Rebecca Afful is an Administrative Professional with over a decade of experience in executive support and office management. She has had the opportunity to work in multiple industries such as aviation, banking, international non-profits, and diplomatic missions. Rebecca also founded the Administrative Professionals Network of Ghana.
In this episode, Rebecca talks about creating opportunities for yourself, stepping out of your comfort zone, fostering professional relationships with peers, and utilizing LinkedIn to grow your network.
LEADERSHIP QUOTE
If your actions inspire others to dream more, do more and become more, you are a leader.
– John Quincy Adams
CONNECT WITH REBECCA
ABOUT REBECCA
Rebecca Afful is an Administrative Professional with over a decade of experience in executive support and office management. She has had the opportunity to work in multiple industries such as aviation, banking, international non-profits, and diplomatic missions.
Because she believes in the power of networking and building bridges for others, she founded the Administrative Professionals Network of Ghana. A platform that provides opportunities for Administrative Professionals to learn and network. She enjoys reading and sharing career content on LinkedIn.
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
00:00:00.240 –> 00:00:06.300
REBECCA: Hi, I’m Rebecca Afful, and today’s leadership quote is from John Quincy Adams.
00:00:07.340 –> 00:00:13.540
REBECCA: If your actions inspire others to dream more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.
00:00:13.560 –> 00:00:13.680
REBECCA: You are a leader.
00:00:19.880 –> 00:00:27.208
<v SPEAKER_3>The Leader Assistant Podcast exists to encourage and challenge assistants to become confident, game-changing leader assistants.
00:00:36.017 –> 00:00:39.997
JEREMY: Are you a strategic senior executive assistant thinking about what’s next?
00:00:40.557 –> 00:00:48.677
JEREMY: Whether you’re ready for a promotion or loving the job you’re in, NOVA Chief of Staff’s certification course may be just the resource you’re hungry for.
00:00:49.357 –> 00:01:05.997
JEREMY: With over 400 students across 20 countries and rave reviews, students graduate from NOVA’s hands-on, self-paced online course with the confidence, knowledge and power to make the move to Chief of Staff for their executive.
00:01:06.437 –> 00:01:07.757
JEREMY: But don’t take my word for it.
00:01:07.997 –> 00:01:16.977
JEREMY: Visit leaderassistant.com/nova to find countless testimonials, the course syllabus and lots of free resources to support you in your career journey.
00:01:17.777 –> 00:01:20.957
JEREMY: Hey friends, welcome to The Leader Assistant Podcast.
00:01:20.977 –> 00:01:26.137
JEREMY: It’s your host Jeremy Burrows and this is episode 279.
00:01:26.617 –> 00:01:32.017
JEREMY: You can check out the show notes for this episode at leaderassistant.com/279.
00:01:32.557 –> 00:01:36.737
JEREMY: leaderassistant.com/279.
00:01:36.837 –> 00:01:39.317
JEREMY: Today, I’m speaking with Rebecca Afful.
00:01:39.337 –> 00:01:49.737
JEREMY: Rebecca is an Administrative Professional with over a decade of experience, and we’re really excited to be talking to you, Rebecca, today.
00:01:50.097 –> 00:01:54.517
JEREMY: First of all though, tell us what part of the world you are in.
00:01:54.537 –> 00:01:59.197
REBECCA: Okay, so I’m joining you from Accra, Ghana.
00:02:01.517 –> 00:02:02.577
REBECCA: West Africa, yes.
00:02:04.197 –> 00:02:08.617
JEREMY: So, what time, I got to ask what time of, is it in the middle of the night?
00:02:08.657 –> 00:02:10.037
JEREMY: Is it early morning?
00:02:10.057 –> 00:02:10.517
JEREMY: What is it?
00:02:10.837 –> 00:02:13.877
JEREMY: It’s in, I’m in Kansas City, and it’s six o’clock in the evening here.
00:02:14.297 –> 00:02:14.897
REBECCA: Okay.
00:02:14.917 –> 00:02:16.997
REBECCA: So, here is 11 p.m.
00:02:17.517 –> 00:02:17.897
REBECCA: Okay.
00:02:18.477 –> 00:02:22.857
JEREMY: So, a little late, but not too crazy, I guess, if you’re a late night person.
00:02:23.697 –> 00:02:25.157
REBECCA: Exactly.
00:02:25.957 –> 00:02:26.317
REBECCA: Awesome.
00:02:26.337 –> 00:02:29.917
JEREMY: Well, yeah, tell us a little bit about yourself personally.
00:02:29.937 –> 00:02:32.077
JEREMY: What do you like to do when you’re not working?
00:02:32.097 –> 00:02:36.317
REBECCA: When I’m not working, I enjoy reading.
00:02:36.337 –> 00:02:42.637
REBECCA: I also enjoy watching movies and listening to podcasts.
00:02:44.397 –> 00:02:45.297
JEREMY: Nice, nice.
00:02:45.797 –> 00:02:49.437
JEREMY: What’s a good podcast that you like listening to?
00:02:51.717 –> 00:03:00.897
REBECCA: Obviously, I enjoy listening to The Leader Assistant Podcast and other podcasts on business, on career, on finance, yes.
00:03:03.677 –> 00:03:06.497
JEREMY: And then how long have you been an assistant?
00:03:08.957 –> 00:03:13.297
REBECCA: I would say close to 15 years now, yes, close to 15 years now.
00:03:17.857 –> 00:03:22.357
REBECCA: But I will say I have not always had that title.
00:03:22.377 –> 00:03:30.597
REBECCA: As an assistant, I had played different roles, but they are all similar in nature, and I’ll put them under the assistant role.
00:03:31.457 –> 00:03:31.937
REBECCA: Okay.
00:03:33.037 –> 00:03:34.957
JEREMY: Yeah, like what other titles did you have?
00:03:35.737 –> 00:03:54.417
REBECCA: So I’ve had a title like retail support agent when I was working at the bank, and executive officer, program officer, program assistant, team leader, team assistant, sorry, and then current team program assistant.
00:03:56.037 –> 00:03:56.417
REBECCA: Cool.
00:03:56.437 –> 00:04:00.937
JEREMY: What got you into the administrative profession originally?
00:04:05.197 –> 00:04:07.777
JEREMY: So what was it that got you into that career?
00:04:08.397 –> 00:04:10.397
JEREMY: Did you want to get into it?
00:04:10.417 –> 00:04:11.617
JEREMY: Did you fall into it?
00:04:13.257 –> 00:04:15.217
REBECCA: I’ll say I fell into it.
00:04:15.457 –> 00:04:17.097
REBECCA: It was not something planned.
00:04:17.297 –> 00:04:30.537
REBECCA: Originally, I had the desire to work in the banking industry, but I started off my career as a customer support agent with an airline handling company.
00:04:30.737 –> 00:04:50.237
REBECCA: So I was working at the airports, checking in passengers, printing boarding pass, tagging bags, and then from that role I moved to the banking system, sector as the retail support staff.
00:04:50.257 –> 00:04:57.717
REBECCA: I was basically supporting the sales manager in managing a team of sales personnel.
00:04:58.597 –> 00:05:01.177
REBECCA: So I believe that’s how it started.
00:05:01.297 –> 00:05:08.757
REBECCA: And then from there, I also joined a nonprofit organization as a programmer assistant.
00:05:08.777 –> 00:05:15.097
REBECCA: So I’ll say basically, it wasn’t something that I planned, but I guess I’m happy to find myself in a role.
00:05:15.697 –> 00:05:16.037
JEREMY: Yeah.
00:05:16.357 –> 00:05:19.737
JEREMY: What’s your favorite part about the role of an assistant?
00:05:22.557 –> 00:05:37.777
REBECCA: There are a lot of favorite parts to the role, but what I enjoy most is being able to support my executive achievements goals and the fact that I get to work closely with my executive and then the team.
00:05:40.277 –> 00:05:40.637
JEREMY: Yeah.
00:05:41.557 –> 00:05:44.337
JEREMY: And what’s maybe one of your least favorite parts?
00:05:48.457 –> 00:05:51.717
REBECCA: Well, it’s not all the aspects of my role that I enjoy.
00:05:51.737 –> 00:05:55.777
REBECCA: There are some that I enjoy, some that I don’t enjoy very much.
00:05:56.017 –> 00:06:06.117
REBECCA: One of them would be sitting at a meeting and being expected to put a minute together when I want to participate in the meeting, enjoy the meeting.
00:06:06.157 –> 00:06:12.117
REBECCA: But I have to be focused on getting the minute done.
00:06:12.137 –> 00:06:20.437
REBECCA: So and then you sometimes you are in the meeting, you take the minutes and you are hoping that after the meeting is over, you are done.
00:06:20.457 –> 00:06:26.777
REBECCA: But then you have to now come and sit in the office and try to put your minute together and then share it with the rest of the team.
00:06:26.797 –> 00:06:36.017
REBECCA: So yeah, yeah, that’s I just I just want to enjoy the meeting and be focused on putting the minute together.
00:06:37.137 –> 00:06:38.197
JEREMY: Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.
00:06:38.217 –> 00:06:38.897
JEREMY: I’m the same way.
00:06:38.917 –> 00:06:47.377
JEREMY: I’m like, I like to just go and engage in conversation and listening and whatever and not have to be like, oh, did I write that down?
00:06:47.437 –> 00:06:48.437
JEREMY: Oh, did I write that down?
00:06:50.317 –> 00:06:50.877
REBECCA: Certainly.
00:06:50.897 –> 00:06:52.957
REBECCA: Awesome.
00:06:52.977 –> 00:06:58.437
JEREMY: Well, how have you created opportunities for yourself throughout your career?
00:07:00.777 –> 00:07:28.537
REBECCA: Throughout my career, I have gotten the opportunity, if I should put it that way, to create opportunities for myself, because for most of us, especially assistants, we we tend to wait for opportunities to come our way, we tend to wait for somebody to recognize us, to somebody to say, to tell us we are doing a good job.
00:07:29.237 –> 00:07:39.317
REBECCA: And when we don’t tend to get those kind of feedback, we feel like we are not being appreciated, and our work is not being recognized.
00:07:39.897 –> 00:07:49.417
REBECCA: But I have learned to create opportunity for myself in situations where I feel I need to be recognized for the effort that I’m making.
00:07:49.437 –> 00:07:52.517
REBECCA: I make my executive and my team aware.
00:07:53.217 –> 00:08:10.877
REBECCA: I remember there was one, there was a time where I saw this, if I should say advert, you know, trying to get a nomination for, to reward assistants.
00:08:11.337 –> 00:08:15.617
REBECCA: It was even outside my country, somewhere in Australia.
00:08:16.137 –> 00:08:28.477
REBECCA: But I told myself, if my organization is not going to reward me or acknowledge the work that I’m doing, why not put myself out there, nominate myself to see if I can win this award?
00:08:28.857 –> 00:08:30.397
REBECCA: And I did exactly that.
00:08:30.797 –> 00:08:35.917
REBECCA: I didn’t even win the award, but I was part of the, I believe, the final six.
00:08:36.417 –> 00:08:39.797
REBECCA: And for me, that was an opportunity I created for myself.
00:08:40.537 –> 00:08:40.837
REBECCA: Yes.
00:08:41.257 –> 00:09:02.977
REBECCA: And then there are times when we are advocating, you know, for us to be trained, and the training doesn’t seem to come our way, either because the organization doesn’t seem to appreciate the fact that we need to be trained, or because of budget constraints and situations like that.
00:09:03.517 –> 00:09:13.877
REBECCA: I don’t mind putting or saving money to actually jump on the training that I want to take.
00:09:14.077 –> 00:09:27.177
REBECCA: And I remember there was a time when I decided to put my money together, save, to be able to join a training program that was outside Ghana.
00:09:27.257 –> 00:09:29.217
REBECCA: And I fully sponsored myself.
00:09:29.257 –> 00:09:32.077
REBECCA: I had to buy my own plane ticket to pay for the training.
00:09:32.417 –> 00:09:41.177
REBECCA: And for me, that is what I can do to make myself better, to be able to perform well on my job.
00:09:41.197 –> 00:09:47.537
REBECCA: So if that opportunity is not coming my way, nothing stops me from creating that opportunity for myself.
00:09:48.657 –> 00:09:50.137
JEREMY: Wow, that’s great.
00:09:50.157 –> 00:10:00.997
JEREMY: Yeah, I mean, it’s like the professional development side, you know, not unfortunately, not all organizations and companies will pay for you to go to a conference in a different place.
00:10:01.017 –> 00:10:09.217
JEREMY: So that’s great of you for owning your own development and making those sacrifices to invest in yourself.
00:10:09.397 –> 00:10:10.337
JEREMY: So that’s awesome.
00:10:13.257 –> 00:10:27.777
JEREMY: What about the, you know, that’s creating opportunities, but it’s also kind of stepping out of your comfort zone to go to an event at a different, you know, country or whatever.
00:10:27.997 –> 00:10:38.577
JEREMY: And how do you give yourself the confidence and the push to step out of your comfort zone?
00:10:41.197 –> 00:10:48.137
REBECCA: So it’s all is the same as, you know, creating the opportunities for yourself.
00:10:48.737 –> 00:10:53.357
REBECCA: If you are in your comfort zone, opportunities are not going to come your way.
00:10:53.377 –> 00:10:55.317
REBECCA: You need to step out of your comfort zone.
00:10:55.897 –> 00:11:05.277
REBECCA: And if you want to create an opportunity for yourself, definitely you may have to do things that you may ordinarily not do.
00:11:05.537 –> 00:11:08.977
REBECCA: And that means stepping out of, you know, your comfort zone.
00:11:08.997 –> 00:11:22.837
REBECCA: So when I desire to achieve something, I know that if I stay in my comfort zone or do the things that I’m used to, there is no way I’ll be able to achieve whatever I desire to achieve.
00:11:22.857 –> 00:11:29.197
REBECCA: So I have to make that effort to step out of my comfort zone, even when it’s not comfortable.
00:11:29.217 –> 00:11:34.517
REBECCA: Of course, stepping out of your comfort zone means that you are going to be uncomfortable.
00:11:34.537 –> 00:11:37.157
REBECCA: So that is what drives me.
00:11:37.177 –> 00:11:38.457
REBECCA: That’s what pushes me.
00:11:38.477 –> 00:11:41.697
REBECCA: That whatever I want is actually outside my comfort zone.
00:11:41.717 –> 00:11:42.697
REBECCA: So I need to step.
00:11:48.617 –> 00:11:48.777
REBECCA: Out.
00:11:48.897 –> 00:11:49.817
JEREMY: What about LinkedIn?
00:11:49.837 –> 00:11:51.097
JEREMY: I’m looking at your LinkedIn profile.
00:11:51.317 –> 00:11:52.637
JEREMY: We connected on LinkedIn.
00:11:52.657 –> 00:11:52.857
JEREMY: Yes.
00:11:52.997 –> 00:11:54.357
JEREMY: You’ve done a great job there.
00:11:54.357 –> 00:12:02.857
JEREMY: You’ve even grown your LinkedIn connections, I think, to over 10,000 or so.
00:12:03.317 –> 00:12:05.037
JEREMY: Yes.
00:12:05.997 –> 00:12:14.837
JEREMY: What are your tips for those listening who, as far as networking and engaging with the community of assistants all around the world?
00:12:18.637 –> 00:12:22.697
REBECCA: I joined LinkedIn, I would say, four years ago.
00:12:22.697 –> 00:12:32.077
REBECCA: But when I joined, I actually didn’t know the use of the platform until sometime in my career where I realized I wasn’t growing.
00:12:32.297 –> 00:12:43.997
REBECCA: And when I started stepping out of my comfort zone, I realized one of the things that I needed to do to better myself was also to grow my personal brand.
00:12:44.837 –> 00:12:55.357
REBECCA: And by researching and also listening to other people, I realized that LinkedIn is a great platform to promote your personal brand.
00:12:55.357 –> 00:13:04.577
REBECCA: So I decided to be deliberate about it and also try to see if there’s a way I can connect with my peers in the industry.
00:13:04.757 –> 00:13:18.657
REBECCA: So that was one of the main reasons why I decided to make myself visible on the platform by connecting with my peers and then following thought leaders in my industry so that I can learn from them.
00:13:19.357 –> 00:13:28.757
REBECCA: And just to get the opportunity to learn from my peers basically so that I can become a better version of myself.
00:13:29.457 –> 00:13:45.237
REBECCA: So, if you are on LinkedIn and you are not taking advantage of it, I will encourage you to do so if I wasn’t visible, if I wasn’t connecting with people, I wouldn’t have had this opportunity to have this interview with Jeremy.
00:13:45.977 –> 00:13:49.597
REBECCA: I think it’s a great platform and we all should take advantage of it.
00:13:51.377 –> 00:13:56.617
JEREMY: Yeah, what maybe you’re like, what do you do day in and day out for LinkedIn?
00:13:56.837 –> 00:13:58.457
JEREMY: So like, do you have a schedule?
00:13:58.477 –> 00:13:59.537
JEREMY: Do you have a plan?
00:13:59.557 –> 00:14:03.137
JEREMY: Do you just kind of log on and share your thoughts randomly?
00:14:03.177 –> 00:14:09.517
JEREMY: You know, like, what’s your system for how have you grown your networks so much?
00:14:09.537 –> 00:14:10.817
JEREMY: Is it just staying consistent?
00:14:10.837 –> 00:14:12.297
JEREMY: Like, I’d just love to hear some tips.
00:14:13.017 –> 00:14:18.497
REBECCA: Okay, so I just make a deliberative effort to at least post once a week.
00:14:19.717 –> 00:14:43.157
REBECCA: Yes, so at least once a week, sometimes I go, I do three posts a week and then I try to also engage with the content of others, especially in my industry and then those people I look up to as mentors and then also try to connect with my peers, no matter where they are all over the world globally.
00:14:43.177 –> 00:14:50.097
REBECCA: So I have connected with people who are not even in my country, outside my country, all over the world.
00:14:50.117 –> 00:14:52.217
REBECCA: In fact, I can’t begin to name the countries.
00:14:52.997 –> 00:14:55.777
REBECCA: So it’s something that I do deliberately.
00:14:55.837 –> 00:15:04.317
REBECCA: I don’t spend a lot of time on LinkedIn, but I make an effort that at least each week I share my thoughts on the platform.
00:15:04.357 –> 00:15:16.897
REBECCA: I try to engage with other content on the platform and also see if I can connect with people who are in my industry or who are thought leaders I want to learn from.
00:15:19.537 –> 00:15:20.257
JEREMY: That’s amazing.
00:15:20.277 –> 00:15:26.757
JEREMY: Yeah, it’s such a powerful tool and it really, you know, like how you said, you don’t really spend a ton of time on it.
00:15:27.817 –> 00:15:32.157
JEREMY: You know, you don’t really have to spend a ton of time on it if you’re intentional and consistent.
00:15:32.657 –> 00:15:33.897
REBECCA: Yes, exactly.
00:15:35.017 –> 00:15:35.577
JEREMY: That’s great.
00:15:36.957 –> 00:15:42.517
JEREMY: What about challenges that you’ve faced in your career?
00:15:45.337 –> 00:15:47.937
JEREMY: And, you know, how you’ve overcome them.
00:15:53.977 –> 00:15:56.557
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00:16:31.330 –> 00:16:37.350
REBECCA: Okay, so as assistants, you know, day in, day out, where challenges come our way.
00:16:38.170 –> 00:16:49.530
REBECCA: And one of the things that I do when I face challenges is just to recognize that life is not always smooth.
00:16:49.670 –> 00:17:15.550
REBECCA: You know, there are ups and downs, and then when the downs come, you just have to find a way of navigating, you know, that situation, so that you can learn the lessons that you need to learn from that situation, and then see how you can prevent those challenges from happening in the future, and how you can even mitigate those situations from happening again.
00:17:16.190 –> 00:17:22.850
REBECCA: And I’ve also learned that challenges help us to grow, you know.
00:17:23.770 –> 00:17:31.570
REBECCA: If you don’t face challenges, you’ll never grow, because there are lessons in those challenges that you need to learn from.
00:17:32.850 –> 00:17:44.710
REBECCA: An example will be if I have an error, I make a mistake on the job, and I have to go now for it, I do.
00:17:45.650 –> 00:17:55.590
REBECCA: And then I learned the lessons that I need to learn from, and then find ways of preventing that from happening, and then just move on.
00:18:00.170 –> 00:18:03.350
JEREMY: You said, own it?
00:18:04.210 –> 00:18:05.570
JEREMY: Is that how you said it?
00:18:05.590 –> 00:18:05.810
REBECCA: Yeah.
00:18:05.950 –> 00:18:06.710
JEREMY: Own the mistake.
00:18:06.730 –> 00:18:07.030
REBECCA: Yes.
00:18:07.050 –> 00:18:07.350
REBECCA: Yeah.
00:18:07.610 –> 00:18:08.850
JEREMY: That’s a big step one, right?
00:18:09.470 –> 00:18:10.370
REBECCA: Yes, it is.
00:18:10.390 –> 00:18:23.470
REBECCA: It’s always not easy, but I mean, you own it, and once you own it, you then find ways of making the situation better.
00:18:23.870 –> 00:18:31.910
REBECCA: I think that also builds trust, especially with your executive and then your team, if you own that mistake.
00:18:32.430 –> 00:18:32.770
JEREMY: Yeah.
00:18:34.630 –> 00:18:35.050
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:18:35.070 –> 00:18:40.270
JEREMY: Well, is there anything else that you’d like to talk about?
00:18:44.970 –> 00:18:53.690
JEREMY: Maybe tips for fostering a strategic partnership with your executives, or your colleagues, or anything you’d like to talk about?
00:18:55.510 –> 00:19:03.490
REBECCA: So I think I’ll want to talk about trying to foster a relationship with your peers in the industry.
00:19:04.730 –> 00:19:13.030
REBECCA: As an assistant, sometimes you find yourself isolated, you find yourself, you know…
00:19:13.050 –> 00:19:19.110
REBECCA: I remember there was a time in my career where I was the only assistant in my organization.
00:19:19.870 –> 00:19:29.090
REBECCA: And when it’s like that, it’s a bit challenging, because when you have issues, you don’t even know who can understand you for you to go for help or ask for help.
00:19:29.990 –> 00:19:39.990
REBECCA: And if you are an assistant and you find yourself in a situation like that, my advice to you is to try to reach out to your peers in the industry.
00:19:40.730 –> 00:19:54.810
REBECCA: If there’s an association, there’s a network that you can join, do that, because there’s so much that you will learn, there’s so much support that you get from a community or a group like that.
00:19:56.210 –> 00:20:07.170
REBECCA: If not, when you find yourself in a situation where you don’t know where to ask for help, you find yourself wanting.
00:20:07.190 –> 00:20:21.710
REBECCA: So it’s always good to be open and try to connect with your peers and not necessarily connecting, finding how you can be of support to the community that you find yourself in.
00:20:21.950 –> 00:20:36.410
REBECCA: It’s very, very important for you to join some sort of group, some sort of network, just to get the support that you need in your role, because our role can be very challenging.
00:20:39.210 –> 00:20:53.430
JEREMY: Yeah, and I like how you said, not just connecting, but figuring out how to help others, not just asking for things or draining your network, but actually filling and serving your network.
00:20:54.010 –> 00:20:54.630
REBECCA: Exactly.
00:20:55.590 –> 00:21:07.710
REBECCA: And then where you are not able to find any association or network like that, you can reach out to other assistants that you know, and then try to form something on your own.
00:21:07.830 –> 00:21:12.110
REBECCA: And that is one thing that I do that is really helping me in my career.
00:21:12.130 –> 00:21:19.090
REBECCA: At a point in my career, I yearn for that kind of community, be in a network, in an association.
00:21:19.650 –> 00:21:27.570
REBECCA: And when I couldn’t find something like that locally in my country, I just brought together a few assistants.
00:21:27.590 –> 00:21:30.870
REBECCA: And then we started the Network of Administrative Professionals of Ghana.
00:21:31.310 –> 00:21:32.830
REBECCA: And now we are growing.
00:21:32.850 –> 00:21:35.010
REBECCA: We have more people joining.
00:21:35.490 –> 00:21:41.550
REBECCA: It’s not only serving me, it’s also serving the members or the people who are part of this community.
00:21:43.790 –> 00:21:44.330
JEREMY: That’s great.
00:21:44.350 –> 00:21:47.570
JEREMY: So you founded the Administrative Professionals Network of Ghana?
00:21:48.570 –> 00:21:49.510
REBECCA: Yes, I did.
00:21:50.590 –> 00:22:00.550
JEREMY: So what’s, yeah, what’s the, maybe what’s your favorite part of doing that and running that and founding that?
00:22:02.270 –> 00:22:10.310
REBECCA: So it’s the community has actually given me the opportunity to get to know people I will not ordinarily have known.
00:22:11.030 –> 00:22:35.050
REBECCA: You know, and then the fact that we are able to meet and network and learn from each other, you know, that having that kind of support when somebody needs help is something that I find very rewarding, very rewarding, because there are times where you actually need to call on somebody for support, for help.
00:22:35.070 –> 00:22:42.590
REBECCA: Maybe there’s something on your table that you are trying to figure out, but you are not getting the answers that you need.
00:22:44.050 –> 00:22:46.950
REBECCA: And you just reach out to somebody in the network.
00:22:46.990 –> 00:22:54.170
REBECCA: And I mean, the person is ready to help you with whatever information or ideas you are looking for.
00:22:57.550 –> 00:22:58.830
JEREMY: That’s great.
00:22:58.930 –> 00:23:00.350
JEREMY: Thank you so much for sharing.
00:23:00.410 –> 00:23:20.050
JEREMY: What’s maybe if you could share one message or, you know, talk about the billboard on the side of the road that, you know, like an advertisement on the side of the road that says one thing for the assistance of the world, what would your message be to the assistance of the world?
00:23:20.070 –> 00:23:24.990
REBECCA: I would say assistants are great.
00:23:25.590 –> 00:23:34.790
REBECCA: The job that we do is remarkable and we need to believe in ourselves and believe that we are doing a great job.
00:23:36.090 –> 00:23:41.610
REBECCA: We shouldn’t look down on ourselves and think that we are not contributing much.
00:23:41.730 –> 00:23:52.410
REBECCA: We are actually doing so much and so if it’s not being recognized, if it’s not being seen, we need to make ourselves visible.
00:23:52.430 –> 00:24:00.170
REBECCA: We need to recognize and appreciate what we do and the contributions that we make in our respective organizations.
00:24:00.170 –> 00:24:03.790
REBECCA: So yeah, I would say assistants are great.
00:24:05.330 –> 00:24:06.110
JEREMY: Well said.
00:24:06.270 –> 00:24:09.850
JEREMY: Thank you for sharing and again, thanks for being on the show.
00:24:09.870 –> 00:24:36.090
JEREMY: I know it’s late in Ghana right now and appreciate you being flexible and taking time out of your day and thank you for the passion and the support that you provide assistance in Ghana and through your network and just super thrilled to connect with you on this side of the world and love connecting with other people that not only are assistants but help other assistants.
00:24:36.170 –> 00:24:38.330
JEREMY: So thanks again for being on the show.
00:24:38.570 –> 00:24:41.610
JEREMY: Is it okay if I share your LinkedIn URL in the show notes?
00:24:42.450 –> 00:24:43.810
REBECCA: Yes, it’s okay.
00:24:44.470 –> 00:24:46.930
REBECCA: Thank you so much, Jeremy, for having me.
00:24:47.430 –> 00:24:50.130
REBECCA: I’m so honored and so grateful to me.
00:24:50.150 –> 00:24:51.030
REBECCA: Thank you so much.
00:24:52.370 –> 00:24:53.330
JEREMY: You’re very welcome.
00:24:53.450 –> 00:24:59.850
JEREMY: And for those listening, you can check out the show notes again at leaderassistant.com.
00:25:00.330 –> 00:25:03.630
JEREMY: Be sure to connect with Rebecca and say hi and thank her for being on the show.
00:25:14.578 –> 00:25:17.058
<v SPEAKER_3>Please review on Apple Podcasts.
