In this episode of The Leader Assistant Podcast, I speak with 3 graduates of the Nova Chief of Staff Certification course – Leah Miltchin Carson, Mallory Zier, and Jess Pigott.
The group talks about problems the course helped them solve, the biggest takeaways, and what it was like working with Maggie Olson as they navigated the course.
CONNECT WITH LEAH, MALLORY, and JESS
ABOUT LEAH
Leah Miltchin Carson is a career administrative professional and recent graduate of the Nova Chief of Staff certification course. Having worked primarily in the charitable and not-for-profit sector, she brings more than 25 years of office administration experience, along with her newly acquired CoS skills, to her current role as Executive Assistant to the President and Chief Executive Officer of Easter Seals Canada – a role she has built into a unique hybrid position that is both tactical and strategic. Leah thrives on working alongside her principal to maximize opportunities and navigate challenges in order to drive organizational success.
ABOUT MALLORY
Mallory Zier is a passionate Executive Assistant who celebrates that the EA role is a beautiful culmination of her journey through corporate event planning, publishing, and hospitality. Devoted equally to leadership and development, Mallory endeavors to optimize her principal’s impact while elevating her fellow administrative professionals to new career heights. She views the administrative professional + principal pairing as the most special relationship in business, as magic emanates out of that space when the parties find their shared rhythm.
ABOUT JESS
Jess Pigott is an accomplished Senior Executive Business Partner with over 20 years of experience within the Technology industry, in executive administration and project management at eBay (eCommerce) and as a de facto chief of staff to the Chief Product Officer at ForgeRock (Identity & Access Management). Jess is passionate about driving organizational success through process improvement, strategic partnerships, innovative problem-solving, and inspiring career ownership. Notable achievements include implementing an Executive Briefing template that enhanced decision-making and customer engagement, overseeing all aspects of a 3-day, 150-person leadership conference, reducing purchase order processing time by 40% while increasing reporting visibility, and improving onboarding processes, which boosted new hire satisfaction and shortened the time for executive assistants to get up to speed.
With a growth mindset and commitment to continuous learning, Jess strives to cultivate positive work cultures and supportive environments where everyone can thrive. Beyond Jess’ career, she has been married to her best friend for almost 20 years, and they have two fur-kids who love to go glamping with them, and Jess is a passionate advocate for animal welfare, volunteering with dog rescues and fostering over 40 dogs, from maternity (including nine 2-day-old puppies) to 14-year-old seniors. Jess is honored and excited to share her recent experiences in the Nova Chief of Staff certification program and to inspire you to reach for the stars in your career development.
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THE LEADER ASSISTANT PODCAST IS PRESENTED BY NOVA CHIEF OF STAFF
Calling all Executive Assistants: Are you looking for a way to elevate your skills or earn that promotion you’ve been eyeing? Nova Chief of Staff’s online certification course provides you with the knowledge and confidence you need to stand out on the job. Whether you want to land your dream position or level up in your current role, Nova’s self-paced course gives you hands-on practice doing what Chiefs of Staff do every day.
Visit leaderassistant.com/nova to learn more and secure your spot!
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
00:00:05.884 –> 00:00:13.444
<v SPEAKER_2>The Leader Assistant Podcast exists to encourage and challenge assistants to become confident, game-changing leader assistants.
00:00:21.874 –> 00:00:23.114
JEREMY: Hey, Leader Assistants.
00:00:23.114 –> 00:00:29.074
JEREMY: Have you heard the Nova Chief of Staff Certification course is about to see a price increase?
00:00:29.074 –> 00:00:29.934
JEREMY: But don’t worry.
00:00:29.934 –> 00:00:35.994
JEREMY: You can enroll now, lock in the current rate, and start whenever you’re ready with lifetime access.
00:00:35.994 –> 00:00:40.034
JEREMY: Nova’s mission is to give you the ultimate student experience.
00:00:40.034 –> 00:00:53.434
JEREMY: They’ve packed the course with dozens of templates, self-paced learning, hands-on practice, multiple instructor touchpoints, peer engagement, and even guest-authored assignments.
00:00:53.434 –> 00:01:00.654
JEREMY: With over 500 students across 22 countries, Nova is the top spot for Chief of Staff Learning and Development.
00:01:00.654 –> 00:01:01.634
JEREMY: Don’t wait.
00:01:01.634 –> 00:01:04.834
JEREMY: Enroll today and join the community at leaderassistant.com/nova.
00:01:07.374 –> 00:01:10.594
JEREMY: Hey friends, welcome to The Leader Assistant Podcast.
00:01:10.594 –> 00:01:15.294
JEREMY: It’s your host, Jeremy Burrows, and this is episode 294.
00:01:15.294 –> 00:01:26.014
JEREMY: It’s a very special episode, a very different episode than many of the ones that you’ve heard, and I’m going to be actually interviewing three people at one time.
00:01:26.014 –> 00:01:29.994
JEREMY: So all the pressure is on me to not screw this up.
00:01:29.994 –> 00:01:33.474
JEREMY: But it’s going to be a fun chat today.
00:01:33.474 –> 00:01:39.374
JEREMY: I’ve got a conversation with some Nova Chief of Staff graduates.
00:01:39.374 –> 00:01:49.034
JEREMY: This is the certification course put together by my friend, Maggie Olson, who you’ve heard from on several episodes of the show.
00:01:49.034 –> 00:01:54.894
JEREMY: And also my current sponsor for the show is Maggie and Nova Chief of Staff.
00:01:54.894 –> 00:02:06.854
JEREMY: And so really excited to have a few assistants on today who have taking Maggie’s course and gotten certified through the Nova Chief of Staff program.
00:02:06.854 –> 00:02:25.834
JEREMY: And so we’re going to just hear a little bit about their stories, hear a little bit about why they decided to jump in and invest in their career and invest in their future and their professional development through Nova Chief of Staff course and then what they learned from it and anything and everything in between.
00:02:25.834 –> 00:02:29.954
JEREMY: So thank you so much for joining us today for Episode 294.
00:02:29.954 –> 00:02:35.374
JEREMY: And my three guests, and I got to make sure I pronounce all their names right.
00:02:35.374 –> 00:02:37.254
JEREMY: Again, like I said, the pressure is on me today.
00:02:38.614 –> 00:02:42.654
JEREMY: But first, first is Leah Mlitchin Carson.
00:02:42.654 –> 00:02:47.694
JEREMY: Leah is a career administrative professional and recent graduate of the course, as I mentioned.
00:02:47.694 –> 00:02:51.354
JEREMY: She has more than 25 years of office administrative experience.
00:02:51.354 –> 00:02:55.134
JEREMY: So we’re excited to chat with Leah and to have you on the show today, Leah.
00:02:55.134 –> 00:02:58.334
JEREMY: Hello.
00:02:58.334 –> 00:03:00.234
JEREMY: Oh, and her mic is not working.
00:03:00.234 –> 00:03:04.034
JEREMY: So we will see if we can get that fixed.
00:03:04.034 –> 00:03:06.114
JEREMY: And it’s always something.
00:03:06.114 –> 00:03:06.854
JEREMY: It’s always something.
00:03:06.974 –> 00:03:07.694
LEAH: Always something.
00:03:07.694 –> 00:03:08.934
LEAH: Sorry about that, Jeremy.
00:03:08.934 –> 00:03:11.034
LEAH: Thank you for having me today.
00:03:11.034 –> 00:03:12.494
JEREMY: Yeah, no problem.
00:03:12.494 –> 00:03:15.594
JEREMY: And then we’ve also got Mallory Zier.
00:03:15.594 –> 00:03:27.234
JEREMY: Mallory is a passionate executive assistant who celebrates the EA role and is really devoted to leadership and development.
00:03:27.234 –> 00:03:30.374
JEREMY: So Mallory, thank you so much for joining us as well.
00:03:30.374 –> 00:03:32.614
MALLORY: Yeah, so happy to be here.
00:03:32.614 –> 00:03:33.474
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:03:33.474 –> 00:03:38.354
JEREMY: And then finally, and last but not least, we have Jess Pigot.
00:03:38.374 –> 00:03:45.034
JEREMY: Jess is an accomplished senior executive business partner with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry.
00:03:45.034 –> 00:03:49.114
JEREMY: So Jess, we’re excited to hear from you today as well.
00:03:49.114 –> 00:03:50.614
JESS: Howdy from Austin.
00:03:50.614 –> 00:03:52.534
JESS: It’s my pleasure to be here.
00:03:52.534 –> 00:03:53.994
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:03:53.994 –> 00:04:04.054
JEREMY: Well, I am going to, since there’s three of you and there could be a lot of chaos and confusion, I’m going to go ahead and just basically put one of you on the spot.
00:04:04.754 –> 00:04:08.174
JEREMY: When I ask the questions and then kind of round Robin and go to the next person.
00:04:08.174 –> 00:04:10.354
JEREMY: And so we’re going to jump right in.
00:04:10.354 –> 00:04:13.554
JEREMY: And I’d love to hear, Jess, I’m going to pick on you first.
00:04:13.554 –> 00:04:16.694
JEREMY: You said you’re in Texas, is that right?
00:04:17.794 –> 00:04:20.474
JESS: Yes, I live just outside of Austin, Texas.
00:04:20.474 –> 00:04:20.914
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:04:20.914 –> 00:04:21.534
JEREMY: Okay.
00:04:21.534 –> 00:04:23.694
JEREMY: And then are you from that area?
00:04:23.694 –> 00:04:29.354
JESS: No, I was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, and I’m relocated down here about 10 years ago.
00:04:29.354 –> 00:04:30.194
JEREMY: Nice, nice.
00:04:30.194 –> 00:04:35.514
JEREMY: And what is your favorite thing to do when you’re not working?
00:04:35.514 –> 00:04:39.854
JESS: I am an avid animal advocate.
00:04:39.854 –> 00:04:46.854
JESS: So I spend most of my time volunteering and fostering with some local and national dog rescues.
00:04:46.854 –> 00:04:47.334
JEREMY: Love it.
00:04:47.334 –> 00:04:47.654
<v SPEAKER_2>Love it.
00:04:47.654 –> 00:04:48.814
JEREMY: That’s a lot of A’s.
00:04:48.814 –> 00:04:50.834
JEREMY: Avid animal advocate.
00:04:50.834 –> 00:04:52.214
JEREMY: Is that what you said?
00:04:54.274 –> 00:04:54.754
JEREMY: That’s great.
00:04:55.274 –> 00:05:01.274
JEREMY: My boys actually, they volunteer with my wife at the local Casey Pet Project.
00:05:01.334 –> 00:05:05.954
JEREMY: Do they go walk dogs and hang out with the cats and stuff like that?
00:05:05.954 –> 00:05:06.614
JEREMY: So that’s awesome.
00:05:06.614 –> 00:05:07.774
JESS: That’s fantastic.
00:05:07.774 –> 00:05:08.854
JEREMY: Yeah.
00:05:08.854 –> 00:05:13.114
JEREMY: Well, tell us real quickly what your current title is, Jess.
00:05:13.114 –> 00:05:16.634
JEREMY: Then I think it’s Senior Executive Business Partner, but you can confirm that.
00:05:16.634 –> 00:05:19.194
JEREMY: What industry you’re in?
00:05:19.194 –> 00:05:21.114
JEREMY: Are you still in technology?
00:05:21.114 –> 00:05:26.674
JEREMY: Then maybe just a quick story about how you became an assistant.
00:05:28.094 –> 00:05:31.894
JESS: Sure.
00:05:32.254 –> 00:05:34.494
JEREMY: I lost your audio too.
00:05:34.494 –> 00:05:35.374
JESS: I’m sorry.
00:05:35.374 –> 00:05:37.074
JEREMY: There we go.
00:05:37.074 –> 00:05:39.614
JESS: Those are three questions I hope I get to answer, all three for you.
00:05:39.614 –> 00:05:40.354
JEREMY: Yeah, sorry.
00:05:40.354 –> 00:05:50.874
JEREMY: Sometimes I get on these crazy, when I do these interviews, sometimes I get on these crazy like, I’m just going to ask four questions and one question and that’s going to really, and then as I’m doing it, I’m like, maybe I should just stick to one question at a time.
00:05:50.874 –> 00:05:51.274
JEREMY: So anyway.
00:05:55.954 –> 00:05:58.714
JESS: So, I think I forgot the question.
00:05:58.714 –> 00:05:59.214
JEREMY: No, that’s right.
00:05:59.214 –> 00:06:04.434
JEREMY: Just tell us about where you work and then how you got into the assistant role.
00:06:04.434 –> 00:06:04.754
JESS: Sure.
00:06:04.754 –> 00:06:05.014
JESS: Yeah.
00:06:05.014 –> 00:06:09.934
JESS: So I am currently unemployed and I am seeking my next career adventure.
00:06:09.934 –> 00:06:16.834
JESS: I am looking to make the leap fully into the Chief of Staff world or business operation.
00:06:16.834 –> 00:06:20.834
JESS: I would love the opportunity to work in healthcare instead of technology.
00:06:21.414 –> 00:06:27.034
JESS: I have spent the last 20 years in technology or data and access management.
00:06:27.034 –> 00:06:32.814
JESS: Health care is another passion of mine and I think it would be really amazing to learn.
00:06:32.814 –> 00:06:34.154
JESS: Learn that.
00:06:34.154 –> 00:06:35.274
JEREMY: Yeah.
00:06:35.274 –> 00:06:35.734
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:06:35.734 –> 00:06:39.074
JEREMY: Then why did you become an assistant originally?
00:06:39.074 –> 00:06:42.594
JESS: I fell into it or it fell into my lap.
00:06:42.594 –> 00:07:03.454
JESS: In 2003, I was looking for a new job and I was hired as what they called a specialist, which was essentially coming into this company and picking up all the pieces and plugging holes, figuring out what needed to be done, what was getting missed.
00:07:03.454 –> 00:07:04.994
JESS: That’s how I got my start.
00:07:04.994 –> 00:07:14.154
JESS: It’s just rolling up my sleeves and figuring things out and having some really good mentors along the way.
00:07:14.454 –> 00:07:14.734
JEREMY: Nice.
00:07:16.714 –> 00:07:19.514
JEREMY: You said you’re currently looking for your next role.
00:07:19.554 –> 00:07:26.054
JEREMY: Were you in between roles when you decided to take the Nova Chief of Staff course?
00:07:26.054 –> 00:07:32.094
JESS: I decided to take it last middle of last year, but I had some personal things I needed to attend to first.
00:07:32.094 –> 00:07:38.234
JESS: Then it just so happened that it did coincide with my position was impacted due to a merger.
00:07:38.234 –> 00:07:44.494
JESS: Then I found myself with some time and what better use of time than investing in myself.
00:07:44.494 –> 00:07:45.594
JEREMY: Yeah, totally.
00:07:45.854 –> 00:07:55.934
JEREMY: We’ll get into the course a little bit more later, but I do want to ask just you mentioned, you’re considering that Chief of Staff role.
00:07:55.934 –> 00:08:10.834
JEREMY: Was taking the course, were you already considering that title Chief of Staff before you took the course, and did taking the course maybe lean you even more into liking the idea of that role?
00:08:10.834 –> 00:08:16.394
JESS: I have had my eyes set on a Chief of Staff type role for the last five years or so.
00:08:16.394 –> 00:08:16.634
JEREMY: Okay.
00:08:17.374 –> 00:08:31.034
JESS: I was able to work with some phenomenal Chief of Staffs as a Senior Executive Assistant and learning from them really helped me understand that I have a bigger passion for that type of work.
00:08:32.414 –> 00:08:46.234
JESS: So, taking the course just kind of solidified that every single module I loved doing and putting my heart and soul into and so, yeah.
00:08:46.234 –> 00:08:47.154
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:08:47.154 –> 00:08:47.394
JEREMY: Good.
00:08:47.394 –> 00:08:51.054
JEREMY: Well, thanks for sharing and we’ll hear more from you here in a minute.
00:08:51.054 –> 00:08:52.994
JEREMY: But next, I want to go to Leah.
00:08:52.994 –> 00:08:59.154
JEREMY: Leah, tell us a little bit about what city you’re in and what you like to do when you’re not working.
00:09:00.574 –> 00:09:08.134
LEAH: I’m in the Great White North, so I’m in a small city called Richmond Hill, which is just north of Toronto, Ontario.
00:09:09.134 –> 00:09:20.694
LEAH: When I’m not working, which is not too often these days because we’re very busy, one of the things I love, I’m an amateur in the strictest sense of the world is I love to paint.
00:09:21.134 –> 00:09:22.374
LEAH: I’m self-taught.
00:09:24.714 –> 00:09:29.674
LEAH: I’m certainly never going to have my paintings in a gallery or anything, but it’s something that I really enjoy.
00:09:29.674 –> 00:09:31.634
LEAH: I love working with color.
00:09:31.634 –> 00:09:35.114
LEAH: I love depicting beauty and texture and all of those good things.
00:09:35.114 –> 00:09:38.814
LEAH: So that’s my primary hobby.
00:09:38.814 –> 00:09:39.194
JEREMY: Love it.
00:09:39.194 –> 00:09:39.494
JEREMY: Love it.
00:09:39.494 –> 00:09:41.754
JEREMY: What do you like to paint?
00:09:41.774 –> 00:09:43.934
LEAH: I’ve painted a lot of different things.
00:09:44.374 –> 00:09:46.454
LEAH: I’ve tried my hand at animals.
00:09:46.454 –> 00:09:52.894
LEAH: I will not do humans because I just know I’d never be able to do that.
00:09:52.894 –> 00:10:10.274
LEAH: My favorite things are landscape type pictures, mountains, stone cottages with flowers in front of them, anything with ocean in it, all of the nature stuff that I’m really too much of a wuss to actually set foot.
00:10:12.334 –> 00:10:12.754
JEREMY: Nice.
00:10:13.214 –> 00:10:17.114
JEREMY: Well, how did you get into the assistant profession?
00:10:17.114 –> 00:10:20.194
JEREMY: Then tell us a little bit about your current role.
00:10:20.194 –> 00:10:21.134
LEAH: Okay.
00:10:21.134 –> 00:10:31.874
LEAH: So I think like a lot of executive assistants, I got into office assistant work by circumstance rather than by design.
00:10:31.874 –> 00:10:42.534
LEAH: I had done some temp work as a student between school years, and a couple of university programs I took.
00:10:42.694 –> 00:10:45.054
LEAH: As I took them, I found they just weren’t for me.
00:10:45.054 –> 00:10:53.714
LEAH: So while I was taking some time to figure out what I wanted to do, I thought I would go and do some office temp work.
00:10:54.314 –> 00:10:59.494
LEAH: And as it turned out, the office temp work was what I loved to do.
00:10:59.694 –> 00:11:05.394
LEAH: I decided that I really enjoyed helping people.
00:11:05.394 –> 00:11:10.414
LEAH: I enjoyed putting my organizational skills to good use.
00:11:10.414 –> 00:11:15.834
LEAH: And my career trajectory has been a little bit odd.
00:11:16.154 –> 00:11:23.954
LEAH: I’ve kind of moved through the different assistant type ranks, you know, receptionist, secretary.
00:11:24.974 –> 00:11:27.874
LEAH: I took a few twists and turns along the way.
00:11:27.874 –> 00:11:34.574
LEAH: Ended up working in medical transcription and as an assistant for event planning.
00:11:34.574 –> 00:11:43.714
LEAH: And I ended up back doing office work, mostly in the nonprofit sector, which I absolutely love.
00:11:43.714 –> 00:11:54.774
LEAH: So long story short, here I am working as an executive assistant in the national office of a charity here in Canada.
00:11:54.774 –> 00:11:57.354
LEAH: Although we’re national, we’re very small.
00:11:57.354 –> 00:12:07.314
LEAH: So my assistant work has really evolved into a lot besides what most people think of when they think of executive assistant work.
00:12:07.314 –> 00:12:20.694
LEAH: You know, anything from project management to, you know, heading up projects, government relations, writing, all kinds of fun things.
00:12:20.694 –> 00:12:21.394
JEREMY: Nice, nice.
00:12:21.394 –> 00:12:30.814
JEREMY: So what was maybe the trigger for you to jump into the Nova Chief of Staff course?
00:12:30.814 –> 00:12:36.134
LEAH: Interestingly, unlike Jess, it wasn’t something I had ever considered.
00:12:36.134 –> 00:12:49.974
LEAH: And in fact, up until I’d say a couple of years ago, I didn’t really know much about the Chief of Staff role other than, you know, having heard the title on soap operas, things like that.
00:12:49.974 –> 00:12:54.274
LEAH: I started seeing more and more about it on LinkedIn.
00:12:54.274 –> 00:12:55.614
LEAH: People were posting about it.
00:12:55.914 –> 00:13:00.434
LEAH: I was kind of curious as to what exactly was involved in it.
00:13:00.434 –> 00:13:06.814
LEAH: I did notice, I saw the Nova Chief of Staff course being advertised.
00:13:06.814 –> 00:13:09.614
LEAH: I decided I wanted to find out a little bit more about it.
00:13:10.134 –> 00:13:31.234
LEAH: I looked into it and while I was mulling over whether or not I should dive right in, I entered a giveaway, which I happened to have been fortunate enough to win, one of three winners, and the prize was half price tuition for the Nova Chief of Staff course.
00:13:31.234 –> 00:13:35.794
LEAH: So I took that as a definite sign from the universe that this is what I was meant to do.
00:13:36.694 –> 00:13:41.634
LEAH: And I dove right in, enjoyed it and have absolutely no regrets.
00:13:41.634 –> 00:13:43.214
LEAH: I just loved it.
00:13:43.214 –> 00:13:43.934
JEREMY: That’s awesome.
00:13:43.934 –> 00:13:44.554
JEREMY: That’s awesome.
00:13:44.554 –> 00:13:47.374
JEREMY: And congrats on winning the prize.
00:13:47.374 –> 00:13:47.774
LEAH: Thank you.
00:13:47.774 –> 00:13:48.694
LEAH: I don’t win anything.
00:13:48.694 –> 00:13:51.474
JEREMY: So that came as a real shock to me.
00:13:51.474 –> 00:13:53.274
LEAH: Absolutely.
00:13:53.274 –> 00:13:53.614
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:13:53.614 –> 00:13:54.574
JEREMY: Well, thanks for sharing.
00:13:54.574 –> 00:13:57.694
JEREMY: And we look forward to hearing more from you in a minute.
00:13:57.694 –> 00:13:59.374
JEREMY: Mallory, it’s your turn.
00:13:59.374 –> 00:14:03.014
JEREMY: Tell us what city you’re in and what you like to do when you’re not working.
00:14:04.214 –> 00:14:04.874
MALLORY: Yes.
00:14:04.874 –> 00:14:14.114
MALLORY: Well, I am tuning in today from Fort Collins, Colorado, which is about an hour north of Denver, right along the beautiful foothills of the Rockies.
00:14:14.114 –> 00:14:21.014
MALLORY: And so like most people here, when I’m not working, I dive outside, which is really easy to do.
00:14:21.014 –> 00:14:24.954
MALLORY: Fresh air fills my soul and it’s really easy to gobble that up here.
00:14:24.954 –> 00:14:29.794
MALLORY: So solo or friends and family, you’ll find me playing outside when I’m not working.
00:14:30.614 –> 00:14:35.454
MALLORY: The other thing I really geek out over, which is funny, but I own it with pride.
00:14:35.454 –> 00:14:40.354
MALLORY: If I can scrounge free time, I love books on the study of leadership.
00:14:40.354 –> 00:14:43.054
MALLORY: And I love books about the world of admin support.
00:14:43.054 –> 00:14:46.854
MALLORY: And so I ingest those whenever I can.
00:14:46.854 –> 00:14:51.154
MALLORY: I’m really, really passionate about leadership.
00:14:51.154 –> 00:14:51.894
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:14:51.894 –> 00:14:52.914
JEREMY: Love to hear it.
00:14:52.914 –> 00:14:56.614
JEREMY: And love to speak with someone in lovely Colorado.
00:14:56.614 –> 00:14:57.594
JEREMY: I love Colorado.
00:14:57.594 –> 00:14:59.114
JEREMY: I try to go once or twice a year.
00:14:59.254 –> 00:15:00.714
JEREMY: My brother lives out there in Denver.
00:15:00.714 –> 00:15:03.254
JEREMY: So it’s just beautiful to be in the mountains.
00:15:03.254 –> 00:15:04.754
JEREMY: One of my favorite places in the world.
00:15:04.754 –> 00:15:11.494
JEREMY: So what what got you into the assistant role initially?
00:15:12.694 –> 00:15:18.314
MALLORY: As with Leah and many, many folks listening, I’m sure it was it wasn’t planned.
00:15:18.314 –> 00:15:21.254
MALLORY: It was accidental, but it worked out beautifully.
00:15:21.254 –> 00:15:26.314
MALLORY: And the EA role for me is a wonderful culmination of everything.
00:15:27.134 –> 00:15:29.054
MALLORY: Every stepping stone up to this point.
00:15:29.054 –> 00:15:35.014
MALLORY: So I got an English degree thinking I might want to teach English or be an editor.
00:15:35.014 –> 00:15:38.254
MALLORY: But I went straight into the world of corporate event planning.
00:15:38.254 –> 00:15:42.834
MALLORY: Did that for several years, spent some time in hospitality and hotels.
00:15:42.834 –> 00:15:48.834
MALLORY: And then I ventured into the editing world and was in publishing for a while.
00:15:48.834 –> 00:15:55.714
MALLORY: And then made my way slowly into the assistant realm, building on all of those skills and beautifully.
00:15:55.714 –> 00:16:00.694
MALLORY: The EA role has used all of that stuff in great capacity.
00:16:00.694 –> 00:16:03.054
MALLORY: And I really, really love it.
00:16:03.414 –> 00:16:07.614
MALLORY: It makes my heart happy and it’s my happy place.
00:16:07.614 –> 00:16:16.074
MALLORY: That said, I too became curious about what is this Chief of Staff role I’ve started hearing so much about.
00:16:16.074 –> 00:16:18.454
MALLORY: Is it different than what I’m doing?
00:16:18.454 –> 00:16:19.794
MALLORY: Might I be able to do it?
00:16:19.874 –> 00:16:23.074
MALLORY: And how on earth do I find out about any of this stuff?
00:16:23.074 –> 00:16:33.074
MALLORY: And so like these gals, I hopped online, started doing research, and thank goodness this course has materialized because boy, did I find the answers I was seeking.
00:16:33.074 –> 00:16:34.254
MALLORY: It was awesome.
00:16:34.254 –> 00:16:36.074
MALLORY: And I think it was made just for me.
00:16:36.074 –> 00:16:37.854
MALLORY: I told Maggie that many times.
00:16:37.854 –> 00:16:40.394
MALLORY: Pretty sure it was custom made just for me.
00:16:40.414 –> 00:16:41.434
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:16:41.434 –> 00:16:42.554
MALLORY: Yeah.
00:16:42.554 –> 00:16:42.854
JEREMY: Great.
00:16:42.854 –> 00:16:46.254
JEREMY: Well, we’ll stay with you for a minute.
00:16:46.254 –> 00:16:47.414
JEREMY: Thanks for sharing.
00:16:47.414 –> 00:16:48.974
JEREMY: Super excited to have you on the show.
00:16:50.434 –> 00:17:02.854
JEREMY: What was maybe the number one thing you, you know, biggest takeaway or what you liked most about the material and the experience of going through the Nova Chief of Staff course?
00:17:04.374 –> 00:17:17.254
MALLORY: If I had to summarize very generally, I would say answers to the questions I entered with, which primarily were, what is this role that seems pretty nebulous?
00:17:18.674 –> 00:17:22.834
MALLORY: Is it different from being an EA and how?
00:17:22.834 –> 00:17:26.174
MALLORY: Do I have the ability to be a Chief of Staff?
00:17:26.174 –> 00:17:32.834
MALLORY: If I might have ability, what are my gaps and how might I lean in to fill those?
00:17:32.834 –> 00:17:38.934
MALLORY: Is there a community that I could become part of to help me through this journey?
00:17:38.934 –> 00:17:44.034
MALLORY: Where are the spots with resources for further education?
00:17:44.034 –> 00:17:47.934
MALLORY: And if I decide I might want to do this, what’s next?
00:17:47.934 –> 00:17:50.294
MALLORY: How do I speak about this?
00:17:50.294 –> 00:17:56.254
MALLORY: How do I present myself to the world in this way in a resume or LinkedIn or just even in conversation?
00:17:57.274 –> 00:18:00.854
MALLORY: And is there a sandbox where I can hop in and maybe play?
00:18:00.854 –> 00:18:06.234
MALLORY: Can I try this in a safe space and fail forward?
00:18:06.234 –> 00:18:09.234
MALLORY: The course did all that for me, which was not a summarized answer.
00:18:09.234 –> 00:18:10.274
MALLORY: Sorry.
00:18:10.274 –> 00:18:11.494
JEREMY: No, no, that’s great.
00:18:11.494 –> 00:18:12.854
JEREMY: That’s super, super helpful.
00:18:14.134 –> 00:18:18.754
JEREMY: What was the, you know, how was the interactions with Maggie?
00:18:18.754 –> 00:18:25.274
JEREMY: Like, you know, I’m sure a lot of people are listening or thinking, okay, course sounds interesting.
00:18:25.274 –> 00:18:27.614
JEREMY: How involved is the instructor?
00:18:27.614 –> 00:18:32.394
JEREMY: How involved is the creative, the course or is it kind of you’re on your own?
00:18:32.394 –> 00:18:34.094
JEREMY: Tell us a little bit about your experience there.
00:18:39.722 –> 00:18:40.642
JESS: Have you heard?
00:18:40.642 –> 00:18:46.202
JESS: The Nova Chief of Staff Certification course price is going up in January of 2025.
00:18:46.202 –> 00:18:50.002
JESS: Enroll now and with lifetime access, start whenever you please.
00:18:50.002 –> 00:18:54.682
JESS: Here at Nova, it’s our mission to provide the very best student experience possible.
00:18:54.682 –> 00:18:59.442
JESS: Our course is chocked full of features and resources designed just for you.
00:18:59.442 –> 00:19:10.382
JESS: Dozens of templates, self-paced online learning, hands-on practice, multiple instructor touchpoints, peer engagement opportunities, guest-authored assignments, the list goes on.
00:19:10.382 –> 00:19:17.562
JESS: With 500 students across 22 countries, Nova is the premier destination for Chief of Staff Learning and Development.
00:19:17.562 –> 00:19:19.902
LEAH: Enroll today and join us.
00:19:23.522 –> 00:19:24.622
MALLORY: It’s a great question.
00:19:24.622 –> 00:19:27.382
MALLORY: I wondered the same beforehand.
00:19:27.382 –> 00:19:37.222
MALLORY: My experience was that it was a beautiful mix of both, and I got to determine how much I wanted of each of those realms, which is one of the best things about the course.
00:19:37.222 –> 00:19:44.562
MALLORY: I am a full-time working parent, and I was apprehensive about diving into a certification.
00:19:44.562 –> 00:19:53.222
MALLORY: This is beautifully set up to be completely self-serve, and Maggie and her team are waiting to provide feedback along the way.
00:19:53.222 –> 00:20:01.522
MALLORY: Then your fellow classmates are also available if you would like to tap into that community, or you can do it very solo if you prefer.
00:20:02.742 –> 00:20:07.822
MALLORY: I loved that because for me, it fit me best to do a little bit of all of it.
00:20:07.822 –> 00:20:16.422
MALLORY: But everybody’s experience is custom, including down to how you choose to do the activities and the practicum portions.
00:20:16.422 –> 00:20:24.322
MALLORY: You can actually customize those per current work projects of your own to make it immediately relevant and applicable.
00:20:24.322 –> 00:20:28.562
MALLORY: You can even actually get work done while doing it, which is amazing.
00:20:28.562 –> 00:20:29.702
MALLORY: Yeah, it’s awesome.
00:20:30.062 –> 00:20:30.522
JEREMY: That’s great.
00:20:30.522 –> 00:20:31.402
JEREMY: It’s a great way to put it.
00:20:31.402 –> 00:20:32.162
JEREMY: Thanks for sharing.
00:20:32.162 –> 00:20:34.142
JEREMY: It’s awesome.
00:20:34.142 –> 00:20:34.442
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:20:34.442 –> 00:20:37.942
JEREMY: Well, Jess, let’s come back to you for a minute.
00:20:37.942 –> 00:20:43.402
JEREMY: What was maybe your biggest takeaway from the certification course?
00:20:43.402 –> 00:20:47.122
JESS: My biggest takeaway was I can do this.
00:20:47.142 –> 00:20:58.222
JESS: I now have all of the skills, the techniques, the templates, everything I need to be successful in this particular role.
00:21:03.482 –> 00:21:09.262
JESS: It was amazing to be going through the course and provide feedback.
00:21:09.262 –> 00:21:15.262
JESS: Then a few weeks later, all of a sudden there’s this new module based on what felt like my personal feedback.
00:21:16.362 –> 00:21:29.402
JESS: So that was just incredible to, as a student, be able to provide feedback and then almost immediately, then have a module or a section that I can dive a little bit more into.
00:21:29.402 –> 00:21:30.382
JEREMY: That’s great.
00:21:30.382 –> 00:21:32.042
JEREMY: That’s great.
00:21:32.042 –> 00:21:37.542
JEREMY: What about the format, Jess, was what was the format?
00:21:37.542 –> 00:21:43.362
JEREMY: Can you kind of give just the high level of like, for those who are like, okay, well, what’s the format of this course?
00:21:43.362 –> 00:21:43.842
JESS: Sure.
00:21:43.842 –> 00:21:48.802
JESS: It’s broken into six different modules.
00:21:48.802 –> 00:21:52.702
JESS: Within each module, there are several assignments.
00:21:52.702 –> 00:22:04.182
JESS: The wonderful thing is, at the beginning of every module, there’s an overview page that outlines all of the assignments and an estimation of how much time it should take you to complete that assignment.
00:22:04.182 –> 00:22:14.142
JESS: That was really helpful for me to be able to navigate and include the different assignments within my schedule.
00:22:14.142 –> 00:22:16.042
JESS: It created a lot of flexibility.
00:22:18.102 –> 00:22:27.062
JESS: Each module is specifically designed to target certain areas, like business planning or…
00:22:28.762 –> 00:22:32.002
JESS: Someone sticks out to me right now, sorry.
00:22:32.002 –> 00:22:35.162
JESS: Each module is very specific and targeted.
00:22:35.162 –> 00:22:42.582
JESS: When you complete that module, you walk away with, here’s what I was told I was going to learn, and here’s what I actually did learn.
00:22:42.582 –> 00:22:49.182
JESS: So there’s a really, really great alignment for each.
00:22:49.182 –> 00:22:51.302
JEREMY: Nice.
00:22:51.302 –> 00:22:52.542
JEREMY: Leah, how about you?
00:22:52.542 –> 00:22:55.482
JEREMY: What was the biggest takeaway for you?
00:22:55.482 –> 00:22:57.982
JEREMY: What did you like the most about it?
00:22:57.982 –> 00:22:59.422
LEAH: I had a few takeaways.
00:22:59.462 –> 00:23:05.402
LEAH: One, like Jess, I did come away feeling like I can do this.
00:23:05.802 –> 00:23:10.462
LEAH: It instilled a great deal of confidence in me.
00:23:10.462 –> 00:23:15.502
LEAH: But not only, you know, I can do this, it’s I have been doing this.
00:23:15.502 –> 00:23:27.882
LEAH: And I think a lot of, a lot of EAs who have, you know, found themselves taking on more and more challenges of a leadership quality, would find the same thing.
00:23:27.882 –> 00:23:37.162
LEAH: There’s an awful lot that we do as executive assistants that, you know, most people who have never been an executive assistant wouldn’t even think of.
00:23:37.162 –> 00:23:55.602
LEAH: And a lot of it there, although the executive assistant and chief of staff roles are very different, there is a certain amount of overlap, particularly if you’re working for a very small organization where you don’t have departments and lots of staff.
00:23:55.602 –> 00:23:58.342
LEAH: So that was very validating for me.
00:23:58.342 –> 00:24:05.642
LEAH: You know, I also, I just, I loved, I loved the fact that the course was self-paced.
00:24:06.722 –> 00:24:10.102
LEAH: I loved the various modules.
00:24:10.102 –> 00:24:12.362
LEAH: My favorite one was the storytelling module.
00:24:12.362 –> 00:24:14.242
LEAH: I really enjoyed that.
00:24:14.242 –> 00:24:23.482
LEAH: And the fact that as I was going along, again, like Jess said, I was able to incorporate the work of the exercises into my actual work.
00:24:25.022 –> 00:24:27.542
LEAH: It was very, very practical.
00:24:27.542 –> 00:24:27.822
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:24:27.822 –> 00:24:28.802
JEREMY: Well, thanks for sharing.
00:24:28.802 –> 00:24:37.002
JEREMY: And for those listening that can’t see the video, Leah’s cat walked right in front of the camera and she did not blink.
00:24:37.002 –> 00:24:38.722
JEREMY: She did not blink an eye.
00:24:38.722 –> 00:24:39.822
JEREMY: She just kept going.
00:24:39.822 –> 00:24:41.982
JEREMY: It was very, very impressive.
00:24:41.982 –> 00:24:42.742
JEREMY: Very impressive.
00:24:42.742 –> 00:24:44.282
LEAH: All in a day’s work.
00:24:45.962 –> 00:24:46.342
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:24:46.342 –> 00:24:50.362
JEREMY: Well, let’s see Mallory, let’s go back to you for a minute.
00:24:52.382 –> 00:25:04.302
JEREMY: What was maybe a problem that you had or that you were running into before you jumped into the course and then how did the course help you solve that problem?
00:25:06.002 –> 00:25:08.402
MALLORY: It’s a very good question.
00:25:08.422 –> 00:25:14.382
MALLORY: I was lacking words to talk about this heading into the course.
00:25:14.382 –> 00:25:27.942
MALLORY: I wasn’t certain how to define the Chief of Staff role, and if someone encountered me in a hallway and asked me what it was, I would have had a really hard time articulating that.
00:25:27.942 –> 00:25:31.642
MALLORY: What are the skills and the gifts and the impact?
00:25:31.642 –> 00:25:35.362
MALLORY: How do we measure effectiveness and success?
00:25:35.362 –> 00:25:40.962
MALLORY: So for me, the specificity of the course was magnificent.
00:25:40.962 –> 00:25:50.502
MALLORY: From the get-go, every single lesson, article, interview is full of specific, very direct statements about it.
00:25:50.502 –> 00:25:51.302
MALLORY: Is this?
00:25:51.302 –> 00:25:53.422
MALLORY: It could be this.
00:25:53.422 –> 00:26:07.502
MALLORY: Five, you know, I’m looking, I jotted down some notes here, but you know, very specific things like the essence of facilitative leadership can be summarized in six major themes and things like that.
00:26:07.502 –> 00:26:09.302
MALLORY: So it’s very specific.
00:26:10.782 –> 00:26:18.862
MALLORY: One other problem I had going in was, how do I look for this in the employment world?
00:26:18.862 –> 00:26:31.682
MALLORY: And from the get-go, one of the very first exercises is learning the many different names that a Chief of Staff role actually goes by in the world of job hunting.
00:26:31.682 –> 00:26:45.682
MALLORY: And I was amazed in a good way that so many of these titles, I never would have considered as a possibility for myself, are very achievable, would have never searched for those, had it not been for this course, opening my eyes.
00:26:45.682 –> 00:26:49.762
MALLORY: So again, I go back to this course brought me a lot of clarity.
00:26:50.822 –> 00:26:51.322
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:26:51.322 –> 00:26:56.062
JEREMY: Is there one of the titles that you never would have thought of or that you learned that you can mention?
00:26:56.062 –> 00:26:57.222
JEREMY: Do you remember any of them?
00:26:57.222 –> 00:27:00.262
MALLORY: Yeah, like Director of Business Operations.
00:27:00.262 –> 00:27:01.222
JEREMY: Yeah.
00:27:01.222 –> 00:27:16.842
MALLORY: Never would have thought that was something, but when you look at the actual job description and compare it to what we understand Chief of Staff to be, boy, they’re pretty similar there, if not the same depending on how a given company defines it.
00:27:16.842 –> 00:27:25.382
MALLORY: I came out of that exercise in that module with, I think, 30 different titles that I was like, I should look into all of these.
00:27:25.382 –> 00:27:25.742
JEREMY: Nice.
00:27:26.642 –> 00:27:27.822
MALLORY: Never would have thought.
00:27:27.822 –> 00:27:29.002
MALLORY: Yeah.
00:27:29.002 –> 00:27:30.822
JEREMY: That’s great.
00:27:30.822 –> 00:27:52.322
JEREMY: Well, before I move over to Jess again, Mallory, what’s maybe one thing that those listening, and specifically, assistance, executive assistants, administrative assistants, executive business partners, and all the other titles in the support world, what should they know about the course?
00:27:52.422 –> 00:28:01.962
JEREMY: Like, what’s one thing that if you, like, saw and talked to another assistant and they just said, hey, I got 30 seconds and I just want to know one thing that I should know about the course, what is it?
00:28:06.422 –> 00:28:20.002
MALLORY: If you are curious to grow your skill set as an EA or as a Chief of Staff, this is a beautiful, very worth your money way to do it.
00:28:22.602 –> 00:28:23.082
JEREMY: Love it.
00:28:23.082 –> 00:28:25.662
JEREMY: Super clear, super to the point.
00:28:26.242 –> 00:28:28.622
JEREMY: My favorite kind of communication.
00:28:30.482 –> 00:28:30.802
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:28:30.802 –> 00:28:31.422
JEREMY: Thanks Mallory.
00:28:31.422 –> 00:28:32.762
JEREMY: Appreciate it.
00:28:32.762 –> 00:28:33.682
JEREMY: Jess, how about you?
00:28:36.262 –> 00:28:44.522
JEREMY: Would you recommend the course to assistants even if they’re like, no, I never want to be a Chief of Staff?
00:28:44.522 –> 00:28:45.182
JESS: Yes.
00:28:45.182 –> 00:28:46.842
JESS: Absolutely hand down.
00:28:47.962 –> 00:29:12.882
JESS: One of my other takeaways from this course is having a better understanding of the EA Chief of Staff relationship and when you have both, how you can really lean on each other to help your executive be even more successful because it does help create some boundaries and some understanding of here’s what I can do, here’s what they can do or I’m passionate about that.
00:29:13.002 –> 00:29:17.902
JESS: Maybe I can help the Chief of Staff complete that so they can focus on something else.
00:29:17.902 –> 00:29:21.862
JESS: So I would say yes, absolutely.
00:29:21.862 –> 00:29:22.562
JEREMY: Nice.
00:29:22.562 –> 00:29:24.282
JEREMY: I love how you put that.
00:29:25.622 –> 00:29:35.302
JEREMY: It helps with your relationship with the Chief of Staff if you work with one or some assistants even have to report to a Chief of Staff.
00:29:36.222 –> 00:29:42.342
JEREMY: I’ve been saying lately more often that if somebody comes to me and say, hey, how do I be a better assistant?
00:29:42.342 –> 00:29:43.642
JEREMY: I say, that’s the wrong question.
00:29:43.642 –> 00:29:47.582
JEREMY: The right question is, how can I be a better CEO?
00:29:47.582 –> 00:29:51.222
JEREMY: In other words, how can I do my boss’ job better?
00:29:51.222 –> 00:29:52.742
JEREMY: How can I do my executive’s job better?
00:29:52.742 –> 00:29:54.342
JEREMY: How can I do the Chief of Staff’s job?
00:29:54.342 –> 00:29:57.462
JEREMY: How can I do the CFO’s job?
00:29:59.222 –> 00:30:12.182
JEREMY: In a way, it’s like even if you don’t want to be a Chief of Staff or even if you don’t want to be a CEO, learning how to be a better CEO or learning how to be a better Chief of Staff will help you be a better assistant.
00:30:12.182 –> 00:30:14.742
JEREMY: So, absolutely.
00:30:14.742 –> 00:30:15.662
JEREMY: Leah, how about you?
00:30:15.662 –> 00:30:29.022
JEREMY: What’s maybe one thing that people listening specifically assistants of the world and even more specifically leader assistants of the world, what should they know about the course?
00:30:29.022 –> 00:31:02.822
LEAH: Well, what you just said is a great segue into what I was going to say, which is that the course gives you a better glimpse and better insights into the running of a business, into although it focuses on the role of the chief of staff, by virtue of the fact that it does that, you end up learning a lot about what the CEO or principal needs to do, and how a business operates.
00:31:04.542 –> 00:31:13.042
LEAH: When you say, the question is not, how can I be a better EA, but how can I be a better CEO?
00:31:13.042 –> 00:31:18.602
LEAH: That ties in really beautifully with the Nova Chief of Staff course, because you do learn about that.
00:31:19.462 –> 00:31:27.602
LEAH: Whatever your aspirations, there’s a lot that is offered by the course.
00:31:28.002 –> 00:31:54.982
LEAH: Although it’s called the Chief of Staff Certification course, it really has a lot to offer, no matter what you plan for your career, whether you want to remain an EA, become a Chief of Staff, if you have other types of leadership aspirations, it gives you a really great set of foundational skills and knowledge to help you with that.
00:31:56.402 –> 00:31:56.762
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:31:56.762 –> 00:31:57.842
JEREMY: Love it.
00:31:57.842 –> 00:31:58.342
JEREMY: Love it.
00:31:58.342 –> 00:31:58.802
JEREMY: Okay.
00:31:58.802 –> 00:32:09.362
JEREMY: Now, I’m going to throw a curveball, a little bit of a curveball at you, and I can throw it at all of you if you guys want to answer each of you or whatever.
00:32:10.382 –> 00:32:19.042
JEREMY: But what’s one reason why those listening should not take the course?
00:32:20.562 –> 00:32:21.542
JEREMY: What’s one reason?
00:32:21.542 –> 00:32:22.362
JEREMY: It’s like, you know what?
00:32:22.362 –> 00:32:23.282
JEREMY: I’ve been through this course.
00:32:23.422 –> 00:32:25.622
JEREMY: It’s not for you if.
00:32:26.862 –> 00:32:29.462
JEREMY: So I’ll kind of throw this out.
00:32:29.462 –> 00:32:31.562
JEREMY: Jess looks like she might have an answer.
00:32:32.842 –> 00:32:33.722
JEREMY: She’s shaking her head.
00:32:33.722 –> 00:32:34.922
JEREMY: She’s shaking her head.
00:32:34.922 –> 00:32:37.082
JEREMY: I put her on the spot.
00:32:37.082 –> 00:32:40.462
JESS: I really can’t think of anything because I love learning.
00:32:40.642 –> 00:32:44.282
JESS: So for me, it’s just another part of learning.
00:32:44.482 –> 00:32:46.162
JEREMY: It’s like a win-win, yeah.
00:32:46.162 –> 00:32:46.642
JESS: Yeah.
00:32:46.642 –> 00:33:00.222
JESS: So I guess maybe if you’re not curious or you have too much personal commitment or personal distractions that you really need to focus on and do self-care versus learning, maybe.
00:33:00.222 –> 00:33:02.042
JEREMY: Yeah.
00:33:02.042 –> 00:33:06.182
LEAH: I would say if you want to become an astronaut, it’s probably not the course for you.
00:33:07.202 –> 00:33:07.642
JEREMY: There you go.
00:33:07.642 –> 00:33:08.622
JEREMY: That’s a good way to do it.
00:33:08.622 –> 00:33:09.962
LEAH: I could be wrong about that too.
00:33:09.962 –> 00:33:11.102
JEREMY: Who knows?
00:33:14.142 –> 00:33:15.162
JEREMY: Mallory, you got anything?
00:33:15.322 –> 00:33:18.022
JEREMY: You know, you’re shaking your head.
00:33:19.142 –> 00:33:20.042
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:33:20.042 –> 00:33:22.082
JEREMY: Well, okay.
00:33:22.082 –> 00:33:25.422
JEREMY: Actually, I did want to ask one more thing related to that.
00:33:28.042 –> 00:33:37.002
JEREMY: It’s an investment for the course, and I’m not going to specifically say the price here because it could be different when we publish this episode.
00:33:39.262 –> 00:33:41.902
JEREMY: But most of the people…
00:33:41.902 –> 00:33:50.262
JEREMY: So I have a membership subscription where we do ongoing coaching and training calls for The Leader Assistant.
00:33:50.262 –> 00:33:57.462
JEREMY: And most of the members pay for their subscription through their company’s professional development funds.
00:33:57.462 –> 00:34:02.622
JEREMY: So I’m just curious, were either of you, any of you able to do that?
00:34:02.762 –> 00:34:04.762
JEREMY: Or was this a personal investment for you?
00:34:04.762 –> 00:34:06.262
JEREMY: If you don’t mind sharing.
00:34:08.942 –> 00:34:12.602
LEAH: For me, it was it was it started off as a personal investment.
00:34:13.762 –> 00:34:30.282
LEAH: And interestingly, after I had told my my CEO that I had been taking the course and received my certification, I would say within a couple of months, we were discussing my role and how it had evolved.
00:34:31.302 –> 00:34:35.262
LEAH: He said, you know, we really we should really cover that that course for you.
00:34:35.262 –> 00:34:40.942
LEAH: So just submit an invoice, which, you know, came as a as a lovely surprise.
00:34:40.942 –> 00:34:51.442
LEAH: But it goes to show that, you know, he saw the value in the course, in the certification and, you know, the value that that I had brought to the role as a result.
00:34:51.822 –> 00:34:53.002
JEREMY: That’s great.
00:34:53.002 –> 00:34:55.442
JEREMY: Great job.
00:34:55.442 –> 00:34:57.782
MALLORY: I had a similar experience.
00:34:57.782 –> 00:35:05.482
MALLORY: Leah was completely planning on self-investment and chatted with my leader about it as well.
00:35:05.482 –> 00:35:09.142
MALLORY: We fortunately have learning and development budget at our company.
00:35:09.142 –> 00:35:13.762
MALLORY: And I was not even intending to ask to tap into that.
00:35:13.762 –> 00:35:17.382
MALLORY: But he immediately said, well, of course, we should utilize it for this.
00:35:17.382 –> 00:35:19.482
MALLORY: This seems very valuable.
00:35:20.382 –> 00:35:25.902
MALLORY: And it was fun chatting with him as I proceeded through the course about all the things I was learning.
00:35:25.902 –> 00:35:32.362
MALLORY: And so it ended up being very conversational with him when I really thought this would be kind of a quiet, private thing I was doing on the side.
00:35:32.362 –> 00:35:36.822
MALLORY: And so it’s really wonderful to have that leader support.
00:35:36.822 –> 00:35:37.462
JEREMY: That’s great.
00:35:37.462 –> 00:35:37.962
JEREMY: That’s amazing.
00:35:38.282 –> 00:35:39.482
JEREMY: Love to hear that.
00:35:39.482 –> 00:35:43.782
<v SPEAKER_2>Yeah.
00:35:43.782 –> 00:35:46.102
JESS: Mine is self-investment all the way.
00:35:46.102 –> 00:35:48.882
JESS: They were out of pocket and I wouldn’t change a thing.
00:35:49.262 –> 00:35:50.522
JESS: I wouldn’t do it again.
00:35:50.522 –> 00:35:51.122
JEREMY: Yeah.
00:35:51.122 –> 00:35:52.662
JEREMY: I love that too.
00:35:52.662 –> 00:36:02.922
JEREMY: A lot of people, the way I say it, whenever they’re like, hey, you’ve got this event coming up or you’ve got this membership, you’ve got this training or this course or whatever.
00:36:02.922 –> 00:36:08.462
JEREMY: My go-to is always ask your company to pay for it.
00:36:08.462 –> 00:36:09.402
JEREMY: That’s the first step.
00:36:09.402 –> 00:36:13.142
JEREMY: If they won’t pay for it, invest in yourself.
00:36:13.602 –> 00:36:16.862
JEREMY: Because if you’re not going to invest in yourself, who will?
00:36:16.862 –> 00:36:17.442
JEREMY: Kind of a thing.
00:36:18.062 –> 00:36:25.282
JEREMY: But try to get your company to cover it because you see these executives and you don’t just see them go to these conferences.
00:36:25.282 –> 00:36:32.662
JEREMY: You book their tickets, you book their flights, you book their $2,000 registration for this conference that they’re attending.
00:36:32.662 –> 00:36:35.522
JEREMY: And they’re doing multiple of these all year.
00:36:35.522 –> 00:36:40.582
JEREMY: And you’re just like, I just want a few hundred bucks for this event.
00:36:40.582 –> 00:36:43.462
JEREMY: Or I want to take this course once a year or whatever.
00:36:43.642 –> 00:36:56.222
JEREMY: And it’s fun to hear stories like what Leah and Mallory were saying, where it’s like, you were planning on just investing yourself, but then your company’s like, hey, we’ll take care of it.
00:36:56.222 –> 00:36:57.282
JEREMY: And that’s great.
00:36:57.282 –> 00:36:58.522
JEREMY: So awesome.
00:36:58.522 –> 00:37:01.622
JEREMY: Well, this has been super fun.
00:37:01.622 –> 00:37:09.582
JEREMY: Thank you, Mallory, Jess and Leah, for all of the great work that you’ve done in your assistant careers.
00:37:09.962 –> 00:37:23.062
JEREMY: And thank you for leading well and thank you for caring enough about your own journey and your own development to invest your own money, even if you did get reimbursed ultimately.
00:37:23.062 –> 00:37:32.802
JEREMY: But investing in your future, investing in your career, thanks for being willing to be put on the spot and tell us a little bit about specifically the Nova Chief of Staff Certification course.
00:37:32.802 –> 00:37:47.242
JEREMY: And I know Maggie’s worked really, really hard at putting together a helpful and engaging professional development resource, and super happy to share more about it and hear from you all.
00:37:47.262 –> 00:37:53.642
JEREMY: I will put your linked in URLs in the show notes for those listening.
00:37:53.642 –> 00:37:58.082
JEREMY: I’m sure that you would love to network and connect with assistance listening.
00:37:58.082 –> 00:38:04.062
JEREMY: So I’ll put those in the show notes at leaderassistant.com/294, leaderassistant.com/294.
00:38:07.342 –> 00:38:14.822
JEREMY: You can check out the bios and linked in URLs for Mallory, Jess and Leah.
00:38:14.822 –> 00:38:28.882
JEREMY: So does anybody have, I’ll give each of you a chance for one last word, final inspirational or salutation, however you want to go off and send off.
00:38:30.682 –> 00:38:34.042
JEREMY: But yeah, we’ll just hear from each of you for kind of the last word.
00:38:34.042 –> 00:38:37.802
JEREMY: So Mallory, I’ll kick off with you first.
00:38:37.802 –> 00:38:40.522
MALLORY: Yes, actually, thank you for the opportunity.
00:38:40.522 –> 00:38:42.782
MALLORY: I have one final thought, Jeremy.
00:38:42.782 –> 00:38:54.162
MALLORY: We three gals spoke earlier this week together, and something that I think is important for folks to hear who are considering the course, or maybe even not considering, but happen to be listening.
00:38:55.182 –> 00:39:08.802
MALLORY: We were chatting about our feeling that the rise of the Chief of Staff role does not mean the demise of the EA role, and it’s a hot topic right now that seems to be a little bit contentious.
00:39:08.802 –> 00:39:27.942
MALLORY: But we were chatting about it, and there is blurriness in the world of the EA title and comp definitions and how people utilize EA’s, the same for the Chief of Staff roles, and one can choose to look at that as frustrating or one can see opportunity in the squishiness.
00:39:27.942 –> 00:39:51.842
MALLORY: There is so much variance and possibility across industries, companies, and how leaders and teams decide to utilize these roles that we view this whole certification as just continuing to open doors and beckon people into new spaces and so I just want to encourage everybody to approach it that way.
00:39:51.842 –> 00:39:58.962
MALLORY: It continues to be the most supportive, I think the most supportive community in the professional realm.
00:39:58.962 –> 00:40:14.882
MALLORY: This support community, this admin support community of which I firmly believe Chiefs of Staff are part of, and so I just want to leave that thought with everybody here, and if you have questions about the course, anybody, please feel free to reach out to me.
00:40:15.022 –> 00:40:18.242
MALLORY: I’m so happy to chat with you about my experience further.
00:40:18.242 –> 00:40:19.962
MALLORY: Thank you for having me.
00:40:19.962 –> 00:40:20.382
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:40:20.382 –> 00:40:21.102
JEREMY: Thanks Mallory.
00:40:21.102 –> 00:40:21.662
JEREMY: That’s great.
00:40:21.662 –> 00:40:23.242
JEREMY: Thanks for sharing and well said.
00:40:23.242 –> 00:40:24.142
JEREMY: Well said.
00:40:24.142 –> 00:40:25.702
JEREMY: Jess, how about you?
00:40:27.502 –> 00:40:29.522
JESS: Mallory, thank you so much for bringing that up.
00:40:29.522 –> 00:40:32.942
JESS: I was also going to bring that up and you said it so eloquently.
00:40:33.262 –> 00:40:35.362
JESS: Thank you very much for that.
00:40:35.362 –> 00:40:36.622
JESS: Thank you for having me.
00:40:36.982 –> 00:40:41.702
JESS: The final thought for me, we could just touch back on self-investment.
00:40:42.962 –> 00:40:50.182
JESS: I love to promote the fact that you never know unless you ask, and the worst you can hear is no.
00:40:51.462 –> 00:40:55.182
JESS: If that is helpful for anybody, any of the listeners, I hope it is.
00:40:55.182 –> 00:40:59.582
JESS: I would encourage you to ask because the worst you can hear is no.
00:40:59.582 –> 00:41:02.142
JESS: The best you can hear is yes.
00:41:02.142 –> 00:41:02.642
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:41:02.642 –> 00:41:03.082
JEREMY: Well said.
00:41:03.082 –> 00:41:04.742
JEREMY: Thank you.
00:41:04.742 –> 00:41:06.082
JEREMY: All right, Leah.
00:41:07.402 –> 00:41:15.702
LEAH: I don’t know that I have anything to say that Mallory and Jess haven’t already said beautifully.
00:41:15.702 –> 00:41:22.322
LEAH: You know, I guess my final word is, you know, keep on learning.
00:41:23.062 –> 00:41:37.442
LEAH: Whatever your passion is, professionally or personally, keep on learning because everything that we do to enrich our own knowledge ultimately makes us better people and better professionals.
00:41:37.442 –> 00:42:00.542
LEAH: And then finally, thank you, Jeremy, not just for having all of us on today, but for everything you have done to really position the EA role as something to be really proud of and as a role in its own right and not just something secondary to the C-suite.
00:42:01.602 –> 00:42:02.022
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:42:02.022 –> 00:42:03.662
JEREMY: Thanks, Leah.
00:42:03.662 –> 00:42:07.142
JEREMY: Thanks for the kind words and great send-off.
00:42:07.142 –> 00:42:08.642
JEREMY: Thank you, everyone, for listening.
00:42:09.542 –> 00:42:18.422
JEREMY: Again, please connect with Mallory, Jess, and Leah, leaderassistant.com/294 to reach out to them and say hi.
00:42:18.742 –> 00:42:20.282
JEREMY: Yeah, thanks, everyone, for listening.
00:42:20.282 –> 00:42:25.842
JEREMY: Thank you all for joining and we’ll look forward to seeing you and speaking with you soon.
00:42:36.412 –> 00:42:39.072
<v SPEAKER_2>Please review on Apple Podcasts.
00:42:45.507 –> 00:42:47.187
<v SPEAKER_2>: goburrows.com.
