Heather Cantor has a background in executive operations and business management across diverse sectors in roles such as Executive Business Partner (EBP), Executive Assistant, Project Manager, and Operations Manager.
In this episode of The Leader Assistant Podcast, Heather talks about what’s next for executive assistants, the difference between an EA and an executive business partner (EBP), what growth looks like beyond the EBP role, and leading a team of assistants.
LEADERSHIP QUOTE
Never perfect, Always Genuine!
CONNECT WITH HEATHER
ABOUT HEATHER
Heather Cantor is a multidisciplinary professional with over 15 years of experience, renowned for her leadership rooted in integrity and passion. With a background in executive operations and business management, she has excelled in roles such as Executive Business Partner (EBP), Executive Assistant, Project Manager, and Operations Manager, across diverse sectors.
A Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) and former Mrs. Maryland America, Heather is celebrated for driving operational excellence, team unity, and organizational growth, embodying a value-based change agent dedicated to enhancing outcomes in both corporate and community spheres.
Heather is currently an Executive Business Partner (EBP) and EBP Team Leader at Drata.
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
00:00:00.720 –> 00:00:08.360
HEATHER: Hi, my name is Heather Cantor, and my favorite leadership quote is, I’m never perfect, but I’m always genuine.
00:00:15.047 –> 00:00:22.607
<v SPEAKER_3>The Leader Assistant Podcast exists to encourage and challenge assistants to become confident, game-changing leader assistants.
00:00:31.479 –> 00:00:35.979
JEREMY: Are you a strategic senior executive assistant thinking about what’s next?
00:00:35.979 –> 00:00:44.779
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.
00:00:44.779 –> 00:01:01.859
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.
00:01:01.859 –> 00:01:03.399
JEREMY: But don’t take my word for it.
00:01:03.399 –> 00:01:12.939
JEREMY: Visit leaderassistant.com/nova to find countless testimonials, the course syllabus, and lots of free resources to support you in your career journey.
00:01:14.079 –> 00:01:16.439
JEREMY: Hey friends, welcome to The Leader Assistant Podcast.
00:01:16.439 –> 00:01:20.059
JEREMY: It’s your host, Jeremy Burrows, and this is episode 287.
00:01:21.359 –> 00:01:24.739
JEREMY: You can check out the show notes for this episode at leaderassistant.com/287.
00:01:27.899 –> 00:01:29.279
JEREMY: That’s leaderassistant.com/287.
00:01:32.099 –> 00:01:39.719
JEREMY: You can find all the links and bio and all the fun stuff for this episode on the show notes.
00:01:39.719 –> 00:01:42.699
JEREMY: Today, I’m excited to be speaking with Heather Cantor.
00:01:42.699 –> 00:01:49.339
JEREMY: Heather is Executive business Partner and Leader Office of the COO.
00:01:49.339 –> 00:01:50.699
JEREMY: Got a full title there, Heather.
00:01:50.699 –> 00:01:51.719
JEREMY: We’re going to get into that.
00:01:52.299 –> 00:01:59.839
JEREMY: Yes, and yeah, welcome to the show and tell us what city you’re joining us from.
00:01:59.839 –> 00:02:02.179
HEATHER: Thank you so much for having me, Jeremy.
00:02:02.179 –> 00:02:16.479
HEATHER: And first and foremost, thank you so much just for taking the time in addition to your full-time role to do this podcast and to build the Leader Assistant community and to share your knowledge with your book and your speaking engagements and everything that you do for our community.
00:02:16.479 –> 00:02:17.819
HEATHER: So thank you for that.
00:02:17.819 –> 00:02:19.439
JEREMY: Yeah, thanks for the shout out.
00:02:19.439 –> 00:02:19.939
JEREMY: You’re welcome.
00:02:20.439 –> 00:02:23.879
HEATHER: Of course, I am actually a lifelong resident of Maryland.
00:02:23.879 –> 00:02:27.419
HEATHER: So I’m meeting with you from Maryland virtually today.
00:02:27.419 –> 00:02:35.099
HEATHER: And I, you know, from time to time, find that people are pretty surprised when they discover that I’ve never lived anywhere else.
00:02:35.099 –> 00:02:35.619
JEREMY: Nice.
00:02:35.619 –> 00:02:36.019
JEREMY: Nice.
00:02:36.019 –> 00:02:38.419
JEREMY: Where do you like to visit?
00:02:38.419 –> 00:02:41.959
JEREMY: What’s your favorite place you’ve visited, traveled to?
00:02:41.959 –> 00:02:42.959
HEATHER: I think travel.
00:02:42.959 –> 00:02:49.639
HEATHER: So travel, I’m definitely a Caribbean, all-inclusive person just due to the natures of our roles.
00:02:50.379 –> 00:03:00.419
HEATHER: I love some just really good downtime of relaxation and having a team of people take care of me for once.
00:03:00.419 –> 00:03:01.199
JEREMY: Nice.
00:03:01.199 –> 00:03:02.659
JEREMY: That’s great.
00:03:02.659 –> 00:03:08.639
JEREMY: Then what is your favorite thing to do when you’re not working?
00:03:09.679 –> 00:03:12.419
HEATHER: Favorite thing to do when I’m not working?
00:03:12.419 –> 00:03:17.899
HEATHER: So something that’s really, really important to me are fitness and nutrition.
00:03:18.199 –> 00:03:31.659
HEATHER: So about 20 years ago or so, I just really had this extreme interest in learning more about both and have continued that tradition in daily workouts.
00:03:31.659 –> 00:03:41.959
HEATHER: And also, I’ve been pursuing a precision certification with precision nutrition as well, just to learn a lot more about nutrition as a whole.
00:03:41.959 –> 00:03:46.399
HEATHER: So strength training is definitely something I really, really enjoy in my spare time.
00:03:47.159 –> 00:03:50.739
HEATHER: And then also, riding my motorcycle.
00:03:50.739 –> 00:03:53.279
HEATHER: So I got my motorcycle license last summer.
00:03:53.279 –> 00:03:58.939
HEATHER: I was the only woman in the class, and I went out and bought a bike a week later.
00:03:58.939 –> 00:04:03.079
HEATHER: So I love taking motorcycle rides.
00:04:03.079 –> 00:04:03.639
JEREMY: That’s awesome.
00:04:03.639 –> 00:04:05.679
JEREMY: What type of bike did you get?
00:04:05.679 –> 00:04:07.999
HEATHER: I actually bought a Moto Guzzi.
00:04:07.999 –> 00:04:10.859
HEATHER: So it is an Italian motorcycle.
00:04:10.859 –> 00:04:12.919
HEATHER: Super unique, which is exactly what I wanted.
00:04:12.919 –> 00:04:14.859
HEATHER: I wanted something that didn’t look like anything else.
00:04:16.099 –> 00:04:16.879
JEREMY: Nice.
00:04:16.879 –> 00:04:17.519
JEREMY: That’s crazy.
00:04:17.519 –> 00:04:23.679
JEREMY: So have you had any, like do you like to ride in the city?
00:04:23.679 –> 00:04:25.319
JEREMY: Do you like to ride at the countryside?
00:04:25.319 –> 00:04:27.319
JEREMY: Like what’s, where do you like to ride?
00:04:27.319 –> 00:04:29.219
HEATHER: Definitely in the country.
00:04:29.219 –> 00:04:30.139
HEATHER: I’m glad you asked.
00:04:30.139 –> 00:04:32.479
HEATHER: I live in a very rural area.
00:04:32.479 –> 00:04:38.019
HEATHER: So I am in the farthest tip top corner of Maryland and Northeast Maryland.
00:04:38.019 –> 00:04:41.079
HEATHER: And there’s a lot of really great country back roads here.
00:04:41.079 –> 00:04:42.379
HEATHER: So I really enjoy that.
00:04:42.479 –> 00:04:49.259
HEATHER: And the longest, the longest ride, so to speak, I’ve taken so far has been about 90 minutes each way.
00:04:49.259 –> 00:04:51.999
HEATHER: And I headed up to Pennsylvania on back roads.
00:04:51.999 –> 00:04:53.179
JEREMY: Wow.
00:04:53.179 –> 00:04:53.899
JEREMY: Nice.
00:04:53.899 –> 00:04:55.339
HEATHER: A lot of fun.
00:04:55.339 –> 00:04:57.519
JEREMY: Yeah, it’s I’ve never been on.
00:04:57.519 –> 00:05:01.199
JEREMY: I’ve been on dirt bike, but I’ve never been on a street bike motorcycle.
00:05:01.199 –> 00:05:07.079
JEREMY: So it’s I don’t know if my wife would let me, but, you know, it’s a different topic for a different episode.
00:05:08.739 –> 00:05:10.719
JEREMY: So tell us about your career journey then.
00:05:10.899 –> 00:05:13.559
JEREMY: How did you end up as an assistant?
00:05:13.559 –> 00:05:15.919
JEREMY: You know, tell us a little bit about your.
00:05:15.919 –> 00:05:19.159
JEREMY: You’ve got over 15 years of experience.
00:05:19.159 –> 00:05:20.739
JEREMY: It looks like I’m looking at your bio.
00:05:20.739 –> 00:05:23.219
JEREMY: So tell us a little bit about your journey.
00:05:23.219 –> 00:05:23.639
HEATHER: Yeah.
00:05:23.639 –> 00:05:28.579
HEATHER: So a lot of my journey, I think, was influenced by my parents.
00:05:28.579 –> 00:05:31.799
HEATHER: You know, I grew up around entrepreneurship.
00:05:31.799 –> 00:05:37.719
HEATHER: My my late father had a small business for 30 years, which is actually still family owned and operated to this day.
00:05:38.539 –> 00:05:46.679
HEATHER: And, you know, since he was both an owner and operator, I learned finance and operations and sales and even marketing, right?
00:05:46.679 –> 00:05:49.239
HEATHER: And before I even realized I was learning it.
00:05:49.239 –> 00:05:58.259
HEATHER: So, you know, my mom, on the other hand, you know, she stepped into a career in insurance and was working full time and single mom and doing all the things.
00:05:58.259 –> 00:06:05.059
HEATHER: And so one thing I think I attribute to both of them is my work ethic and then just learning at a very early age.
00:06:05.239 –> 00:06:10.839
HEATHER: So, you know, I didn’t go away to college, the traditional college.
00:06:10.839 –> 00:06:15.099
HEATHER: I stayed close to home, went to community college, and then I go right into work.
00:06:15.099 –> 00:06:20.299
HEATHER: So that said, my career path has not been linear at all.
00:06:20.319 –> 00:06:33.859
HEATHER: I’ve spent years building business generalist experience because I’ve had opportunities to be, you know, whether it was an operations manager or project manager, community manager, and then also an executive assistant.
00:06:34.059 –> 00:06:40.379
HEATHER: So I really, you know, I’m somebody who doesn’t really care much about titles, so to speak.
00:06:40.379 –> 00:06:49.839
HEATHER: But I did find myself leaning into the executive support and operations space after having had the opportunity to kind of dabble in different roles.
00:06:49.839 –> 00:06:56.639
HEATHER: I’ve also had an opportunity to work in different industries and different business sizes, whether it’s corporations or startups as well.
00:06:56.639 –> 00:07:16.339
HEATHER: And so I think that entrepreneurship shows up a lot from my childhood in that I love being in a startup where it’s scrappy, you know, and you can really be in an operator and then also be making some strategic decisions as well.
00:07:16.339 –> 00:07:16.659
JEREMY: Yeah.
00:07:16.659 –> 00:07:28.099
JEREMY: So what was maybe, you know, it looks like you were executive assistant and you went to be, you know, community operations manager, director of operations back to executive business partner.
00:07:28.099 –> 00:07:38.519
JEREMY: And what’s been maybe the one thing that drew you back to the support leader assistant role?
00:07:38.519 –> 00:07:42.279
HEATHER: So I am, you know, I’m also a certified scrum master.
00:07:42.279 –> 00:07:48.639
HEATHER: So when I, you know, learning more about servant leadership, you know, was very attractive to me.
00:07:48.639 –> 00:07:53.419
HEATHER: And so there’s a lot of similarities with servant leadership and executive support and executive operations.
00:07:53.419 –> 00:08:02.099
HEATHER: And so it’s really about that, that force multiplier piece and, and being and supporting others to help them show up.
00:08:02.519 –> 00:08:05.059
HEATHER: They’re best and help them be successful.
00:08:05.059 –> 00:08:07.699
HEATHER: I really, really thrive in that environment.
00:08:07.699 –> 00:08:23.739
HEATHER: You know, whether it’s front office, back office, what have you, but really being, you know, the operations manager, so to speak, of an executive to, to make sure that they are fully prepared and going into whatever and anything that they need to.
00:08:23.739 –> 00:08:25.579
HEATHER: I just was drawn to it.
00:08:25.579 –> 00:08:29.979
HEATHER: You know, in every role that I’ve had, I just really thrive in that environment.
00:08:31.799 –> 00:08:32.179
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:08:32.179 –> 00:08:42.659
JEREMY: So what’s the, you know, your title is Executive business Partner and Leader Office of the COO.
00:08:42.659 –> 00:08:46.679
JEREMY: So what’s, what are all those different parts of that title mean?
00:08:46.679 –> 00:08:47.279
HEATHER: Absolutely.
00:08:47.279 –> 00:08:48.659
HEATHER: So it’s a very unique title.
00:08:48.659 –> 00:08:52.199
HEATHER: And I’m actually really glad that you, you know, called that out.
00:08:52.199 –> 00:08:58.199
HEATHER: So today, yes, I am the EBP to our co-founder and COO at Drata.
00:08:58.199 –> 00:09:01.639
HEATHER: And then I am also the EBP team leader.
00:09:01.639 –> 00:09:05.059
HEATHER: So I have six direct reports.
00:09:05.059 –> 00:09:08.279
HEATHER: You know, five of them are EBPs and one is an ABP.
00:09:08.279 –> 00:09:10.519
HEATHER: We’ll talk about that in a little bit.
00:09:10.519 –> 00:09:15.199
HEATHER: But, you know, Drata is a continuous automation solution, right?
00:09:15.199 –> 00:09:24.579
HEATHER: That, you know, the product itself that monitors, it continuously monitors, remediates, collects evidence of controls from code to production.
00:09:24.599 –> 00:09:31.619
HEATHER: And ironically, there’s a lot of similarities between what Drata does and what our EBPs, you know, here do at Drata.
00:09:31.619 –> 00:09:41.479
HEATHER: And so my role is very dual-hatted in that I am an operating EBP to, you know, an executive, and then I’m also leading a team of EBPs.
00:09:41.479 –> 00:10:03.079
HEATHER: And so I really feel like, you know, while that does present certain challenges, it really helps me relate to the team and see experience, maybe the same challenges that they’re going through and to be able to effectively, you know, I guess, address the problems that we’re trying to solve for and have a really good understanding of what’s going on in the business.
00:10:05.199 –> 00:10:18.399
JEREMY: So what is, for those listening, that maybe they’ve heard Executive business Partner can be a title that is swapped out for Executive Assistant or Senior Executive Assistant.
00:10:20.319 –> 00:10:35.379
JEREMY: What is an Executive business Partner and what’s the difference between the title and is it, what’s the word I’m trying to think of, is it like a culture shift, title change?
00:10:35.759 –> 00:10:44.679
JEREMY: Is it because of the way that people see the word assistant sometimes, or is there an actual leveling that goes along with that?
00:10:44.679 –> 00:10:47.699
JEREMY: Tell us a little bit about how that works in your organization.
00:10:47.699 –> 00:10:48.319
HEATHER: Absolutely.
00:10:48.319 –> 00:10:51.179
HEATHER: So it’s leaning more towards the leveling.
00:10:51.459 –> 00:11:00.399
HEATHER: You know, again, historically, right, there hasn’t really been a solid growth trajectory for an executive assistant.
00:11:00.399 –> 00:11:06.539
HEATHER: You know, people tend to say, okay, I’m going to be an executive assistant, and then you end up being a career executive assistant.
00:11:06.539 –> 00:11:08.339
HEATHER: And that’s okay.
00:11:08.339 –> 00:11:24.459
HEATHER: But for people that may want to venture into other areas or maybe their life changes or their interests change, what I love about the executive business partner role is here at Drata because it’s not the same in every organization, but here with our team, it is a stepping stone.
00:11:24.459 –> 00:11:32.619
HEATHER: So the way that we’re leveled is we have administrative business partners, which is more of an entry level role, and then we have executive business partners.
00:11:32.619 –> 00:11:45.139
HEATHER: And so I see that as a stepping stone to perhaps maybe a chief of staff role down the line, or perhaps I really think the possibilities are endless.
00:11:45.719 –> 00:11:52.939
HEATHER: So this could also be a stepping stone for an executive business partner to go into an operations type of role.
00:11:52.939 –> 00:12:05.399
HEATHER: So it really is kind of fueling that growth and the leveling that, in my experience in years past, has not been there for anyone in our space.
00:12:05.399 –> 00:12:20.839
JEREMY: Yeah, it’s pretty rare still to this day, I think, for you’ve got all the levels and titles for the sales team and the engineering team and the marketing team, but then you get to the assistant team and you’re like, well, we don’t really have a path for you.
00:12:20.839 –> 00:12:23.299
JEREMY: Exactly.
00:12:23.299 –> 00:12:23.859
JEREMY: That’s great.
00:12:23.859 –> 00:12:36.079
JEREMY: So then what happens if you’re an executive business partner and you like the role so much, you don’t really want to move in to achieve a staff, move into operations, move into, does that make sense?
00:12:36.079 –> 00:12:37.299
HEATHER: Absolutely.
00:12:37.779 –> 00:12:39.079
HEATHER: You can stay where you are.
00:12:39.079 –> 00:12:46.339
HEATHER: I mean, that’s the beauty of it, to have the autonomy and the flexibility, and to be able to chart your own career path.
00:12:46.339 –> 00:12:53.519
HEATHER: And so that’s another benefit of, I believe, me working with our team on their development and their goals.
00:12:53.519 –> 00:13:03.419
HEATHER: We’re actually right in the midst of that season right now in identifying what they think they want to do today and the steps that it’s going to take for them to get there.
00:13:03.419 –> 00:13:14.619
HEATHER: And the beauty of having this org structure in a startup, at least from my perspective, is that there are so many opportunities to dip your toe in the water with different things.
00:13:14.619 –> 00:13:20.419
HEATHER: So for example, perhaps one of the EBPs on the team has an interest in sales.
00:13:21.079 –> 00:13:27.699
HEATHER: They are encouraged and supported and they can go and shadow somebody in sales or learn more about the ins and the outs.
00:13:27.699 –> 00:13:36.999
HEATHER: And then obviously I would guide them to work on particular skill sets that they needed to work on to make that transition.
00:13:38.579 –> 00:13:52.659
HEATHER: It’s just to me just kind of the next era of our roles and this industry in itself in that we have the same growth opportunities that others do in companies.
00:13:52.659 –> 00:13:53.839
JEREMY: Yeah.
00:13:53.839 –> 00:14:04.199
JEREMY: So what are the cons maybe to having an executive business partner like yourself lead the other EBPs?
00:14:05.459 –> 00:14:06.899
HEATHER: Yes, that’s an excellent question.
00:14:06.899 –> 00:14:11.859
HEATHER: So like I said, this is actually top of mind for our team right now.
00:14:11.859 –> 00:14:16.479
HEATHER: And I solicit their feedback a lot because it’s very important to me.
00:14:16.479 –> 00:14:20.619
HEATHER: And so, you know, I do think the benefits far outweigh the cons.
00:14:20.779 –> 00:14:40.439
HEATHER: And I think the only, maybe the only thing that could be present as a con slash challenge is just the dual padded role in balancing, you know, the EBP role itself and then also the, you know, people leader portion of the of the after actual opportunity.
00:14:40.439 –> 00:14:48.099
HEATHER: So I have an amazing, you know, communication and relationship with my executive.
00:14:48.099 –> 00:14:49.459
HEATHER: We have a great cadence together.
00:14:49.719 –> 00:15:00.499
HEATHER: And so we’re constantly checking in on capacity, constantly reshifting priorities as needed to, you know, to kind of go with the ebbs and the flows of the business and the demands.
00:15:00.499 –> 00:15:04.959
HEATHER: obviously, as you know, in your role, there’s, you know, there’s busier times of year than others.
00:15:04.959 –> 00:15:18.159
HEATHER: So I’m just very agile and flexible in that I’m able to shift where I’m needed, sometimes like week by week, you know, and based on whatever the business needs, but most importantly, what my team needs.
00:15:19.779 –> 00:15:34.619
HEATHER: In addition, I mean, you know, one of the benefits of having, I think, an EBP as an EBP leader is, you know, being able to educate and grow EBPs, because that’s also another piece, I think, that’s missing as well as far as development.
00:15:34.619 –> 00:15:43.379
HEATHER: I host monthly working sessions with the EBPs, and they’re a part of creating the agenda, and they kind of say, you know, hey, I want to learn about this, or I want to brainstorm about that.
00:15:43.379 –> 00:15:47.639
HEATHER: And so I offer educational opportunities as well as part of our team.
00:15:47.739 –> 00:15:48.839
HEATHER: And I think that’s really important.
00:15:54.485 –> 00:15:57.865
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00:16:21.465 –> 00:16:27.045
<v SPEAKER_4>Head to leaderassistant.com/nova to learn more, grab the syllabus and enroll today.
00:16:31.285 –> 00:16:45.765
JEREMY: So what would you say is one of the toughest things that you’ve had to face and maybe the biggest challenges in?
00:16:46.285 –> 00:16:47.685
JEREMY: I’d love to hear if you can think of it.
00:16:47.685 –> 00:16:48.605
JEREMY: I’ll put you on the spot.
00:16:48.685 –> 00:16:58.905
JEREMY: I’d love to hear your biggest challenge in your EBP role, but also your biggest challenge in leading the other EBPs.
00:16:58.905 –> 00:17:14.545
JEREMY: So maybe there’s a story that comes to mind or an instance where it was a difficult thing to navigate through, or maybe it was in a prior role where you had to challenge with an executive you’re supporting.
00:17:14.545 –> 00:17:19.065
JEREMY: So yeah, I’d love to put you on the spot there and hear a couple of your challenges.
00:17:19.065 –> 00:17:20.905
HEATHER: Yeah, I love it.
00:17:20.905 –> 00:17:36.365
HEATHER: I think a challenge for the EBP leader side of my role was, so the EBP framework, Adrata was actually brought in by my predecessor.
00:17:36.565 –> 00:17:54.065
HEATHER: And so the transition period of, you know, and this was last year, I was taking over the team, also working with my executive, but then also in terms supporting that particular individual’s executive as well.
00:17:54.065 –> 00:17:54.965
HEATHER: So it was a lot.
00:17:54.965 –> 00:17:55.825
HEATHER: It was a lot of wants.
00:17:55.825 –> 00:17:57.325
HEATHER: It was a lot of change.
00:17:57.325 –> 00:18:06.085
HEATHER: And so, you know, I took it on and, you know, the feedback I was given is that I just thrived through it.
00:18:06.085 –> 00:18:14.305
HEATHER: So, you know, I think this is something you commonly hear, and I’m sure your listeners are going to be able to relate that most of us in this industry thrive in chaos.
00:18:14.305 –> 00:18:16.205
HEATHER: And so that is exactly what I did.
00:18:16.205 –> 00:18:20.945
HEATHER: So I, you know, I focus on what our team needs.
00:18:20.945 –> 00:18:23.765
HEATHER: I’m a people first leader and I focus on what the business needs.
00:18:23.765 –> 00:18:45.845
HEATHER: And so, you know, I think just again, managing your priorities and making sure that you have really solid communication with all stakeholders, including your executive, keeping them updated on what is going on, what is happening, allows you to have that autonomy and flexibility to, you know, reassess where priorities should be and where your time is being spent as well.
00:18:45.845 –> 00:18:48.865
HEATHER: Another thing that was really, really critical was delegating.
00:18:48.865 –> 00:18:52.825
HEATHER: So, you know, I put together a whole delegation plan for the team.
00:18:52.825 –> 00:18:57.825
HEATHER: I had people on the team step up and take ownership of various projects or initiatives.
00:18:58.225 –> 00:19:02.725
HEATHER: And so that those opportunities also allowed them to grow.
00:19:02.725 –> 00:19:04.205
HEATHER: So that was a win-win for me.
00:19:04.205 –> 00:19:13.425
HEATHER: So, you know, the most challenging time as an EBP leader actually ended up like resulting in, you know, I think one of the best times as well.
00:19:13.425 –> 00:19:16.885
HEATHER: I’m, you know, always looking to improve the team.
00:19:16.885 –> 00:19:19.905
HEATHER: But most importantly, you know, how can I be better?
00:19:19.905 –> 00:19:21.365
HEATHER: How can I show up and be better?
00:19:21.365 –> 00:19:30.465
HEATHER: So a challenge, I think, in the EBP role itself, I’ll take it all the way back to when I first started at Drata.
00:19:30.465 –> 00:19:36.605
HEATHER: So, you know, I came to Drata because of the executive business partner org structure.
00:19:36.605 –> 00:19:43.945
HEATHER: I was absolutely just fascinated with it and thought, wow, this is a really great next step in stepping stone.
00:19:43.945 –> 00:19:48.565
HEATHER: And throughout the interview process, our talent acquisition team is incredible.
00:19:48.565 –> 00:19:51.405
HEATHER: And they, you know, kept saying we move very quickly here.
00:19:51.405 –> 00:19:52.745
HEATHER: We move at Drata speed.
00:19:53.165 –> 00:19:58.165
HEATHER: And I don’t think it was until maybe my second or third day where I fully understood with that net.
00:19:58.165 –> 00:20:02.125
HEATHER: So it was extremely challenging.
00:20:02.125 –> 00:20:06.305
HEATHER: And I will add to I am in Maryland.
00:20:06.305 –> 00:20:09.885
HEATHER: Most of our executive team is in California and I am 100 percent remote.
00:20:09.885 –> 00:20:19.045
HEATHER: And so, you know, for those folks that think executive operations, you know, personnel need to come back to the office, I’m here to challenge that.
00:20:19.225 –> 00:20:23.885
HEATHER: So in almost two years, I’ve only been in person with my executive twice.
00:20:23.885 –> 00:20:27.145
HEATHER: So it can work 100 percent remote.
00:20:27.145 –> 00:20:29.145
HEATHER: And that has not been a challenge or a blocker.
00:20:29.145 –> 00:20:37.805
HEATHER: I just wanted to point that out that, you know, we’ve made it through all of these transitions and changes and challenges fully remote.
00:20:37.805 –> 00:20:43.125
HEATHER: So I think the challenge when I joined was, you know, oh, wow, like, I know you move fast here.
00:20:43.125 –> 00:20:46.685
HEATHER: But when you finally feel it and you’re in it, you think, oh, my goodness.
00:20:46.865 –> 00:20:47.285
HEATHER: Right.
00:20:47.285 –> 00:20:55.625
HEATHER: So I quickly got up the speed, realized what expectations and turnaround times and things like that were like.
00:20:55.625 –> 00:21:03.845
HEATHER: And so it was it was just challenging, I think, at first to get into the the swing of things and the routine of things.
00:21:03.845 –> 00:21:08.045
JEREMY: What’s maybe a specific example of something that you’re like, wow, that’s fast.
00:21:11.665 –> 00:21:20.705
HEATHER: Well, one, even before I started, which was really interesting, I mean, the whole offer process of my roller drada happened extremely fast.
00:21:20.705 –> 00:21:27.085
HEATHER: You know, I had been actually, you know, interviewing and that was very surprising to me.
00:21:27.085 –> 00:21:32.665
HEATHER: I think, you know, the speed in which we ship our product, you know, I’m going to go on the technical side.
00:21:32.665 –> 00:21:37.085
HEATHER: I think, you know, obviously running sprints and what have you.
00:21:37.085 –> 00:21:43.205
HEATHER: There’s there’s typical time frames there, but I’m really, really surprised at how quickly we ship products.
00:21:43.785 –> 00:21:49.565
HEATHER: I’m really, really surprised at how quickly Drata as a whole, as a company.
00:21:49.565 –> 00:21:54.105
HEATHER: So we’re, you know, today, as we’re talking, we’re only three years old.
00:21:54.105 –> 00:21:59.225
HEATHER: And, you know, we are 400 to 500 employees, give or take with contractors.
00:21:59.225 –> 00:22:05.085
HEATHER: And so that’s that’s quickly scaling, but it’s very mindful strategic scaling.
00:22:05.085 –> 00:22:07.325
HEATHER: So that’s something we’ve also moved very quickly on as well.
00:22:09.285 –> 00:22:16.605
JEREMY: And what is give us a little bit of a taste of what Drata does, you know, software wise in that world?
00:22:16.605 –> 00:22:17.285
HEATHER: Yeah, of course.
00:22:17.285 –> 00:22:20.885
HEATHER: So Drata automates your compliance journey.
00:22:20.885 –> 00:22:32.005
HEATHER: So for your listeners, for the, you know, the companies they work with or they support and their executives, think about the audits, you know, that, you know, the meetings you’re scheduling for audits and what have you.
00:22:32.005 –> 00:22:40.345
HEATHER: So Drata actually takes the audit process, and puts it on autopilot, so to speak.
00:22:40.345 –> 00:22:49.605
HEATHER: So we take everything from, you know, start to audit ready beyond, and then we provide the support from the security and compliance experts who built it.
00:22:49.605 –> 00:22:52.525
HEATHER: So we support over 20 frameworks.
00:22:52.525 –> 00:22:54.505
HEATHER: You know, what does, what does frameworks mean, right?
00:22:54.505 –> 00:23:07.945
HEATHER: So think about like, have you heard of SOC 2 compliance, ISO, HIPAA compliance, which is very big in the healthcare, you know, industry, which also really came into play during COVID, when a lot of people were pivoting to telemedicine and what have you.
00:23:07.945 –> 00:23:21.145
HEATHER: So we actually, we have over, we support over 20 frameworks now and we help companies get compliant, but then we also continuously monitor controls.
00:23:21.145 –> 00:23:26.685
HEATHER: So there’s continuous monitoring, there’s remediation, there’s collection of evidence.
00:23:26.685 –> 00:23:30.785
HEATHER: And so what that does is it changes everything for a company.
00:23:30.785 –> 00:23:40.445
HEATHER: So typically an audit, you have auditors come out to your office, you know, think old school, people are taking screenshots of things, you know, and uploading them to a folder.
00:23:40.445 –> 00:23:41.885
HEATHER: And it’s a lot of manual work.
00:23:41.885 –> 00:23:43.985
HEATHER: So think days, think weeks.
00:23:43.985 –> 00:23:48.225
HEATHER: Well, there’s been instances where, you know, we’ve been able to do that very, very quickly.
00:23:48.225 –> 00:23:50.965
HEATHER: And when I mean quickly, it could be hours, it could be days.
00:23:50.965 –> 00:24:06.385
HEATHER: And so, you know, just having the product in place, and we have a lot of other excitings, the things that are coming down the pike, but having that product in place, you know, really frees up people’s time in the organization to go focus on more important things.
00:24:06.385 –> 00:24:06.745
JEREMY: Love it.
00:24:06.745 –> 00:24:07.385
JEREMY: Great job.
00:24:07.385 –> 00:24:14.605
JEREMY: And I think your team would be proud of how you succinctly described the product.
00:24:14.605 –> 00:24:15.365
JEREMY: So nice work.
00:24:15.365 –> 00:24:21.565
HEATHER: Well, and I, you know, I describe the product and I compare it to the EBP team all the time.
00:24:21.565 –> 00:24:24.245
HEATHER: And like, you know, draw to continuously monitors.
00:24:24.245 –> 00:24:28.505
HEATHER: Well, EBPs continuously monitor the business environment, right?
00:24:28.505 –> 00:24:30.465
HEATHER: EBPs also, there’s remediation.
00:24:30.585 –> 00:24:34.365
HEATHER: EBPs proactively address the issues before they arise.
00:24:34.365 –> 00:24:35.745
HEATHER: We’re collecting evidence, right?
00:24:36.205 –> 00:24:37.845
HEATHER: We’re little detectives ourselves.
00:24:37.845 –> 00:24:41.505
HEATHER: We’re collecting information, data, we’re synthesizing it.
00:24:41.505 –> 00:24:49.985
HEATHER: And so that is, you know, when people do ask me what we do here, if they understand our product, I’m able to really pull those two together.
00:24:49.985 –> 00:24:51.185
JEREMY: Nice.
00:24:51.185 –> 00:24:56.805
JEREMY: Well, this has been great, Heather, and I really, really appreciate you taking the time to share a little bit of your story.
00:24:56.805 –> 00:25:00.185
JEREMY: What’s maybe your number one tip?
00:25:00.225 –> 00:25:13.745
JEREMY: If you mentioned working remote, what’s your number one tip or two, if you have two, working from home and really staying connected to your team and your executives while in a different state?
00:25:13.745 –> 00:25:15.785
HEATHER: So that’s a great question.
00:25:15.785 –> 00:25:19.465
HEATHER: You know, first and foremost, I would say take care of yourself.
00:25:19.465 –> 00:25:28.585
HEATHER: So the beauty that I have of being on the East Coast and the East Coast time zone is I have a jumpstart, I have a three hour jumpstart to everybody else on the West Coast.
00:25:28.705 –> 00:25:30.705
HEATHER: I just shared my secret.
00:25:30.705 –> 00:25:33.005
HEATHER: So I prioritize me in the morning.
00:25:33.005 –> 00:25:39.045
HEATHER: So whether it’s appointments, errands, my workouts, you know, things like that, those are done in the morning.
00:25:39.045 –> 00:25:42.145
HEATHER: And then whatever else happens throughout the day, I know that those are done.
00:25:42.145 –> 00:25:44.725
HEATHER: So I am taking care of.
00:25:44.725 –> 00:25:52.145
HEATHER: I also think, you know, having, you know, time blocks on the calendar, that’s also very, very helpful.
00:25:52.145 –> 00:26:03.425
HEATHER: When it comes to staying connected with the team, it’s really important to have one-on-ones on the calendar and then also have, you know, those team meetings on the calendar as well.
00:26:03.425 –> 00:26:04.925
HEATHER: Anybody on my team would say this.
00:26:05.205 –> 00:26:06.745
HEATHER: I take a lot of pride in this.
00:26:06.745 –> 00:26:11.985
HEATHER: I very, very rarely will ever cancel a one-on-one because they trump everything for me.
00:26:11.985 –> 00:26:16.185
HEATHER: They mean everything to be able to connect with the team.
00:26:16.185 –> 00:26:26.165
HEATHER: So I think prioritizing your people and prioritizing the time with people is definitely key in a remote environment.
00:26:26.165 –> 00:26:35.045
HEATHER: There are opportunities, obviously, from time to time, once or twice a year, I go out to San Diego, where most of our team is based.
00:26:35.045 –> 00:26:40.685
HEATHER: Not a bad gig to be able to go out to San Diego, especially, but it’s wintertime in Maryland.
00:26:43.225 –> 00:26:50.105
HEATHER: It’s just such a treat and so lovely to be able to meet and gather with everybody in person when we do do that from time to time.
00:26:50.285 –> 00:26:56.325
HEATHER: But it’s really, really key to just, we’re a Slack organization.
00:26:56.325 –> 00:27:04.145
HEATHER: I do a lot of employee engagement efforts myself because it’s really, really important to me whether it’s in our team channel or company-wide.
00:27:04.145 –> 00:27:12.465
HEATHER: I think it’s important for people to get to know each other on the personal level so we can understand one another and build those relationships virtually.
00:27:13.745 –> 00:27:14.165
JEREMY: Love it.
00:27:14.165 –> 00:27:15.265
JEREMY: Great tips.
00:27:15.265 –> 00:27:16.965
JEREMY: Thanks for sharing.
00:27:16.965 –> 00:27:36.185
JEREMY: Do you have any interesting stories about working remote where it’s like maybe you did something that your team didn’t think was possible from the other side of the country, or maybe you wish you were on-site, so you could have just run over and handled something?
00:27:36.185 –> 00:27:37.085
HEATHER: I would love that.
00:27:37.085 –> 00:27:39.825
HEATHER: There’s so many times where I would love that.
00:27:39.825 –> 00:27:41.445
HEATHER: But that’s a very long plane ride.
00:27:43.685 –> 00:27:54.025
HEATHER: I did have a case, it was last year where we do have some fluky weather here in Maryland from time to time, and I had lost power and made a really, really critical important meeting.
00:27:55.265 –> 00:28:08.605
HEATHER: I haven’t yet gotten to the point of wiring a generator to my home yet, so I have a backup plan and again, and I live in a very rural area, so there isn’t a shared workspace or anything like that right around the corner here.
00:28:09.105 –> 00:28:18.725
HEATHER: We have an amazing brand new beautiful library in my county, and so that is my backup plan when things go arar at home.
00:28:18.725 –> 00:28:31.665
HEATHER: I was able to very, very quickly, literally made it within two minutes to the library, got everything set up, got my security set up, and was able to just join the meeting, and it went off without a hitch and nobody knew.
00:28:31.665 –> 00:28:34.905
HEATHER: It actually happened to be an all company.
00:28:34.905 –> 00:28:41.585
HEATHER: We were doing a summer digital fun employee event where I was actually presenting to hundreds of employees as well.
00:28:41.585 –> 00:28:45.425
HEATHER: So the panic definitely set in.
00:28:45.425 –> 00:28:52.125
HEATHER: But in true executive business partner style, I had the backup plan in place and we made it all happen.
00:28:52.365 –> 00:29:01.585
HEATHER: As you know, with event planning, the key is to make sure nobody knows about all those hiccups that go on behind the scenes because boy, they do.
00:29:01.585 –> 00:29:12.285
JEREMY: Yeah, it’s always nerve-racking when we get a storm coming through here and came to city and I’m like, I don’t know, I’ve got podcast interviews, I’ve got webinars, I’ve got to hop on these meetings.
00:29:13.585 –> 00:29:21.745
JEREMY: But I think I’ve had to do it a few times, a handful of times maybe is where I’ll have, because I’ve got a desktop but then I also have a laptop.
00:29:21.745 –> 00:29:27.085
JEREMY: So the desktop, if the power goes out, I’m SOL on that.
00:29:28.345 –> 00:29:41.605
JEREMY: But the laptop, it’s like, okay, well, I’ll pull my laptop out and I’ll use my cellphone hotspot, and that’s my no power, no internet backup plan that I just know.
00:29:41.605 –> 00:29:41.945
JEREMY: All right.
00:29:41.945 –> 00:29:44.225
HEATHER: I hope the batteries are charged enough.
00:29:44.225 –> 00:29:44.505
JEREMY: Right.
00:29:44.505 –> 00:29:45.325
JEREMY: Exactly.
00:29:45.325 –> 00:29:46.065
JEREMY: Exactly.
00:29:47.105 –> 00:29:47.485
JEREMY: Cool.
00:29:47.485 –> 00:29:50.185
JEREMY: Well, Heather, thanks again for being on the show.
00:29:50.185 –> 00:30:12.685
JEREMY: What’s maybe your ideal, like if you were going to put a billboard together and have a message for assistance of the world or executive business partners of the world, what would you put in bold font on that billboard for the assistance of the world to see?
00:30:14.605 –> 00:30:18.305
HEATHER: I would say that nothing is impossible.
00:30:18.565 –> 00:30:21.165
HEATHER: It’s something that I carry with me.
00:30:21.425 –> 00:30:28.185
HEATHER: I’m one of those crazy challenge accepted kind of people, like give me something super impossible to do.
00:30:28.185 –> 00:30:43.585
HEATHER: To the point where I can share a story where last year, my executive was planning a birthday gathering for his wife, and they found out that a dish was no longer served at their favorite restaurant.
00:30:43.585 –> 00:31:06.625
HEATHER: I went and found the chef who had went to another restaurant, called him, established a relationship with him, and then talked him into hosting a private chef dinner at my executive’s house for his wife, which was unbelievable and went really, really well, so much that it’s now an annual tradition, and they just had another one.
00:31:06.625 –> 00:31:10.545
HEATHER: So again, nothing is impossible.
00:31:10.545 –> 00:31:18.205
HEATHER: And it is, I believe, people like me and you and your listeners that make those things happen behind the scenes.
00:31:19.045 –> 00:31:24.505
HEATHER: Our executives come to us with a problem or a vision, and we are the ones that execute and make it happen.
00:31:24.505 –> 00:31:37.865
HEATHER: And one thing my executive always says about me is that when he thinks of me, he thinks unapologetic execution, because I’m also one of those people that I will just go get things done and then ask for forgiveness later.
00:31:37.865 –> 00:31:40.885
HEATHER: So just nothing is impossible.
00:31:40.885 –> 00:31:45.965
HEATHER: Keep doing what you’re doing and the possibilities are endless.
00:31:45.965 –> 00:31:49.085
JEREMY: So I have to ask though, what was the special dish?
00:31:50.305 –> 00:31:59.165
HEATHER: It was falafels, but it was prepared in a very particular way that they were the best falafels she had ever had.
00:31:59.365 –> 00:32:00.965
HEATHER: And so, yes.
00:32:00.965 –> 00:32:06.425
HEATHER: So I heard that and I could tell he was scrambling a little bit, and I said, I got to go make this happen.
00:32:06.425 –> 00:32:13.285
HEATHER: So threw it out into the universe, tracked the gentleman down and made it happen.
00:32:13.285 –> 00:32:14.005
JEREMY: Well, nice work.
00:32:14.205 –> 00:32:15.725
JEREMY: Props on that.
00:32:16.785 –> 00:32:17.485
JEREMY: Yeah, falafel.
00:32:17.485 –> 00:32:18.785
JEREMY: My wife loves falafel.
00:32:18.785 –> 00:32:22.025
JEREMY: So she would be excited about that, too.
00:32:23.225 –> 00:32:23.585
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:32:23.585 –> 00:32:28.345
JEREMY: Well, Heather, what’s the best place that people can reach out if they want to say hi and connect?
00:32:28.345 –> 00:32:31.185
HEATHER: I would love to connect with your listeners on LinkedIn.
00:32:31.185 –> 00:32:33.845
HEATHER: We will be growing the team at Drata this year.
00:32:33.845 –> 00:32:38.145
HEATHER: So I’m always looking to connect with like minded folks.
00:32:38.145 –> 00:32:40.385
HEATHER: And LinkedIn is the best place.
00:32:40.385 –> 00:32:41.685
HEATHER: I’m there a lot.
00:32:42.225 –> 00:32:44.125
HEATHER: I have a very active LinkedIn presence.
00:32:44.125 –> 00:32:49.785
HEATHER: So I would love to network, support, help.
00:32:49.785 –> 00:32:57.405
HEATHER: If anybody has any very difficult problems we’re trying to solve for, I would love to meet your listeners.
00:32:57.405 –> 00:32:57.865
JEREMY: Perfect.
00:32:57.865 –> 00:33:02.425
JEREMY: And I’ll put your LinkedIn link in the show notes at leaderassistant.com/287.
00:33:04.365 –> 00:33:08.825
JEREMY: For everyone listening to go check it out and say hi to Heather and reach out and connect.
00:33:08.825 –> 00:33:13.585
JEREMY: So thanks again and best of luck to you and your team at Gerada.
00:33:13.585 –> 00:33:17.145
JEREMY: And we look forward to staying connected.
00:33:17.145 –> 00:33:17.545
HEATHER: Beautiful.
00:33:17.545 –> 00:33:17.925
HEATHER: Thank you.
00:33:29.220 –> 00:33:31.900
HEATHER: Please review on Apple Podcasts.
00:33:38.335 –> 00:33:40.015
<v SPEAKER_4>goburrows.com.
