Chandra Severin is a longtime trusted right hand for senior leaders and CEOs in various industries.
In this episode of The Leader Assistant Podcast, Chandra talks about managing a team of administrative professionals, networking, navigating change at work, and more.
LEADERSHIP QUOTE
Every woman’s success should be an inspiration to another. We’re strongest when we cheer each other on.
– Serena Williams
CONNECT WITH CHANDRA
ABOUT CHANDRA
Chandra Severin has over 3 decades of experience working as a trusted right hand and executive assistant to Senior Leadership and CEO’s. She has worked in a number of different industries including the legal field, the fashion industry and now the publishing/media industry. She is an expert at navigating career changes and building relationships across all levels of an organization.
Chandra prides herself on her ability to lead and inspire confidence in others, and regularly looks for ways to network and grow her personal and professional network. She currently works at the EA to the President and CEO of Canada’s National Newspaper, while also managing the Administration and Facilities teams. In addition to this she sits on the Board of a Canadian charity which builds schools in Ghana, West Africa. Chandra lives in Toronto with her husband and two children.
–––
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!
–––
THE LEADER ASSISTANT PREMIUM MEMBERSHIP
To learn more about how you can join growth-minded Leader Assistants, check out our Leader Assistant Premium Membership for ongoing training, coaching, and community.
THE LEADER ASSISTANT BOOK
Download the first 3 chapters of The Leader Assistant: Four Pillars of Game-Changing Assistant for FREE here or buy it on Amazon and listen to the audiobook on Audible. Also, check out the companion study guide, The Leader Assistant Workbook, to dig deeper.
LEADER ASSISTANT LIVE EVENTS
Check out our constantly updated schedule of events for admins and assistants at LeaderAssistantLive.com.
JOIN THE FREE COMMUNITY
Join the Leader Assistant Global Community for bonus content, job opportunities, and to network with other assistants who are committed to becoming leaders!
SUBSCRIBE
Subscribe to The Leader Assistant Podcast so you don’t miss new episodes!
You can find the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Pandora, and Stitcher.
Join my email list here if you want to get an email when a new episode goes live.
LEAVE A REVIEW
If you’re enjoying the podcast, please take 2 minutes to rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts here. Each review helps me stay motivated to keep the show going!
–––
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
00:00:05.884 –> 00:00:13.464
<v SPEAKER_1>The Leader Assistant Podcast exists to encourage and challenge assistants to become confident, game-changing leader assistants.
00:00:23.204 –> 00:00:30.424
JEREMY: Hey, Leader Assistants, have you heard the NOVA Chief of Staff Certification course is about to see a price increase?
00:00:30.424 –> 00:00:37.324
JEREMY: But don’t worry, you can enroll now, lock in the current rate, and start whenever you’re ready with lifetime access.
00:00:37.324 –> 00:00:41.364
JEREMY: NOVA’s mission is to give you the ultimate student experience.
00:00:41.364 –> 00:00:54.784
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.
00:00:54.784 –> 00:01:01.984
JEREMY: With over 500 students across 22 countries, NOVA is the top spot for Chief of Staff Learning and Development.
00:01:01.984 –> 00:01:06.184
JEREMY: Don’t wait, enroll today and join the community at leaderassistant.com/nova.
00:01:08.624 –> 00:01:11.284
JEREMY: Hey friends, welcome to The Leader Assistant Podcast.
00:01:11.284 –> 00:01:15.504
JEREMY: It’s your host, Jeremy Burrows, and this is episode 297.
00:01:15.504 –> 00:01:33.064
JEREMY: You can check out the show notes as always at leaderassistant.com/297, leaderassistant.com/297 to check out the links to today’s guests, Bio and LinkedIn and all the things related to this episode.
00:01:33.064 –> 00:01:36.284
JEREMY: So thanks again for tuning in and listening to the show.
00:01:36.284 –> 00:01:42.924
JEREMY: It’s been a fun ride or inching closer to episode 300, which is exciting.
00:01:42.924 –> 00:01:52.964
JEREMY: And I appreciate you tuning in and I appreciate you leaving reviews on Apple Podcasts and sharing with other EA colleagues and friends along the way.
00:01:52.964 –> 00:01:55.864
JEREMY: So thanks for being a supporter of the show.
00:01:55.864 –> 00:01:58.704
JEREMY: All right, so let’s jump right in.
00:01:58.704 –> 00:02:01.024
JEREMY: Today, I’m speaking with Chandra Severin.
00:02:01.024 –> 00:02:04.944
JEREMY: Chandra is EA to the CEO.
00:02:04.944 –> 00:02:09.924
JEREMY: She actually, her title is, I’m excited to ask you about this, because you’ve got a lot of different things in there.
00:02:09.924 –> 00:02:13.644
JEREMY: Manager, office services, facilities and administration.
00:02:13.644 –> 00:02:14.824
JEREMY: So Chandra, welcome to the show.
00:02:15.784 –> 00:02:17.424
CHANDRA: Thank you so much.
00:02:17.424 –> 00:02:25.944
JEREMY: I was going to say, it’s like a long nameplate on your desk, or a long email signature, or a long LinkedIn title.
00:02:25.944 –> 00:02:27.284
JEREMY: We’ll get into that here in a second.
00:02:27.284 –> 00:02:33.024
JEREMY: But first of all, where are you located, and what’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not working?
00:02:33.044 –> 00:02:36.644
CHANDRA: I am in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
00:02:38.124 –> 00:02:47.284
CHANDRA: When I’m not working, it’s traveling and hanging out with my kids, and just trying to have a lot of fun.
00:02:47.304 –> 00:02:47.884
JEREMY: You love it.
00:02:47.884 –> 00:02:49.324
JEREMY: Love it.
00:02:49.324 –> 00:02:51.344
JEREMY: Are you from that area?
00:02:51.344 –> 00:02:51.844
CHANDRA: I am.
00:02:51.844 –> 00:02:55.824
CHANDRA: I’ve lived here pretty much my whole life.
00:02:55.824 –> 00:02:56.824
JEREMY: Nice.
00:02:56.824 –> 00:02:59.004
JEREMY: When you travel, where do you like to travel?
00:03:00.444 –> 00:03:05.724
CHANDRA: Mainly the Caribbean, but also within Canada.
00:03:05.724 –> 00:03:09.304
CHANDRA: Since COVID, we got really into cottaging.
00:03:09.304 –> 00:03:15.384
CHANDRA: Every summer, it’s looking to rent cottages, and just get out of the city with the family.
00:03:15.384 –> 00:03:15.884
JEREMY: Nice.
00:03:15.884 –> 00:03:20.744
JEREMY: Yeah, a little offline time.
00:03:20.744 –> 00:03:22.404
CHANDRA: Exactly.
00:03:22.404 –> 00:03:22.764
JEREMY: Cool.
00:03:22.764 –> 00:03:26.144
JEREMY: Well, tell us a little bit about your career.
00:03:26.144 –> 00:03:34.384
JEREMY: How did you end up in the assistant role, and where did you see that as a career, and how did it progress?
00:03:34.384 –> 00:03:37.504
JEREMY: Then we’ll obviously have to hear all about this current title.
00:03:38.024 –> 00:03:40.344
CHANDRA: Yeah.
00:03:40.344 –> 00:03:44.544
CHANDRA: So my career has been sort of all over the place.
00:03:44.544 –> 00:03:49.584
CHANDRA: I’ve come back to the executive assistant role many times.
00:03:49.584 –> 00:03:58.744
CHANDRA: So I began my career in a law firm, actually, as a legal assistant almost 30 years ago now.
00:04:00.244 –> 00:04:18.104
CHANDRA: Did that while I was at the law firm, I started doing a lot of event planning and eventually took over their student program, which was mainly enhancing the culture of the office, getting students up and running, and just planning fun events for them.
00:04:19.144 –> 00:04:27.044
CHANDRA: Then when I was there, I was taking fashion part-time because that was actually always my original goal.
00:04:27.044 –> 00:04:34.384
CHANDRA: And then I had a great opportunity to work for a major brand here in Canada just before it launched.
00:04:34.684 –> 00:04:42.784
CHANDRA: So I started as the Creative Director’s Assistant, and then eventually hired him a new assistant.
00:04:42.784 –> 00:04:55.664
CHANDRA: And then I moved into production, fashion show planning, model casting, publicity, PR, just everything that came my way.
00:04:55.864 –> 00:05:01.344
CHANDRA: Then unfortunately, there was a lot of changes at the company.
00:05:01.344 –> 00:05:02.864
CHANDRA: They let go of a lot of departments.
00:05:03.024 –> 00:05:10.024
CHANDRA: So like many people, I was sort of thrown out, you know, trying to figure out what to do next.
00:05:10.024 –> 00:05:12.404
CHANDRA: For me, it worked out well around a mat leave.
00:05:12.404 –> 00:05:15.824
CHANDRA: So I took some time off, sort of figured out what I wanted to do next.
00:05:15.824 –> 00:05:20.584
CHANDRA: And then my current role came up.
00:05:20.584 –> 00:05:29.584
CHANDRA: So this was EA to the publisher and CEO of The Global Mail, which is the largest newspaper here in Canada.
00:05:29.584 –> 00:05:31.204
CHANDRA: And so I took that job.
00:05:31.324 –> 00:05:38.764
CHANDRA: I’ve been here now just over eight years and have sort of turned it into that long title you see now.
00:05:38.764 –> 00:05:41.984
CHANDRA: It started out with a much shorter title.
00:05:41.984 –> 00:05:42.284
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:05:42.284 –> 00:05:42.444
JEREMY: Yeah.
00:05:43.024 –> 00:05:47.064
JEREMY: What was the first title in this role?
00:05:47.064 –> 00:05:47.304
JEREMY: Yeah.
00:05:47.304 –> 00:05:50.984
CHANDRA: So the first one was just simply the EA to the publisher.
00:05:52.384 –> 00:06:08.884
CHANDRA: And in all honesty, when I took that role, I think I had one of those moments where in my mind, I had left the EA career, I had done some other things, and it was actually a moment where I had to think, do I really want to go back to it?
00:06:08.884 –> 00:06:15.084
CHANDRA: And I had a moment where I did think, is this a step down for me?
00:06:15.084 –> 00:06:21.224
CHANDRA: And I think a lot of people have different ideas about what the administrative role is.
00:06:21.224 –> 00:06:26.884
CHANDRA: And luckily, the person I was working for was an incredible mentor and supporter.
00:06:27.164 –> 00:06:34.984
CHANDRA: And so he really inspired me to take control of the role and turn it into something that I would be proud of.
00:06:34.984 –> 00:06:37.804
CHANDRA: So it’s really evolved in my time here.
00:06:37.804 –> 00:06:46.604
CHANDRA: So from that to managing three teams here, and then as well as company events.
00:06:46.604 –> 00:06:50.924
CHANDRA: And I work with HR a lot, a lot of social events.
00:06:52.844 –> 00:06:53.044
JEREMY: Nice.
00:06:53.044 –> 00:06:57.124
JEREMY: So what’s the, tell us about managing the teams.
00:06:58.764 –> 00:07:00.344
JEREMY: Are they all assistant teams?
00:07:00.344 –> 00:07:01.684
JEREMY: Are there event teams?
00:07:01.684 –> 00:07:05.044
JEREMY: Like kind of how’s that whole structure?
00:07:05.044 –> 00:07:05.304
CHANDRA: Yeah.
00:07:05.304 –> 00:07:12.824
CHANDRA: So this, I do a lot of networking and I love to hear from a lot of EAs and hear what people do at other companies.
00:07:12.824 –> 00:07:25.864
CHANDRA: And so I had a course that I had gone to here and just met a lot of EAs and heard that a lot of companies have administrative departments that are run by an administrative leader.
00:07:25.864 –> 00:07:27.944
CHANDRA: We didn’t have that here at the Globe and Mail.
00:07:27.944 –> 00:07:32.724
CHANDRA: And I sort of felt like the admins here sort of all worked in silos.
00:07:32.724 –> 00:07:41.024
CHANDRA: So I had proposed to my boss that we form a department and I manage that department.
00:07:41.024 –> 00:07:44.484
CHANDRA: So that came about, which was amazing.
00:07:44.484 –> 00:07:51.244
CHANDRA: So that’s how it started, bringing together this team of admins and EAs.
00:07:51.244 –> 00:07:59.044
CHANDRA: I have eight that report into this department, as well as some of them support an executive.
00:08:00.224 –> 00:08:04.804
CHANDRA: And then over the years, as many companies do, we’ve gone through changes.
00:08:04.804 –> 00:08:09.784
CHANDRA: And I’m always one to kind of put up my hand and offer to take on more work.
00:08:09.784 –> 00:08:21.224
CHANDRA: So when there were some changes happening here, they were trying to figure out, okay, who should manage our office services department, and who should manage facilities.
00:08:21.224 –> 00:08:27.404
CHANDRA: And so I put my hand up for that, even though I had no experience with facilities.
00:08:27.404 –> 00:08:31.324
CHANDRA: But I have a lot of experience managing people and just working with people.
00:08:31.324 –> 00:08:35.904
CHANDRA: So I think that’s one of my biggest strengths, and that’s how it came about.
00:08:35.904 –> 00:08:40.084
CHANDRA: And so it’s been, I think about four years that I’ve been managing these teams now.
00:08:41.684 –> 00:08:41.904
JEREMY: Nice.
00:08:41.904 –> 00:09:01.604
JEREMY: So what is the, maybe, a lot of assistance are curious about this because they want to someday either work for a team, because maybe they’re like me where I’m the only assistant, the only executive assistant in the company.
00:09:01.604 –> 00:09:05.404
JEREMY: Or, and so they’re like, I want to work for a team of assistants.
00:09:05.404 –> 00:09:06.304
JEREMY: I think that’d be fun.
00:09:06.304 –> 00:09:08.364
JEREMY: That’d be an interesting environment.
00:09:08.584 –> 00:09:14.924
JEREMY: But then also, there are those who are a part of a team of assistants, and maybe they’re thinking, hey, I want to lead a team someday.
00:09:14.924 –> 00:09:17.864
JEREMY: I want to manage administrative team someday.
00:09:17.864 –> 00:09:24.084
JEREMY: So what are the pros to working with a team?
00:09:24.084 –> 00:09:32.364
JEREMY: And then how would you guide someone into, hey, if you want to lead a team of assistants someday, here’s some things you should start doing now.
00:09:34.564 –> 00:09:46.004
CHANDRA: I mean, there’s a lot of pros, and for me, even proposing the idea, one of the things that I thought is that, who knows assistants better than an assistant, someone who does that role?
00:09:46.004 –> 00:09:52.724
CHANDRA: I think we all know that people often underestimate the role, or at least don’t understand what goes into it.
00:09:52.724 –> 00:10:02.404
CHANDRA: So I think one of the greatest things about leading the team is that I really love learning from people, I love mentoring and supporting people.
00:10:02.404 –> 00:10:09.104
CHANDRA: So I think it’s just sort of brought this team together and everybody just feels really supported by each other.
00:10:09.104 –> 00:10:12.784
CHANDRA: We have weekly meetings where we share information.
00:10:12.784 –> 00:10:16.784
CHANDRA: So everybody just sort of feels like someone has their back.
00:10:16.784 –> 00:10:25.964
CHANDRA: And at the same time, me being the one who leads them, and yet also working for our CEO, it’s like, I have the ear of the person at the head of the company.
00:10:25.964 –> 00:10:32.524
CHANDRA: So I can really talk to the team about what the demands of the business are and what the needs are and the goals.
00:10:32.664 –> 00:10:39.284
CHANDRA: But at the same time, I can reiterate the importance of the team and the value that they bring.
00:10:39.284 –> 00:10:44.124
CHANDRA: So, you know, I feel like I’m sort of supporting up, down, across.
00:10:45.544 –> 00:10:47.924
CHANDRA: But yeah, and that’s probably the best part.
00:10:47.924 –> 00:10:53.304
CHANDRA: I just really like feeling like I’m helping other people find the passion for that role.
00:10:53.304 –> 00:10:56.824
CHANDRA: I think because I have it and I love to learn and like I said, I love to network.
00:10:56.824 –> 00:10:58.444
CHANDRA: And I try to share that with the team.
00:10:59.424 –> 00:11:10.504
CHANDRA: And I’ve seen them, a lot of the members of the team change from really feeling alone in their role to now feeling like they are part of a group.
00:11:10.504 –> 00:11:16.304
CHANDRA: And a company like ours as well, we have a very small administrative group.
00:11:16.304 –> 00:11:21.244
CHANDRA: So I think prior to forming that group, they were just a few people in this large company.
00:11:21.244 –> 00:11:28.264
CHANDRA: And now we’re actually a team who understands each other and who can just really sort of advocate for each other.
00:11:28.664 –> 00:11:32.324
CHANDRA: And make sure we get the support that we need.
00:11:32.324 –> 00:11:32.924
JEREMY: That’s great.
00:11:32.924 –> 00:11:45.964
JEREMY: So what would be maybe something you did or something that other people can do to level up, if you will, to lead a team like that?
00:11:45.964 –> 00:11:52.324
CHANDRA: I think the biggest thing always is just to constantly be learning and researching.
00:11:52.324 –> 00:11:55.424
CHANDRA: I think that’s something that admins are always good at anyway.
00:11:55.424 –> 00:11:58.844
CHANDRA: We always have to find answers and we have to look for information.
00:11:59.984 –> 00:12:07.804
CHANDRA: For me, it was really just making those connections, talking to other people, figuring out how this works at other companies.
00:12:07.804 –> 00:12:13.764
CHANDRA: Then for me, I had to look at our company, figure out what the goals of the company were.
00:12:13.764 –> 00:12:24.624
CHANDRA: At the time when I had come up with this idea, they were just really looking at efficiencies, how we could make certain things happen better, how we could save some money.
00:12:24.624 –> 00:12:36.764
CHANDRA: When I looked at this team, we had more admins at that time, and it was just looking at how it’s working, who they report to, are there things that they’re doing that they shouldn’t be doing?
00:12:36.764 –> 00:12:41.664
CHANDRA: I had put together a proposal saying, I think we could streamline the team a little bit.
00:12:41.664 –> 00:12:45.764
CHANDRA: I think we could help out various departments.
00:12:45.764 –> 00:12:58.784
CHANDRA: Maybe you only need one or two people and they could help an entire department versus four or five people who are sitting there and don’t necessarily have a lot to do, or people don’t always know how to utilize them.
00:12:58.784 –> 00:13:04.204
CHANDRA: When I put together this proposal, I figured out how we could save the company money.
00:13:04.204 –> 00:13:14.284
CHANDRA: It was really putting it to the company as if you form this team, you don’t have to worry about it, I’m going to handle it, I’ll support them, but we’re going to save you a ton of money.
00:13:14.384 –> 00:13:18.244
CHANDRA: I think in general, companies love to hear that.
00:13:18.244 –> 00:13:20.424
JEREMY: Totally.
00:13:21.604 –> 00:13:38.864
JEREMY: I know there’s a lot of opinions out there as far as should assistants report to their executive that they support, or should they report directly to a manager of an administration or a manager of a team of assistants?
00:13:38.864 –> 00:13:40.784
JEREMY: Should there be a dotted line to both?
00:13:41.864 –> 00:13:48.664
JEREMY: How does it work with your setup and why do you use that setup?
00:13:52.584 –> 00:13:55.924
CHANDRA: Yeah, I think people were confused on this end, too.
00:13:55.924 –> 00:14:01.624
CHANDRA: I had to do a little bit of a flow chart showing how it would go and proposing it.
00:14:01.624 –> 00:14:13.324
CHANDRA: So the way we have it here is EAs, so executive assistants, they report to their executive, but then they have a dotted line to me.
00:14:13.324 –> 00:14:18.584
CHANDRA: Then the admins who support a department report directly to me.
00:14:21.044 –> 00:14:27.624
CHANDRA: So everyone is part of the team, they attend our weekly meetings, we have socials together, we share information.
00:14:27.624 –> 00:14:33.624
CHANDRA: But in terms of the actual reporting structure, that’s how we work it.
00:14:33.624 –> 00:14:43.084
CHANDRA: Then the ones who only have a dotted line to me, I check in with their executives from time to time just to see how they’re doing, how I can lend support.
00:14:43.084 –> 00:14:46.544
CHANDRA: Then to the EAs themselves, it’s the same thing, checking in on them.
00:14:47.244 –> 00:14:49.684
CHANDRA: How are things working out?
00:14:49.684 –> 00:14:50.884
CHANDRA: I think it’s actually been really good.
00:14:50.884 –> 00:14:56.144
CHANDRA: Even the ones, like I said, who have this dotted line to me, I’m like this additional support for them.
00:14:56.904 –> 00:15:13.344
CHANDRA: For example, if they’re being thrown a lot of work or they’re working extra hours and they don’t know how to deal with that or what do I say, we can bounce ideas off each other, and then I can give them some guidance if they want it.
00:15:13.344 –> 00:15:25.984
CHANDRA: Then as well for the executives, I think even for them, sometimes it’s good because sometimes they’re not sure what work they can give or is this too much, or sometimes they don’t even know the capability of their assistant.
00:15:25.984 –> 00:15:32.644
CHANDRA: I can be a proponent for them saying, actually, they’re really knowledgeable on this, they can help with that.
00:15:33.304 –> 00:15:36.564
CHANDRA: I think it’s worked well on both sides.
00:15:36.564 –> 00:15:38.024
JEREMY: Yeah, I really like that.
00:15:40.104 –> 00:16:01.544
JEREMY: I prefer reporting directly to the CEO as I support the CEO, and I think a lot of those executive assistants do prefer having that kind of direct line and direct reporting and supervisor being their executive.
00:16:01.544 –> 00:16:12.724
JEREMY: But it makes total sense to me that you would have the administrative assistant level supporting departments, supporting teams, totally makes sense that you would have that structure.
00:16:12.724 –> 00:16:14.684
JEREMY: So I think you guys did a good job putting that together.
00:16:14.704 –> 00:16:14.944
JEREMY: Thanks.
00:16:20.044 –> 00:16:26.904
JEREMY: Well, what would be the tips for managing change?
00:16:28.504 –> 00:16:43.104
JEREMY: Whether you have a new executive to support or a new assistant joining the team, maybe there’s complete culture change in your organization or your departments.
00:16:44.244 –> 00:16:47.464
JEREMY: How have you managed change throughout your career?
00:16:49.104 –> 00:16:53.944
CHANDRA: Well, I just went through probably one of the biggest changes.
00:16:53.944 –> 00:17:01.224
CHANDRA: The person that I was hired to work for here, our CEO, I worked for him for seven years.
00:17:01.224 –> 00:17:06.304
CHANDRA: He had been here for 25, and he actually just retired last year.
00:17:06.304 –> 00:17:10.224
CHANDRA: So I had the tough job.
00:17:10.924 –> 00:17:17.964
CHANDRA: Yes, huge change, but also it being secret for quite a while as we worked on all the details.
00:17:19.004 –> 00:17:27.344
CHANDRA: So even during that, you just keep your cool, roll with the punches, figure things out.
00:17:27.344 –> 00:17:32.684
CHANDRA: Then luckily for me, the new CEO was someone from within the company.
00:17:33.324 –> 00:17:37.044
CHANDRA: So it was decided very early on that I would stay in my role and support him.
00:17:38.724 –> 00:17:41.964
CHANDRA: But really, it’s a big shock to the system.
00:17:41.964 –> 00:17:44.044
CHANDRA: It’s someone new who works differently.
00:17:44.804 –> 00:17:52.784
CHANDRA: Even for me, I’ve been in the role forever and being very familiar with the company, but it was still such a big change.
00:17:52.784 –> 00:18:01.564
CHANDRA: So what I realized was at the end of the day, my career and how it goes is really up to me.
00:18:01.584 –> 00:18:03.864
CHANDRA: I really have to take charge of things.
00:18:04.364 –> 00:18:11.164
CHANDRA: So I think in the beginning when I was figuring things out, I just had to have a moment where I realized I can take control of this.
00:18:11.164 –> 00:18:14.064
CHANDRA: I can make sure I’m successful at this job.
00:18:14.064 –> 00:18:24.824
CHANDRA: So I need to find out what he needs, find out how he has to work and tailor the way I work to him, because it’s essentially him that I work for.
00:18:24.824 –> 00:18:30.024
CHANDRA: So he works very differently than my previous boss.
00:18:30.024 –> 00:18:34.824
CHANDRA: But there is that moment, you just really have to have a lot of FaceTime and you have to talk to them.
00:18:34.964 –> 00:18:42.344
CHANDRA: I think just a really open and honest conversation about, I had to say to him, I don’t know about some of this stuff that you do.
00:18:42.344 –> 00:18:48.604
CHANDRA: He came from a different department, but also be keen to learn, which I always am.
00:18:48.604 –> 00:18:53.604
CHANDRA: So it was just really opening myself up, being a little bit vulnerable, I think.
00:18:53.604 –> 00:18:56.144
CHANDRA: But I think being honest is always the key.
00:18:56.144 –> 00:19:03.584
CHANDRA: So just being honest with him that this was a huge change, but I wanted us to be successful and I really did feel like we could be a good team.
00:19:04.204 –> 00:19:07.504
CHANDRA: But we just really had to figure out how to work with each other.
00:19:09.384 –> 00:19:09.624
JEREMY: Yeah.
00:19:09.624 –> 00:19:24.804
JEREMY: And I like what you said about not trying to hide that this was a big change and not trying to just act like everything’s fine and everything’s normal and just keep going, you know?
00:19:25.804 –> 00:19:26.944
CHANDRA: Exactly.
00:19:26.944 –> 00:19:27.744
CHANDRA: Yeah.
00:19:27.744 –> 00:19:35.824
CHANDRA: I think I actually, I had a moment as well where I had to step back and think to myself as well, this is a huge change for him.
00:19:35.824 –> 00:19:37.244
CHANDRA: It’s very easy to get in your head.
00:19:37.244 –> 00:19:41.504
CHANDRA: I had a little bit where I was like, oh my gosh, this is so different.
00:19:41.504 –> 00:19:43.164
CHANDRA: This way of working is different.
00:19:43.164 –> 00:19:44.884
CHANDRA: How am I going to handle it?
00:19:44.884 –> 00:19:49.204
CHANDRA: And then I had to think to myself, well, he’s probably thinking all the exact same things.
00:19:49.204 –> 00:19:54.824
CHANDRA: He’s just stepped into a new role in someone else’s shoes and he’s like, I’m someone new for him to work for.
00:19:54.824 –> 00:19:57.264
CHANDRA: So he also has to figure it out.
00:19:57.264 –> 00:20:09.204
CHANDRA: So I think once you realize that and you can actually have those conversations, you realize you both just really want to be successful in your role, and you’re both there to build a great working relationship.
00:20:09.204 –> 00:20:12.724
CHANDRA: And then from there, it’s pretty easy to start figuring it out.
00:20:18.204 –> 00:20:19.124
<v SPEAKER_1>Have you heard?
00:20:19.124 –> 00:20:24.684
<v SPEAKER_1>The NOVA Chief of Staff Certification course price is going up in January of 2025.
00:20:24.684 –> 00:20:28.484
<v SPEAKER_1>Enroll now and with lifetime access, start whenever you please.
00:20:28.484 –> 00:20:33.164
<v SPEAKER_1>Here at NOVA, it’s our mission to provide the very best student experience possible.
00:20:33.164 –> 00:20:37.924
<v SPEAKER_1>Our course is chocked full of features and resources designed just for you.
00:20:37.924 –> 00:20:48.864
<v SPEAKER_1>Dozens of templates, self-paced online learning, hands-on practice, multiple instructor touchpoints, peer engagement opportunities, guest-authored assignments, the list goes on.
00:20:48.864 –> 00:20:56.044
<v SPEAKER_1>With 500 students across 22 countries, NOVA is the premier destination for Chief of Staff Learning and Development.
00:20:56.044 –> 00:20:58.384
<v SPEAKER_1>Enroll today and join us.
00:21:02.444 –> 00:21:02.804
JEREMY: Love it.
00:21:02.804 –> 00:21:03.284
JEREMY: Well said.
00:21:04.264 –> 00:21:08.084
JEREMY: You mentioned event planning and networking.
00:21:08.084 –> 00:21:31.384
JEREMY: So I’d love to hear your networking tips, especially for those of us like myself who are introverted and it takes a little more energy to put on our social hat and be extroverted and really network and connect.
00:21:32.104 –> 00:21:49.624
JEREMY: So maybe your number one tip for networking in person, and then maybe also a general networking tip as far as whether it’s LinkedIn or through your teams or Slack chat with your EA team.
00:21:49.624 –> 00:21:52.844
JEREMY: Yeah, what are your top networking tips?
00:21:52.844 –> 00:21:54.584
CHANDRA: So I guess I’d have two things.
00:21:54.584 –> 00:21:58.144
CHANDRA: One of them is, don’t be afraid to say yes.
00:21:58.584 –> 00:22:02.624
CHANDRA: Just sort of throw yourself into everything you can.
00:22:02.884 –> 00:22:12.624
CHANDRA: I constantly am online, whether it’s LinkedIn or just searching online generally and looking for anything that applies to me, my role, my interests.
00:22:12.644 –> 00:22:15.504
CHANDRA: And if there’s an event, I just sign up for it.
00:22:15.504 –> 00:22:19.904
CHANDRA: If it’s convenient for me in the time and the location, I just go.
00:22:19.904 –> 00:22:21.504
CHANDRA: And sometimes it is nerve-racking.
00:22:21.504 –> 00:22:22.984
CHANDRA: You don’t know anybody.
00:22:22.984 –> 00:22:29.404
CHANDRA: You might be going to an event thinking people are more qualified than you or just have different backgrounds in you.
00:22:29.404 –> 00:22:37.424
CHANDRA: But I think just putting yourself out there and getting in that position where you go to things, kind of builds your confidence.
00:22:37.424 –> 00:22:46.344
CHANDRA: And then the other thing I think I would say is taking a moment to also realize, you know, we’re all an expert in something and figuring out what are you an expert in?
00:22:46.344 –> 00:22:49.684
CHANDRA: And then that’s the easy thing to kind of start talking about.
00:22:49.684 –> 00:22:52.484
CHANDRA: It’s really easy to talk about the things that you know well.
00:22:52.484 –> 00:22:57.144
CHANDRA: It’s harder, you know, like when you’re trying to learn something and it doesn’t apply to you.
00:22:57.144 –> 00:23:07.284
CHANDRA: So, you know, for me, heading to events that are about admins and support services and even events, things that I do, like I think to myself, I’m great at these things.
00:23:07.284 –> 00:23:14.504
CHANDRA: So why wouldn’t I talk to other people who also love them and do them well and just share information and learn?
00:23:16.244 –> 00:23:17.764
JEREMY: Awesome.
00:23:18.644 –> 00:23:32.704
JEREMY: Any fun, like, you know, when you’re doing the event planning itself, practically speaking, any icebreaker or activity, you know, organization that you’ve done that has helped people.
00:23:32.704 –> 00:23:42.664
JEREMY: You know, so, for example, I’m doing a dinner in Indianapolis in a couple weeks and I do events in different cities as I travel.
00:23:44.604 –> 00:23:50.564
JEREMY: And, you know, I’m always trying to, you know, generally, assistants are pretty good at like, oh, you’re an assistant, let’s chat.
00:23:51.264 –> 00:23:53.124
JEREMY: It flows pretty naturally.
00:23:53.124 –> 00:23:53.344
CHANDRA: Yeah.
00:23:53.344 –> 00:24:01.024
JEREMY: But what’s something you’ve done to facilitate that as the event planner and organizer?
00:24:01.024 –> 00:24:03.944
CHANDRA: Yeah, I think it depends on the type of events.
00:24:03.944 –> 00:24:14.784
CHANDRA: Smaller events are probably a little bit easier with that sort of thing because, you know, you can plan some kind of fun, you know, like I’ve done these fun icebreakers.
00:24:14.784 –> 00:24:21.164
CHANDRA: I’ve had like a small team meeting and the people know each other a little bit, but maybe not that well.
00:24:21.184 –> 00:24:26.264
CHANDRA: And, you know, beforehand I’ve had each person send like a fun fact about themselves.
00:24:26.264 –> 00:24:30.984
CHANDRA: And then you sort of just pull them out of a hat and you’re trying to match them up.
00:24:30.984 –> 00:24:34.064
CHANDRA: People are trying to guess who said what.
00:24:34.064 –> 00:24:38.324
CHANDRA: But I think it’s just something that really just puts everyone at ease.
00:24:38.904 –> 00:24:42.764
CHANDRA: And typically for me, you know, I love to have fun, I love to laugh.
00:24:42.764 –> 00:24:49.404
CHANDRA: And so it’s, you know, just something where everyone can just sort of have a good laugh and relax for a minute.
00:24:49.404 –> 00:24:52.704
CHANDRA: That typically is what works for me.
00:24:52.704 –> 00:24:56.664
CHANDRA: And when it’s a big event, it’s just having some really fun activations.
00:24:56.664 –> 00:25:00.724
CHANDRA: You know, I love, I plan a lot of our events here, a holiday party every year.
00:25:00.724 –> 00:25:04.144
CHANDRA: We have an awards program here for staff.
00:25:04.144 –> 00:25:07.704
CHANDRA: And, you know, a fun photo booth is always great.
00:25:08.844 –> 00:25:14.104
CHANDRA: And then, you know, just things that, again, get people out of their shells, like, you know, palm readers.
00:25:14.104 –> 00:25:19.684
CHANDRA: And, you know, if the holiday party, I make sure, you know, we have things for kids of all ages.
00:25:19.684 –> 00:25:26.804
CHANDRA: And, you know, that one’s kind of easier because I find when you’re there and you’re there with your family, you’re a little more relaxed.
00:25:26.804 –> 00:25:29.764
CHANDRA: And then you’re seeing other people in a different light.
00:25:29.764 –> 00:25:33.104
CHANDRA: It’s pretty easy to get to know people.
00:25:33.104 –> 00:25:33.384
CHANDRA: Yeah.
00:25:33.384 –> 00:25:36.984
CHANDRA: But at the end of the day, for me, it’s just how do I get people to have fun?
00:25:37.584 –> 00:25:39.024
JEREMY: Yeah.
00:25:39.024 –> 00:25:45.204
JEREMY: Yeah, I love the laugh part because I was doing some research.
00:25:45.204 –> 00:25:48.144
JEREMY: I’m always trying to be a better public speaker.
00:25:48.144 –> 00:25:53.804
JEREMY: And when I do my training and travel and do in-person and online trainings.
00:25:53.804 –> 00:26:14.124
JEREMY: And one of the things that I came across in the last few months was essentially someone said, if you can get the audience or the group you’re with to laugh in the first like two to five minutes, then it like breaks the tension in the room.
00:26:14.124 –> 00:26:15.604
JEREMY: It relaxes everyone.
00:26:15.604 –> 00:26:17.704
JEREMY: It just kind of, it’s like a really good way to start.
00:26:17.704 –> 00:26:32.304
JEREMY: And so I’m always trying to kick off events with a little bit of self-deprecating humor or other EA relatable stories and whatnot.
00:26:32.544 –> 00:26:36.244
JEREMY: So, yeah, laughter is a good tool for sure.
00:26:36.784 –> 00:26:41.164
CHANDRA: I also really find being vulnerable really helps.
00:26:41.164 –> 00:26:45.464
CHANDRA: I did a leadership presence course a couple of years ago.
00:26:45.464 –> 00:26:52.564
CHANDRA: And, you know, there were people from like, I was the only person in support services and there were people in this group from various levels.
00:26:52.564 –> 00:26:57.204
CHANDRA: And, you know, we learned a lot about storytelling and presentations and that sort of thing.
00:26:57.384 –> 00:27:02.724
CHANDRA: And one of the things I realized was that, you know, I did a presentation and I got quite vulnerable.
00:27:02.724 –> 00:27:05.964
CHANDRA: I told a very personal story.
00:27:05.964 –> 00:27:12.264
CHANDRA: And you almost could feel the room change, where suddenly everyone, they just sort of connect with you and feel for you.
00:27:12.264 –> 00:27:18.624
CHANDRA: And you kind of realize that in general, people want the best for other people.
00:27:18.624 –> 00:27:21.244
CHANDRA: You know, people want to like other people.
00:27:21.244 –> 00:27:28.204
CHANDRA: And by you showing you’re vulnerable, other people sort of feel like, okay, you’re relatable, I could talk to you.
00:27:28.964 –> 00:27:31.004
CHANDRA: And it really changes the mood.
00:27:31.004 –> 00:27:32.024
CHANDRA: Yeah.
00:27:32.024 –> 00:27:32.824
JEREMY: Totally agree.
00:27:32.824 –> 00:27:45.304
JEREMY: And I always try to do stories and, you know, share, you know, intense moments of my story and of my life, because it’s part of who I am.
00:27:45.304 –> 00:27:48.864
JEREMY: It’s a part of how I’ve gotten where I am today.
00:27:48.864 –> 00:27:53.664
JEREMY: And I think you’re right on on that point for sure.
00:27:53.664 –> 00:27:55.364
CHANDRA: Yeah.
00:27:55.364 –> 00:27:56.144
JEREMY: Awesome, Chandra.
00:27:56.144 –> 00:27:58.044
JEREMY: Well, thank you so much for being on the show.
00:27:58.324 –> 00:28:14.244
JEREMY: Is there kind of a last word or final, you know, inspirational, you know, whatever, however you want to say it, word that you want to share with the assistants of the world who are listening right now?
00:28:14.244 –> 00:28:26.164
CHANDRA: I think I would just say, you know, take charge of your career, figure out what you want and go for it and ask for help when you need it, because you would be surprised at how many people are willing to help.
00:28:29.504 –> 00:28:31.804
JEREMY: Well said, couldn’t have said it better myself.
00:28:31.804 –> 00:28:38.264
JEREMY: And I will definitely link to your LinkedIn.
00:28:38.264 –> 00:28:40.564
JEREMY: And I think you shared your Instagram account as well.
00:28:40.564 –> 00:28:48.884
JEREMY: So I can put that in the show notes at leaderassistant.com/297 for those that want to reach out and say hi and connect with you.
00:28:48.884 –> 00:28:53.584
JEREMY: And yeah, thanks again for taking time out of your day to share a little bit of your story.
00:28:53.804 –> 00:28:59.044
JEREMY: And congrats on a great career and best of luck to you in the next phase.
00:28:59.044 –> 00:29:00.524
CHANDRA: Thank you so much for having me.
00:29:20.688 –> 00:29:22.368
<v SPEAKER_1>goburrows.com.
