAUDIA: And there’s so much more and every EA position is different.
00:15:57.865 –> 00:16:10.725
CLAUDIA: And one of the things I really would love execs to know a little bit more is that what I do as an EA is not what Maggie does as an EA, it’s not what this person or that person does as an EA.
00:16:11.265 –> 00:16:17.745
CLAUDIA: Depending on who you support, and it’s mainly been marketing for me and now it’s all the revenue category.
00:16:17.765 –> 00:16:28.105
CLAUDIA: So it’s marketing and partnerships and sales and customer success for us, is we’re there to be a strategic partner for you, not just to do the day to day.
00:16:28.125 –> 00:16:29.345
CLAUDIA: We know how to do the day to day.
00:16:29.365 –> 00:16:30.545
CLAUDIA: I know how to keep a calendar.
00:16:32.865 –> 00:16:37.065
CLAUDIA: But really knowing that we are there as a strategic partner for everyone.
00:16:40.185 –> 00:16:51.365
CLAUDIA: And that partnership that I’ve had with Latiny over these five years, I mean, we’ve really developed, and this kind of goes into your second part, we really developed sort of a shorthand.
00:16:51.385 –> 00:16:52.265
CLAUDIA: You get to know them.
00:16:52.285 –> 00:16:57.705
CLAUDIA: And I think as EAs, you really have to sort of be in complete trust with your executive.
00:16:58.285 –> 00:17:09.565
CLAUDIA: I think if they don’t trust you, to look in their mailbox, to know what emails they’re sending, what emails they’re getting, what projects they’re working on.
00:17:09.585 –> 00:17:12.845
CLAUDIA: I think that we know each other so well.
00:17:12.865 –> 00:17:14.345
CLAUDIA: We know each other’s personal lives.
00:17:14.385 –> 00:17:30.325
CLAUDIA: I know when she’s at her premium, when she’s really good at time of day on like meetings are better in the morning or three o’clock on a Friday, probably not the best time to meet with a customer.
00:17:30.565 –> 00:17:32.605
CLAUDIA: But just knowing that shorthand with each other.
00:17:32.825 –> 00:17:49.425
CLAUDIA: And being able to speak for her, to be able to go into prep meetings, knowing what her priorities are, what she intends to get out of things, especially things like she does a lot of speaking engagements.
00:17:49.885 –> 00:17:58.565
CLAUDIA: But being that representative for your executive, if there isn’t that trust already built in, then you can’t do your job as an EA.
00:18:02.465 –> 00:18:07.845
CLAUDIA: That’s the soapbox I will stand on and the hill I will die on, that if you’re an executive, you need to trust your EA.
00:18:08.465 –> 00:18:08.785
JEREMY: Yeah.
00:18:10.625 –> 00:18:15.745
JEREMY: So talk to us a little bit about when you started working with her.
00:18:15.785 –> 00:18:20.625
JEREMY: There was, I think I’m remembering this right.
00:18:20.645 –> 00:18:25.825
JEREMY: You can correct me if I’m wrong, but was she promoted throughout those five years?
00:18:26.085 –> 00:18:36.145
JEREMY: And then were there conversations at each point or each promotion where it was like, hey, are you coming with me or are you still, you know what I mean?
00:18:36.165 –> 00:18:38.565
JEREMY: How did that work throughout your partnership?
00:18:39.185 –> 00:18:42.465
CLAUDIA: So she was promoted last fall to CRO.
00:18:42.565 –> 00:18:47.925
CLAUDIA: And so that, again, that oversees sales and marketing and partnerships and customer success and operations.
00:18:48.405 –> 00:19:01.505
CLAUDIA: And for me, it was a whole new world opening up because it went from just the silo of marketing and which was having a theater background.
00:19:01.525 –> 00:19:02.765
CLAUDIA: I like the marketing aspect.
00:19:02.785 –> 00:19:04.845
CLAUDIA: You know, there’s always sort of the production we do with that.
00:19:04.865 –> 00:19:05.685
CLAUDIA: We did great events.
00:19:07.065 –> 00:19:14.245
CLAUDIA: That’s more interesting to me than, say, if I was working for engineering or product design.
00:19:15.465 –> 00:19:25.145
CLAUDIA: But her taking on and stepping up in that role really opened up what I can do for her and it opened up where I can be a bigger strategic partner for her.
00:19:25.705 –> 00:19:28.665
CLAUDIA: Because now it’s just not one division that we’re looking at.
00:19:28.725 –> 00:19:30.125
CLAUDIA: It’s managing all of them.
00:19:31.205 –> 00:19:34.445
CLAUDIA: And so being able to…
00:19:36.865 –> 00:19:42.065
CLAUDIA: It kind of felt like the training wheels were taking off and that’s maybe that’s not the right I know what you mean.
00:19:42.085 –> 00:19:42.785
CLAUDIA: The right phrase.
00:19:42.805 –> 00:19:46.445
CLAUDIA: But it was just like, boom, it opened up like you could see it’s the Wizard of Oz.
00:19:46.465 –> 00:19:47.745
CLAUDIA: All of a sudden, everything was in color.
00:19:48.525 –> 00:19:55.005
CLAUDIA: And I really felt empowered by her to be able to step up more.
00:19:55.005 –> 00:19:57.485
CLAUDIA: So it’s much more of…
00:19:59.505 –> 00:20:02.025
CLAUDIA: It’s less calendaring and the little day-to-day stuff.
00:20:02.345 –> 00:20:05.465
CLAUDIA: Still do it, but it’s not that it’s more thinking, bigger picture.
00:20:05.565 –> 00:20:09.325
CLAUDIA: And I really like that trust that she put into me.
00:20:09.345 –> 00:20:16.725
CLAUDIA: And I really like that goal that we have for each other of like, let’s make this successful because she’s also ambitious.
00:20:16.725 –> 00:20:17.965
CLAUDIA: And she went after that role.
00:20:18.805 –> 00:20:21.985
CLAUDIA: And so it’s my job to help her be successful.
00:20:23.885 –> 00:20:24.805
CLAUDIA: And it’s also exciting.
00:20:24.825 –> 00:20:25.925
CLAUDIA: It’s exciting to see somebody.
00:20:25.945 –> 00:20:32.745
CLAUDIA: It’s rare to see somebody who is a CMO go to a CRO role, because it’s usually sales goes into that instead of marketing.
00:20:33.145 –> 00:20:35.285
CLAUDIA: So she’s definitely a trendsetter for it.
00:20:37.865 –> 00:20:45.125
JEREMY: It’s got to be rewarding too to see, as assistants, we often talk about our goals.
00:20:46.965 –> 00:20:48.525
JEREMY: Our goals are our executives’ goals.
00:20:49.205 –> 00:20:59.905
JEREMY: And it’s got to be rewarding to see your executive reach their goals and succeed and level up and all those things as you’re supporting them.
00:21:00.305 –> 00:21:03.285
CLAUDIA: And it kind of gives you a little bit of permission to level up too.
00:21:03.785 –> 00:21:04.165
CLAUDIA: Right.
00:21:04.925 –> 00:21:06.145
CLAUDIA: Oh, we’re going there.
00:21:06.165 –> 00:21:07.045
CLAUDIA: Great.
00:21:07.085 –> 00:21:07.645
CLAUDIA: Let’s do it.
00:21:07.985 –> 00:21:09.085
JEREMY: Yeah, totally.
00:21:09.885 –> 00:21:10.465
JEREMY: That’s awesome.
00:21:11.825 –> 00:21:19.365
JEREMY: Well, what’s maybe a practical tip on, you know, you’ve worked together for five years.
00:21:21.565 –> 00:21:40.505
JEREMY: What’s something that you would share with assistants that maybe you have learned over time, have learned working together, that maybe if you could go back in time and say, oh, man, if we could have learned this in year one, it would have helped us a lot going forward.
00:21:41.045 –> 00:21:51.685
CLAUDIA: Well, I think part of it is knowing, I talked about it earlier, is really knowing them, knowing what they need to succeed.
00:21:51.705 –> 00:21:57.185
CLAUDIA: So in our case, she is a preparer.
00:21:57.665 –> 00:21:59.185
CLAUDIA: She is an over-preparer.
00:21:59.285 –> 00:22:02.525
CLAUDIA: She talks about this in some of her public speaking sessions.
00:22:03.745 –> 00:22:12.725
CLAUDIA: And so for me, I always like to get into her mindset of, okay, if I’m going into this meeting, I need to make sure that what would I want to see is her.
00:22:13.085 –> 00:22:14.085
CLAUDIA: I want to see a prep sheet.
00:22:14.105 –> 00:22:15.345
CLAUDIA: I want to see who I’m talking to.
00:22:15.365 –> 00:22:16.525
CLAUDIA: What’s the deal size?
00:22:17.185 –> 00:22:20.645
CLAUDIA: What are their concerns or things that they want to talk about?
00:22:21.125 –> 00:22:27.045
CLAUDIA: So really for me, it’s having that extra preparation for her.
00:22:27.425 –> 00:22:29.185
CLAUDIA: And I think you’ve talked about this too.
00:22:29.205 –> 00:22:37.465
CLAUDIA: You can get into being over prepared for people and then having them come back to you and say, actually, I don’t use that.
00:22:37.485 –> 00:22:42.285
CLAUDIA: I think you talked about you used to do detailed travel arrangements for your CEO.
00:22:42.305 –> 00:22:45.165
CLAUDIA: And then they were like, actually, I just need this little bit.
00:22:45.645 –> 00:22:56.945
CLAUDIA: So having that clear communication with them and knowing exactly what they want so that they’re not overwhelmed with information that they’re not really using.
00:22:56.945 –> 00:23:00.025
CLAUDIA: So you’re not overwhelmed running around trying to get everything together for them.
00:23:01.605 –> 00:23:08.885
CLAUDIA: I think that’s something that if you start with an executive, that’s the number one thing you need to know.
00:23:09.205 –> 00:23:10.525
CLAUDIA: How do they like their information?
00:23:10.545 –> 00:23:12.785
CLAUDIA: In what format?
00:23:14.645 –> 00:23:16.105
CLAUDIA: And how it’s best going to serve them.
00:23:16.805 –> 00:23:17.165
JEREMY: Right.
00:23:18.765 –> 00:23:24.405
JEREMY: Yeah, like my CEO really likes things, you know, when he needs them.
00:23:26.605 –> 00:23:33.325
JEREMY: So it doesn’t really help for me to be like on Mondays and, hey, here’s the context for your call on Friday.
00:23:34.365 –> 00:23:35.565
JEREMY: That’s not really going to help.
00:23:36.685 –> 00:23:41.225
JEREMY: Unless it’s like, oh, he’s got to prepare a presentation and he needs some time ever.
00:23:41.245 –> 00:23:45.045
JEREMY: But yeah, it’s like, it’s that just-in-time communication.
00:23:45.065 –> 00:23:50.365
CLAUDIA: For me, she gets, you know, she gets a daily reminder of the next day, the night before.
00:23:51.745 –> 00:23:55.465
CLAUDIA: Unless it’s something, again, similar if it’s something, you know, really big.
00:23:55.485 –> 00:23:58.965
CLAUDIA: But it’s like short, sweet snippets.
00:23:59.525 –> 00:24:00.545
CLAUDIA: That’s what works best for her.
00:24:00.565 –> 00:24:02.785
CLAUDIA: And there are executives who want a full spreadsheet.
00:24:03.005 –> 00:24:04.105
CLAUDIA: They want all the details.
00:24:04.125 –> 00:24:04.985
CLAUDIA: And that’s fine, too.
00:24:04.985 –> 00:24:07.265
CLAUDIA: You just need to have that clear communication with them.
00:24:10.165 –> 00:24:12.225
CLAUDIA: What it is that they need and what they don’t need.
00:24:15.245 –> 00:24:15.605
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:24:15.605 –> 00:24:27.345
JEREMY: Well, Claudia, what’s if you were going to put a billboard up on the busiest highway where all the assistants drive by, what would the billboard say to the assistants of the world?
00:24:31.405 –> 00:24:32.245
CLAUDIA: Find your pack.
00:24:33.505 –> 00:24:34.245
CLAUDIA: Find your people.
00:24:36.145 –> 00:24:43.325
CLAUDIA: Like I said, early in my career, I wish I had had mentors, organizations, sounding boards.
00:24:44.165 –> 00:24:51.525
CLAUDIA: Find those people that you can not only celebrate your wins with, but you can rant to them.
00:24:51.765 –> 00:24:54.105
CLAUDIA: You can ask them for advice.
00:24:54.165 –> 00:24:55.505
CLAUDIA: You can be there for them.
00:24:56.145 –> 00:25:06.105
CLAUDIA: That has been over the past five years, definitely at this job has been one of the most successful things for me personally is having that network.
00:25:10.185 –> 00:25:14.345
CLAUDIA: I don’t think I would be able to operate at the level I’m at without it.
00:25:17.445 –> 00:25:17.845
JEREMY: Love it.
00:25:17.865 –> 00:25:18.345
JEREMY: Makes sense.
00:25:18.365 –> 00:25:19.645
JEREMY: I’m going to order the billboard now.
00:25:22.725 –> 00:25:23.085
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:25:23.105 –> 00:25:24.725
JEREMY: Well, thank you so much for being on the show.
00:25:25.045 –> 00:25:28.085
JEREMY: Congrats on your career, amazing journey.
00:25:28.285 –> 00:25:31.985
JEREMY: And where is the best place for people to reach out if they want to say hi?
00:25:32.365 –> 00:25:33.545
CLAUDIA: Find me on LinkedIn.
00:25:34.365 –> 00:25:37.625
CLAUDIA: Last name sounds like Lauder, spelled like Laughter.
00:25:37.645 –> 00:25:39.825
CLAUDIA: So you can find me there.
00:25:39.845 –> 00:25:40.505
CLAUDIA: Please connect.
00:25:40.545 –> 00:25:44.285
CLAUDIA: I’m happy to meet some new folks and have my own network.
00:25:45.785 –> 00:25:48.685
JEREMY: Well, I’ll put that URL on the show notes as well.
00:25:48.705 –> 00:25:51.405
JEREMY: leaderassistant.com/277.
00:25:51.945 –> 00:25:53.305
JEREMY: Thanks, everyone, for listening.
00:25:53.405 –> 00:25:55.625
JEREMY: And thanks again, Claudia, for joining.
00:25:55.825 –> 00:25:56.865
JEREMY: And we’ll talk soon.
00:25:57.385 –> 00:25:58.005
CLAUDIA: Thank you, Jeremy.
00:26:08.561 –> 00:26:11.041
CLAUDIA: Please review on Apple Podcasts.
