Starting My Career As An Assistant Helped Me Learn The Language Of Business
“Wait, so how did you hear about WritersBlok?
“Oh, my assistant raved about your agency the moment I mentioned wanting to write a book.”
For years, I’d been able to secure some of the biggest contracts of my career, and unbeknownst to most, they usually came as a result of a referral or co-sign from someone on their team.
Far too often I see other founders in my industry turn their nose up at anyone without a title that signifies some level of importance. And what a missed opportunity that will always be.
Long before the keynote speeches, published books, and celebrity clients, I was once that person deemed invisible and unimportant, all because the words “Executive Assistant” sat at the bottom of my email signature. While those experiences laid the foundation for the company I would later build, yes, usually in between stakeholder meetings, I’d be lying if I said being an EA was a walk in the park. There’s a tone you’re spoken to when you’re considered the help, and a dismissiveness from others in the room when you try to bring an idea forward.
There were absolutely moments where it impacted how I saw myself from time to time, and I made it a point, even back then, to never treat my team members the same when I inevitably rose in the ranks. What also stayed with me was the reminder that empathy and kindness go much further than a stellar track record. While I had colleagues who performed well, I made it a point to treat everyone I crossed paths with with the respect I knew they deserved because, in the end, I knew I could be sitting beside someone who would go on to change the world, or at least the one they were silently building, just like me.
In those rooms, I learned the language of business, but I also learned that true success comes from choosing to lean in and offer support when you’re on the come up with others, and to actively choose not to gatekeep when you make it into the room first.
From the stylist, to the driver, to even the assistant, these are usually the ones who’ve built deep and genuine relationships with the “talent” and are usually the one in their ear. When they’re looking for referrals, from good eats to the ghostwriter of their next memoir, these are the ones that get you in faster than a cold email. Their co-sign comes with real weight, and that can be a good or bad thing, depending on how you leverage it.
At this point in my career, my assistants keep me sharp. They put me on to what’s happening around me, and because of this my trust in them is unwavering. When I confide in them, be it about a potential client or acquaintance, I pay attention to their feedback, because just like me, I was the assistant with great ideas, and I never want them to think that it’s not valued. Not for a single second.
So, for my leaders in the room, when was the last time you sat and asked your assistant their opinion on a topic that matters—to you or even the brand you’re building. There are gems all around us, we just have to be willing to recognize that the role someone plays today is not a reflection of the person they’ll be tomorrow.