If you look in the dictionary under “Leader Assistant” you’ll find the name Maggie Jacobs. Maggie loves to learn and grow, but she doesn’t stop there. She teaches what she’s learned to others in a powerful way.
Maggie’s story is amazing, and I’m stoked to share our conversation with you!
We talk about how an assistant can and should fill the gaps at their company if they want to be a leader, compensation bands for assistants, the importance of being part of an EA community, how to network as an introvert, 3 powerpoint tips for you and your executive, and how to show ROI when presenting a business case when asking for a raise.
Maggie also talks about keeping a “brag” sheet, which is a great tool for looking out for yourself as an assistant. You can download her brag sheet template here.
Enjoy the show!
Download a FREE CHAPTER from Maggie’s new book for EAs!
BONUS: Be sure to listen for the promo code so you can get $200 off The Assistants Guide to Making More Money online course.
LEADERSHIP QUOTE
If you focus on goals, you may hit goals – but that doesn’t guarantee growth. If you focus on growth, you will grow and always hit goals.
– John C. Maxwell
CONNECT WITH MAGGIE
About Maggie Jacobs
Maggie is passionate about driving positive change and growth for individuals, teams, executives, and organizations. She has spent 10+ years working with C-Suite Executives where she has excelled in turning the seemingly impossible into possible – effectively, Executive Enablement. From her own personal journey, Maggie has developed a philosophy that strength and resilience can be found in looking for solutions to problems with open, honest, and authentic communication – and then taking decisive action.
Maggie serves as a thriving example of what’s possible when you find your voice, stop playing small, and step into your Greatness. She empowers others by showing them that their history doesn’t need to define them. Today, she speaks, writes, trains, and advises individuals on achieving more, transcending the boundaries of their own perception. Check out Maggie’s book, The Elevated EA: Find Your Voice and Own Your Future as an Executive Assistant. (Download a FREE chapter here.)
In her spare time, Maggie recharges through practicing yoga, reading, traveling, geeking out while tinkering with technology, and relentlessly pursuing personal and professional development. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and two cats.
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Maggie Jacobs 0:00
Hello, I’m Maggie Jacobs. Today’s leadership quote comes from John C. Maxwell. If you focus on goals, you may hit goals but that doesn’t guarantee growth. If you focus on growth, you will grow and always hit goals.
Podcast Intro 0:16
The Leader Assistant Podcast exists to encourage and challenge assistants to become irreplaceable, Game Changing leader assistants.
Podcast Outro 0:25
You are listening to Episode 33.
Jeremy Burrows 0:29
Thank you so much for listening all around the world. In US your host my data. Hey leader assistants, I’m excited to share my conversation with my friend Maggie Jacobs. Maggie is an awesome leader assistant has spent 10 plus years working with C suite executives, Maggie empowers others by showing them that their history doesn’t need to define them. Today she speaks writes trains and advises individuals on achieving more transcending the boundaries of their own perception. In her spare time, Maggie recharges through practicing yoga, reading, traveling geeking out while tinkering with technology and relentlessly pursuing personal and professional development. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and two cats. Before we jump into the interview, Maggie and I talk a little bit about compensation for assistants, which you’ll hear in a minute. So I wanted to point you to an online course that myself and salary negotiator extraordinaire, Al-Hussein Madhany put together, it’s called The Assistants Guide to Making More Money, and I’m all about making more money, but particularly for assistants. This course will walk you through the step by step process of crafting the perfect resume, negotiating a life changing compensation package, as well as asking for a salary increase in your current role. You can check out the course at money.assistantsguide.com. Again, that’s money.assistantsguide.com. And you can use the promo code podcast to get $200 off the course. Again, money.assistantsguide.com. Use the promo code podcast and you’ll get $200 off the course. Check it out, invest in yourself, invest in your future, and start making the money that you deserve. All right, let’s jump into my conversation with the lovely Maggie Jacobs. Hey, everyone. Thanks for tuning in to The Leader Assistant Podcast. I’m very excited to talk with Maggie Jacobs from 6sense today. Maggie, thanks for joining me.
Maggie Jacobs 2:46
Of course Jeremy, I’m really excited to be here. Thanks for having me.
Jeremy Burrows 2:49
So let’s talk a little bit about your very first job. And maybe what you learn from that job that you still use today.
Maggie Jacobs 2:58
My very first job I in college as they did just few things, many things. And a couple of those things were that we didn’t learn about were nutrition and financial literacy. And so my passion really in college became financial literacy straight out of college, I became licensed as a financial advisor that makes series 6-63 and a couple of insurance licenses and began advising individuals about their financial future right around the crash of 2008. So it didn’t exactly bode well for a successful launch.
Jeremy Burrows 3:33
Wow. Did you get back into it over time? Or do you still are you still licensed?
Maggie Jacobs 3:41
I’m not still licensed. It was a commission only sales role. And the business model initially was start with your friends and family. And that wasn’t quite prepared. i That wasn’t what I was quite prepared to do as my understanding of financial literacy. And so it was 2008. The scarcity, the lack of jobs, pre LinkedIn, I quickly went to Craigslist. And that’s really how I became an EA. I was looking for all these open roles thinking, What do I do where what am I going to do? Where do I go from here? And I saw the salaries for administrative assistants and executive assistants. And that’s really how I got into it. It was completely unintentional sort of a fallback plan and perhaps a stepping stone stone at least in my mind at the time.
Jeremy Burrows 4:35
So what was your first EA job?
Maggie Jacobs 4:38
My first EA job if you don’t count licking stamps for my mom when I was seven. I actually was a TA multiple time teaching assistant multiple times over in high school, as well as college and then out of that I was a personal and executive assistant to a founder and press didn’t have a real estate coaching firm. And that went on for several years as she built her own company as well as worked for some real estate firms within the Bay Area.
Jeremy Burrows 5:13
So what was maybe the moment that you realize that the EAA thing was something you’re really excited about and wanted to do long term?
Maggie Jacobs 5:26
To be honest, I don’t know that I was really excited about it. For my first few years, it was really not until I started my relentless pursuit of professional development and training that I really got excited about it. That’s when I unlocked the code, so to speak. And I let go of the mindset and the limiting belief of, oh, it’s only travel, it’s only calendar, and it’s only expenses; my brain is going to atrophy. Because that’s what I used to believe for the longest time. And it’s, it’s so much more than that. And we can we can do and be and create so much in this role. And we’re really only limited by our imagination. And I think that’s when it clicked for me that this role is absolutely where I’m supposed to be.
Jeremy Burrows 6:14
So tell us a little bit about the process of kind of that triggering in your mind and changing their perspective on the role. And then working your way from, from that moment to leading trainings, leadership meetings, and all that fun stuff.
Maggie Jacobs 6:33
Sure. So I went to my first EA conference seminar workshop, in 2013. And that was, Be the Ultimate Assistant with Bonnie Krame. And Vicki Sokol Evans, and Vicki, I’m not sure if you’ve seen her live, but she has an incredible knack for training on something that most people’s eyes would glaze over. And that is Microsoft. And I know there’s a lot of resistance and debate between Google and Microsoft, we can save that for another episode. But she ignited something in me that just unleashed this this productivity, this insatiable insatiably curious person to really learn how to leverage the tools that are at our fingertips, because 99.9% of us aren’t actually taught how to use the Microsoft Suite, right? When you interview for a job, it’s, oh, you’re proficient in Microsoft. But what does that actually mean? And to be perfectly honest, when I first saw her on an agenda, I thought, I don’t need this. I’m leaving, like, why would I stay for this, and I could not have been more wrong for learning the materials that she taught. And so I took that back to the office, I signed up for her red cape Academy, I took every single webinar that she offers, and I just immersed myself in every single training I could get my hands on that she delivered. And what that did, it allowed me to get my certifications in Microsoft, I’m an MLS, Microsoft Office Specialist. And so every template, every form every every deck that malfunctions every time you become frustrated with something specific to Microsoft, because let’s face it, there are a lot of frustrations, I would, I would raise my hand, I would say, let me build that. Let me create that. Let me show you how to do this. Let me show you how to format a five page document or a 50 page document in less than five minutes. And that’s really the power of learning how to use these tools. And so to answer your question, How did I go from being acquired assistant to doing what I thought was just the core responsibilities to leading trainings is I took those trainings those learnings. And it started with just onboarding one on one peer on peer onboarding. We’re in office 365 shop. And then as we begin to scale, those one on one trainings grew to several people. And then eventually our CRO while planning a sales kickoff. I think this was for 2018. Maybe it was 2017 2018. You said, hey Maggie, why don’t you lead a session on PowerPoint enablement. And I thought, I’d love to, I got so excited. And that that really sparked it from there when I continue to deliver trainings on occasion or specific to whether it’s sales kickoffs, or quarterly business reviews on how to leverage tools that are at our fingertips. And then I’ve expanded my attendance at various events beyond the EAA realm. And I take those learnings back and I get invited to speak at other events on other topics. And it’s, it’s incredible to see it’s beyond anything I could have possibly imagined several years ago.
Jeremy Burrows 9:48
What’s something you would you would share to encourage other assistants? If they’re hearing your story and thinking, you know, I can do that I could, you know, why not? Me? Yeah.
Maggie Jacobs 9:59
Well, Find that find the holes, find the gaps, what really started this, at my current company, as we had a deck, PowerPoint template, that was a nightmare to use, I would watch people from afar format these bullets that would automatically resize they weren’t. The whole master theme wasn’t built appropriately. And I would watch and think, wow, I could step in and show them how to use this and how to use it the way the software would be meant to use and save hours and preparation time for every single person. And so the advice I have is, find something that frustrates you find something that isn’t working for those things that you may be complaining about, or having that inner dialogue with yourself about if this doesn’t work, or I wish we had this, I wish we had that. Go out and build it. Don’t wait to be asked or don’t wait for somebody to come in and do it. Be that person, you have that power.
Jeremy Burrows 10:52
So what is a, maybe maybe one PowerPoint tip that you could share to everyone listening,
Maggie Jacobs 11:00
I’ll give you three. And these are the outlines for my PowerPoint enablement training. And the first one is leverage layouts. Every single one of us is guilty of building a deck of just duplicating that same slide, whether it’s title or title and content slide, and then resizing those boxes and formatting the text individually. If you click on Insert new slide with the drop down arrow, there are nine other layouts to choose from, use them that’s the first one. Number two beneath that Layout button is the reset button. If you’re working with multiple themes, multiple decks, just go ahead and push that reset button and watch what happens. That’s going to tell you what layouts are actually being used within that presentation. And then the third one, this is my favorite is avoid death by bullets. And what do I mean by that? How many slides index do we see where there’s just it’s every single slide is all bullets. That’s a snooze fest. And so when you hover in your text box, there’s something within PowerPoint. And I’m afraid it’s not available in Google, at least of my latest research at something called Smart Art. And so if you’re building diagrams, using shapes, and then inserting individual text boxes, and spending, if you’re spending any more than five minutes formatting a slide, you don’t have to do that. Check out smart art, it will literally change your life and save you 10s if not hundreds of hours over your lifetime. I still get text messages today from people where I delivered a training years ago thanking me. And that is truly a gift.
Jeremy Burrows 12:37
That’s awesome. So let’s shift a little bit and talk about community. And specifically, the community of assistants and EAS and all over the world. How important is it to be a part of a community?
Maggie Jacobs 12:56
I’d say it’s absolutely critical. It’s crucial to our role. And why is that? Because only within the last five years have people really stepped up, including yourself, right? These EA influencers. And so if you’re at a smaller company, such as myself, you’re on an island, particularly if you’re supporting chiefs, the CEO, whomever it may be, because it’s a double edged sword, people come to you with information that they may want filtered up, or they may not. And so it can be extremely isolating at times. And so there’s so many forums available, there are so many events, there are so many resources that we have access to. It’s just asking the question and to name a few of which we’re a member. It’s one of my favorites. I’m a member of a Slack channel where it’s some high level EAS and we go on there and we support each other, we answer each other’s questions. And my favorite aspect about that is we have the wins channel. And that’s not something that you have in normal work life, or at least I don’t. And that’s where we go on and we share, we share and celebrate each other’s successes. And you don’t have that in the workplace. And so I think that’s really valuable to my own growth, and to those that are members of the slack channel.
Jeremy Burrows 14:24
So what’s uh, what’s maybe a networking tip for the introverted assistants out there like myself, what’s what’s the tip on getting out of your comfort zone and meeting other assistants and networking?
Maggie Jacobs 14:38
You have to just do it, and I myself am an ISTJ. So I rock that introverted title proudly, but my current role doesn’t allow for it. And so for the hardcore introverts, if you if you’re new to the role, you’re doing your future self a disservice by not networking, and if you have Several years experience, you’re doing everyone else that has less experienced than you a disservice by not getting out there and sharing yourself and walking through that discomfort because I promise you what’s on the other side of that is so much more exciting than not doing that. And walking through that fear pays huge dividends.
Jeremy Burrows 15:21
Love it. So what’s the what’s maybe the number one struggle that you’ve had? Being an assistant?
Maggie Jacobs 15:29
The number one struggle, my number one frustration, and it has been for years is compensation bands. I’ve been to a couple of events now where I, where I asked I say, I’d love to conduct a live poll. And could each of you please raise your hand? If you’ve asked for a salary increase within the last year or two? Jeremy, do you know how many hands go up in a roomful of 150 people? Not many? Not many, let’s say 20%. So um, those hands? I say, Okay, thank you. Please keep your hands up. Now. Once you are told no. After the first ask, how many of you asked again? How many hands do you think stayed up?
Jeremy Burrows 16:19
That many?
Maggie Jacobs 16:21
Very few. The last time I did this in a room full of 150 people, a few hands stayed up because it’s people pursuing growth development. They’re getting the strategies, the tools, the tip to do so. But the time prior that I did that, every single hand went down. And so what does that mean? We have these compensation bands where people aren’t asking for increases. And our compensation isn’t being adjusted for anything particularly commensurate with the value that we bring to our executives and our organizations. And so for the last five to six years, candidly, I feel like I’m beating my head against a wall. Because it always comes back to the data, the data, the data, but the data is stagnant. And so I’m trying to view it as an opportunity. It’s, it can be extremely frustrating at times, but I’m absolutely committed to to carrying the torch to paving the way until working with people like you have to continually shine a light on the value that we bring to our organizations.
Jeremy Burrows 17:23
So what would be one, maybe quick takeaway or quick tip on getting more money and asking for more money?
Maggie Jacobs 17:34
Oh, showing ROI, truly. So this is one of my personal favorites. Stick with me. And maybe we can post in the show notes if it doesn’t make sense. So you deliver a PowerPoint enablement training, and I’m not saying everybody can do this. But let’s say you deliver a 30 minute PowerPoint training enablement session, right? Let’s say there are 10 attendees to keep it simple. And you go around the room and you say how many of you have each spent more than 10 minutes, formatting a PowerPoint slide. And then so in an Excel table, you map out these number 10 reps, let’s say the average deck is 10. Slides multiply that 10 minutes, 10 reps, 10 slides times their base salary. Now let’s say they make three decks a week, multiply that week, by how many weeks in a month, how many weeks in a year, that sort of thing. And that’s where the numbers get really interesting, because you can take that final number. And Jeremy, by the way, the last time I did this, that number was over $400,000. And then you can say, Oh, Mr. CEO, I delivered a 30 minute PowerPoint enablement training session, saving time in terms of time and dollars over 400,000. But that’s just on their base salary. Let me plug in their on target earnings number two, and then that number increased to over 750,000. And so that’s my favorite way to ask for more money, or at least show real ROI. Because that makes them stop and think and they think, Wow, holy cow. But I generally use that for asking for training, investment. And I plan to use it in my next review as well. And then the other aspect is, you’ve got to ask, then you’ve got to ask with confidence. You you maintain a brag sheet. Keep a document of all your achievements throughout the year, right? Because nobody else is looking out for you. You have to look out for yourself professionally and you must continue to ask for yourself and for everyone that’s following in your footsteps.
Jeremy Burrows 19:41
That’s great. So what is maybe one thing or the one thing that you’re most proud of?
Maggie Jacobs 19:53
That is a great question. Jeremy. I can tell you that I’m so proud of my insatiable curiosity, I can tell you that I’m most proud of my relentless pursuit of training and development. But I would be remiss if I didn’t share this because it’s absolutely core to who I am today. And without it, I know without question, I wouldn’t be where I am professionally if I hadn’t made this decision a few years ago. This is the first time I’m sharing this publicly. But I want to be congruent, and with what I share what I do, and practice, authenticity, and all that it is and all that I do. And so that is I made the decision to stop drinking, probably six years ago. And that’s been so impactful to how how I show up for myself and in life personally and professionally.
Jeremy Burrows 20:50
That’s awesome. Thank you. Congrats, by the way.
Maggie Jacobs 20:53
Thank you. Thank you.
Jeremy Burrows 20:55
So what are you grateful for?
Maggie Jacobs 21:00
My husband asked me this, often we do gratitude exercises, and he get he laughs at me when I say this, and I reply with everything. Because when you have a life, full of the life that I have, I contribute, I add value to others people’s lives, I am of service, I make a difference, I make an impact, and I do so because I enjoy it. I’m truly grateful for for everything comes my way, even even frustrations and challenges. Even the compensation band conversation piece, as frustrating as it is, I’m grateful for the opportunity to have those conversations to be that difference to be that change that I want to see. And so I hope it doesn’t sound cliche, but I really am in a place where I’m just grateful. It’s a state for me, it’s a state.
Jeremy Burrows 21:54
So what do you think executives should look for in an assistant?
Maggie Jacobs 22:03
I think it’s nuanced. But I would say, knowing what I know. And I’ve worked with many assistants over the years is the single most important piece is hunger. And what what do I mean by that I mean, the hunger to learn to the hunger to, to grow, to essentially be a sponge, and then grit, and resourcefulness to really be determined to figure it out to get it done to make it happen.
Jeremy Burrows 22:39
So what about maybe, on the flip side, maybe for assistance, what should assistants look for? When they’re maybe interviewing for a job with an executive? Maybe, is there something that they can that would be maybe a red flag, if they, you know, experience this in an interview with an executive that should say, you know, let’s I shouldn’t, this is not going to be a healthy spot.
Maggie Jacobs 23:09
I don’t know how to describe it. But I know generally, when I’ve been in my interviewing circuits, trust your gut, trust your intuition. Within 15 minutes, maybe even less, you’ll now do you want to work with this person? Can you support them? Can you help them? Can you enable them to reach their next level of success? Can you see building a mutual foundation of trust, and respect and communication? I think communication is paramount. But for me if and when I do get back in the interviewing circuit, because I absolutely love my my current gig, my role, my executive? One question that I would ask, if you have the audacity to do so is to ask the executive, not anyone else in the interview queue. But other than the executive you’d be supporting is, do you have a plan for your own personal growth? And then quote, and then be very quiet? I haven’t actually done this one. But I plan to, because I’m very curious, right? We support these high powered executives, but you reach a certain point. And I myself have felt like I’ve plateaued at times. And so I have to continuously uplevel my game. And when I do so I know that I uplevel those around me and so I’d be very curious to see how executives answer that question.
Jeremy Burrows 24:35
What’s maybe a tip for managing constant interruptions?
Maggie Jacobs 24:42
So our role at our core is to make things possible, where we’re not here to be a hindrance. And so the best piece of advice I can give on managing constant interruptions is To remember that you’re serving, don’t become frustrated. Don’t let that feeling of overwhelm, overwhelm you learn to view them through the lens of acceptance, and embrace them. Because they’re not going away. They are constant. And as you said, they’re constant interruptions by definition, and they’re here to say, and know that when you are interrupted, that if you respond with a smile, and kindly, you’re serving as a contribution, you’re going to be making a positive impact. And that’s, that’s huge.
Jeremy Burrows 25:38
So if you could snap your fingers and instantly give all assistance, more of something, what would it be?
Maggie Jacobs 25:45
Confidence 100%, I think every single one of us wonders at times. Am I doing this correctly, particularly when we make mistakes, right, where we’re on biggest critics? Am I doing this right? Do they appreciate me? Do they see me? Am I valued? First and foremost, the answer is yes to all of those questions. But just having confidence in yourself and your abilities, your supporting executives, you have executive in your title, being confident, and that will speak volumes and how you show up.
Jeremy Burrows 26:24
So speaking of mistakes, what’s the biggest mistake you’ve made as an assistant?
Maggie Jacobs 26:30
Oh, boy. So I’m going to share these with you. And now I will share a few. Acknowledging that every mistake I’ve made that I’m about to share is was 100%. My fault. And I immediately took action to resolve the situation. As soon as I learned the error, and the first one that comes to mind is not at my current company, previous one. And these were all physically knee buckling situations if you can understand the magnitude of what I have done or not done. And the first one is New Year’s Eve, my phone keeps ringing I can hear in the other room, it’s probably 10pm. I’m ready for bed, obviously. Because it’s you know, New Year’s Eve. And it’s my CEO, he’s like, Hey, I’m checking into this hotel, and they don’t have a reservation for me. Oops. So that was a complete disconnect and miscommunication. Didn’t have a hotel room booked for him, was able to quickly resolve it within something nearby. But that was a big one. Another one was my current CEO, this was probably a week after or maybe a month after he started. And he’s so kind had I not interpreted the text message for what it was I probably wouldn’t even realize it made a mistake. But he had a call with another chief externally for a six figure negotiation call. No big deal, right. I left the other chief off of the calendar invite. Yeah, minor detail. Not my favorite moment. This text message was so great. He said, Hey, John Smith didn’t show up to the call this morning. Perhaps it’s because he wasn’t on the invite. That’s all. That’s all he said. I’d never I never heard about it later. That’s all I had to say. And of course, my knees immediately buckled and you think oh, my computer didn’t sink or oh, this happened or Oh, and now i There were no excuses to be had, there was no blame. He was not on the invite. So I quickly found it quickly rectified it. And then something that happened very recently, and this is absolutely humiliating, Jeremy. But I’ll own it. And I’ll share it, because I’m able to laugh about it now. And I should also share that, by the way, a lot of these could, depending on your relationship with your executive could result in the PIP performance improvement plan or a termination. I’ve heard of these, and I’m so grateful they have not happened to me. But my latest one was pretty bad. And that was within the last month maybe in the last two weeks. Jason, my current CEO had external meeting off site. The meeting shifted. There’s a lot of meetings in play. And I thought this one was one that the other EA owned and it wasn’t so I got a text message. Hey, this meeting changed. But it’s still on my calendar. Again, not my proudest moment. pretty devastating inside in the moment of but quickly and it quickly rectified it and rebut it we were able to laugh about it.
Jeremy Burrows 29:48
So let’s now that we know all the dirt let’s let’s talk about the times when you save the day, maybe one time when you really care crushed it.
Maggie Jacobs 30:02
Sure, so my favorite one, my biggest one one that I will never forget and still can’t believe actually pulled off is we were going through a reorg and onboarding several new chiefs, and so upcoming events weren’t necessarily on their radar. And it was one that was probably three or four months away. And it was our single biggest investment in terms of events of the year by far. And we didn’t have the marketing infrastructure to execute it to pull it off. And so I asked, I said, Hey, who’s owning this, and then I would get answers here and there. Oh, so and so so and so. But none of these new people had been to this event. And I hadn’t actually been to the event myself, I’d been on the behind the scenes planning and planning and prior years, but I, I knew and I understood the magnitude that this was representative of our brand or reputation. And even though I had a full time job, someone had to step up, and I stepped up to own it to be the POC, the point of contact. And Jeremy, I have absolutely no idea how we pulled it off, I still can’t believe it happened to this day, especially returning this year with a full fledged marketing team in force. But that was one of the proudest moments to see that three months of planning with a couple of contractors, and people that really stepped up within the company to wear multiple hats to see it executed successfully was one of my proudest moments thus far.
Jeremy Burrows 31:32
Awesome. So if an assistant called you tomorrow, saying that, listen, Maggie, I’m not respected in my current role. What would you say to them?
Maggie Jacobs 31:46
That’s a tough one, because Admittedly, this is more common than not, I think, or at least the way it’s presented to me. I am seeing a shift moreso than I have in the last few years. But what I would initially say, and this may sound cold, and I promise it’s not my intent is I’m a firm believer, and you get what you tolerate. So what does that mean? If if you feel you’re not being treated with respect, you likely aren’t. But I have to ask the question. Are you being respectful? And so one, you absolutely get what you tolerate. But two, you get what you put out? And so frequently, I I run into people who feel they aren’t necessarily being respected. But how are you showing up in your role? Are you being respectful? Are you confident? What are you projecting? What kind of energy are you bringing into the room? How’s your tone? How’s your body language? How you do? How’s your delivery? And so, I absolutely recognize there are extremely difficult people here and there on occasion. But I want to invite people to think about that, how are you showing up to your role? Because your communication, whether verbal or nonverbal, can absolutely make all the difference in the interaction.
Jeremy Burrows 33:27
So what do you think makes an assistant a leader?
Maggie Jacobs 33:32
What am I think makes an assistant a leader? That’s a great question. I think it’s because we lead behind the scenes, right? It’s very much I don’t want to say in silence, but it’s, we are absolutely not in the limelight. And so it’s it’s having influence and to do that it takes lm a mixture of elements. What are those courage, the courage to do what’s right, the courage to speak truth, to power, to have humility, we work alongside powerful people. And it’s important, we don’t abuse that power. having compassion and empathy when people bring stuff to you, whether or not they want it activated and escalated, or if they just need that year of someone to listen to them so that they feel seen and heard. But some of the best EAS that I’ve seen that I that mentor me that coach me that train me, they are phenomenal with people in managing those relationships, because at the end of the day companies, businesses, they’re run by people, and we’re people and I think human beings naturally do Want to be seen, heard, acknowledged and appreciated, and to be able to do all of those things for another human being? That’s what makes you a leader.
Jeremy Burrows 35:12
That’s great, Maggie. Well, thank you so much for taking time out of your day and sharing your tips and tricks and wisdom and failings and successes with us. It’s been been an honor to chat with you is where can we find you online? And what how can we support what you’re up to?
Maggie Jacobs 35:33
So I have a few things underway. But until then, I would encourage each of you to support each other, to help each other grow and reach new heights. Otherwise, in terms of social, I’m mostly on LinkedIn. And that’s Maggie Jacobs. I’m occasionally on Instagram. And that is magstir, MAGSTIR. And that’s it for now.
Jeremy Burrows 35:59
Great, well, I’ll put those in the show notes so people can find you easily. And yeah, thanks again, so much for your time, and we will talk soon.
Maggie Jacobs 36:09
Absolutely. Jeremy. Thanks so much. I really appreciate it.
Jeremy Burrows 36:13
Thank you for listening friends. And thank you Maggie for sharing your story. Very inspirational. Check out the show notes at leaderassistant.com/33. Leaderassistant.com/33 And again, check out the money course assistants guide to making more money at money.assistants guide.com and use the promo code podcast to get $200 off of the course. Have a great one and we’ll talk to you next time.
Speaker 3 36:56
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