Assist With Impact

Episode 150 is the third in my series on the three biggest challenges I hear from Executive Assistants. In this episode I share my own struggles with this topic and how I strive every day to overcome lack of confidence. I share three resources to help you continue to make progress with building and maintaining your confidence. I also celebrate that I've reached the milestone of 150 episodes. How t...

The second episode in my trio of episodes focusing on the top three challenges I hear from Executive Assistants. This one is all about how to manage priorities.  I share three concepts and approaches to managing the shifting sands that EAs deal with on a continual basis. Resources discussed in this episode: Resource #1 Book - Managing Up by Mary Abajay https://www.amazon.com.au/Managing-Up-Move-Wo...

Feeling unable to say no is one of the biggest challenges that I hear from Executive Assistants. In this episode and in coming episodes I will be sharing with you the top three challenges I hear from EAs when I survey them prior to delivering my training programs.  In each episode I will share three tools, tactics or resources to help you meet this challenge. Resources discussed in this episode: h...

A solo episode kicking off 2022 with a book recommendation.  - What defines a 'giver', a 'taker' and a 'matcher' - Why this applies particularly to Executive Assistants - How I relate to being a failing giver and the cost it takes on me - How it applies to my word of 2022 - My wish for you, my lovely listener Watch the TEDx talk where Adam Grant talks about these concepts here :  https://www.ted.c...

In my final episode for 2021 I share what I've seen in the Executive Assistants I've trained this year. Listen to the episode to hear the biggest pain points and my observations about why this is the case. I also discuss how this year has been about consistently sharing my approach to training and coaching assistants. Helping you move out of the order-taker zone and spend more time in the more imp...

In this solo episode, Liz shares why she LOVED this book by Liz Wiseman, and why it's a must-read for Executive Assistants who want to be impact players or Linchpin Assistants. Liz Wiseman is a researcher and executive advisor who teaches leadership to executives around the world. She is the author of  New York Times  bestseller  Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter ,  The Multi...

Part Two of my interview with ex-Linchpin Assistant Rachael Bonetti. In the second half of our interview Rachael shares her five tips for developing your 'Executive Presence'. Rachael says "It's in the way they move, speak and show up every day. It's evident in their actions, their commitments and their focus." It's something she works with EAs to develop and demonstrate in her mentoring programs....

The first in my two-part interview with Rachael Bonetti. Listen to the episode to hear her experience navigating the Career Spider Frame. How Rachael got clear on the skills, behaviours and values that empowered her to support Chairmen, CEOs, change-makers and entrepreneurs, and show up as a Linchpin Assistant. How Rachael started and grew her side hustle, The Admin Alchemist, enabling her to step...

The third and final episode in my mini-series on how the dreaded Drama Triangle plays out for you as an Executive Assistant or Office Professional. In this episode we focus on the 'Perpetrator'. These people are the villain of the drama. They're controlling and they're catch-cry will be something like... "It's all your fault", "I know better", "You're doing it wrong". Setting boundaries and commun...

This week's episode follows on from Episode 140 and dives a bit deeper into the role of the 'rescuer' in The Drama Triangle.  - The 3 situations where the victim looks to the rescuer to save them from - The people that may present want you as an assistant, to 'rescue' them - The WIFM (What's In It For Me) you get from being a rescuer  - How The Drama Triangle is a part of 'below the line' thinking...

This week's episode relates to a topic that I see coming up again and again in my work coaching and training executive assistants and administrative professionals. The Drama Triangle is something you will relate to both in terms of your work environment and in your personal life. Are you a victim, a persecutor, or a rescuer? If you're human, chances are there will be different situations where you...

It's been a few months between podcast episodes but baby, I'm back! This episode is a solo one, explaining what's been going on and providing a glimpse of what to expect for the remainder of 2021. Thanks for sticking with me and sending you lots of love my lovely listeners x

Part Two of my interview with Marco where we continue our conversation around the self-directed learning and development that Marco has initiated in order to build his capability, confidence and value as an Executive Assistant. Extending himself as an EA has also involved stepping into the limelight on another podcast, The Future Assistant, hosted by Diana Brandl. You can find the episode here. Ma...

Marco Macente is an Italian office professional who has been working as an Executive Assistant for ten years. He is based in Milan and has studied in the United Kingdom where he undertook a Masters in Corporate Communications in London. Marco supports senior managers within the Oncology unit of Bayer Pharmaceuticals and in this episode shares how he is fulfilling the role of EA as an Executive Bus...

Climbing the career ladder isn't all it's cracked up to be. Instead, think of your career like a spider frame... Yes there's up. But there's also across. This episode is the part of my discussion with Dani and Tricky from Tenfold Australia who I featured in Episode 135. I took the opportunity to get them to tell me about their personal experience navigating the career spider frame. Listen to them...

Tenfold Australia was established in 2020 to 'tenfold Australia's impact for a better world'. They describe themselves as a 21st century multinational leadership forum. The company name reflects their purpose to tenfold Australia's impact for a better world. Episode 135 is my interview with Dani Matthews, Chief Experience Officer (CXO) and Richard (Tricky) Mableson, Chief Success Officer (CSO) of...

It's been a month between podcast episodes and for that I am truly sorry. Leaving you, my lovely listener in the lurch isn't a good feeling. But sadly, there's been a bit going on for me and unfortunately I haven't felt capable of showing up on the podcast. That's changing today. I'm back and I want to be my authentic self and share what's been going on for me.   

I didn't invent the phrase 'hope is not a strategy' but I love it and I think it's particularly relevant for assistants who find themselves trapped in a hope-based strategy when it comes to asking for what they want and what they need AND asking for what their boss wants and needs. In this episode I explore the topic of self advocacy and how it is one area where being comfortable engaging in diffi...

No one likes a difficult conversation (including me). Being able to engage in challenging conversations is a crucial Power Skill that I train assistants in. There are many people who avoid them altogether but the consequences of this can be enormous and it's definitely something that will get in the way of you being perceived as a Linchpin Assistant. If you're someone who cares about creating and...

A few years back I started surveying business leaders to get their perspective on the role of the EA and how their EA enabled their leadership and effectiveness. The results continue to be interesting. In this episode I share a couple of the insights. Interestingly whilst leaders SAY they want their EA to demonstrate leadership traits, significantly less respondents agreed with statements that bea...

Linchpin Assistants are 'superpowered' by what I describe as their Power Skills...soft skills on steroids! Negotiating for mutual benefit is one of the 10 Power Skills that I train assistants to be able to rely on to help them be that little hinge that can swing big doors. Resources discussed in this episode: - Huthwaite whitepaper can be downloaded here https://info.huthwaiteinternational.com/eff...

It might be February but it's still early enough in 2021 to spend some time reflecting and refocusing so that you can march forward purposefully into this still fresh year. In this episode Liz shares some resources to help you do exactly that. Firstly, Dr. Peter Fuda is a thought leader in the area of high performing teams and leadership. He has a brilliant blog and is someone to follow on LinkedI...

A solo episode from Liz to wish all of my lovely listeners a safe, healthy and happy holiday season.  In this episode I share my own experience of Christmas in hospital attached to a drip being cared for during Breast Cancer treatment and finding myself in Intensive Care coming close to death.  I talk about the lessons I learnt about what's worth caring about and what can be kicked to the curb. I...

Welcome to a 'road rambling' episode where I share what's been going on in my house in the last few weeks and why I've been MIA to a certain extent as a result. If there's a takeaway from this episode it's that we need to be as kind to ourselves as we are to others. Life is messy and as I like to say, we are human beings not human doings and the realities of 'being a human' have been what I've exp...

Part 2 of my interview with Emma Rhoades from Her Corporate Journey. In this episode Emma shares her 5 tips for managing your manager and how she has learnt from experience the value of each of these tips. This episode reinforces why I believe the five elements of my Knowing Assistant Framework are vital to helping you develop as an assistant. This episode particularly reinforces the value of Know...