Assist With Impact

Liz has developed a 5 step process to identifying the skills, values and behaviours that will make you an indispensable Assistant to your business leader. Step 1 is to conduct a personal skills audit. In this episode, the first in a five part series to be released over coming weeks, Liz outlines two different approaches to conduct a personal skills audit. Liz also discusses how the results of this...

A solo episode sharing an aha moment that Liz has experienced in the process of developing a new intro for the podcast. It's a short 15 minute episode this week ruminating on the confidence that comes from realising that in order to be an advocate and influencer in the Executive Assistant space she doesn't need to have been the 'best' Executive Assistant that has ever done the role. That it's legi...

Sonia Petersen has over 15 year's experienc e as an Executive Assistant working with successful leaders within the construction industry. She is passionate about operations and driving efficiency and really enjoys the collaborative nature of the Executive Assistant role. Amongst her fellow EA's she is known for her dedication to support and inspire others which she has done by informally mentoring...

As Founder and Managing Director of leading boutique office support recruitment company EST10, Roxanne Calder brings a fresh approach to the table.  Roxanne established EST10 in 2010 and from the launch of the company has sought to differentiate EST10 from other recruiters through the way they engage with employers and candidates with integrity and demonstrating through their actions passion and a...

Task Management is a fundamental job role of Executive Assistants. Developing and maintaining a well managed 'to-do' list where it is easy to identify the priority of tasks and the stakeholders involved in their execution is something an indispensable assistant needs to resolve.  In this solo episode Liz discusses the importance of task management, how a notebook and pen will continue to remain an...

Road Ramblings makes a comeback this week just in time for Christmas. Liz recounts how technical 'isssssews' have prevented her from doing her interview with Roxanne Calder from est10 which will be rescheduled for the new year. How this week has been all about being a taxi driver for an injured teenage daughter and also dealing with the technical troubleshooting meltdowns that are the curse of som...

A solo episode revisiting a metaphor that came up in Episode 17 with Kate Toon where Kate described herself as the sort of EA/PA who looked behind the margarine. What does this actually translate to and why is it important. Liz also gives a snapshot of the 2017 EAN Congress and notes how the theme of building a partnership with your executive is in sync with what Being Indispensable is all about (...

As Executive/Personal Assistants we are often in the unique position of being aware of 'problems' within our organisation. The mantra "don't bring me problems, bring me solutions" can be counter productive and discourage assistants from engaging in conversations that could be helpful with their business leader.  In this solo episode Liz discusses an article published in Fast Company and compares i...

Kate Toon is extraordinary. She is a copywriter, SEO lover, speaker, podcaster, TV presenter and trainer as well as being a mother, a wife and a small business owner. In this interview Kate shares how she transitioned from a Personal Assistant to an award winning producer of advertising content in the print, television and online space. This episode is essential listening for assistants that recog...

Rumination and reflections on the complex situation HRC's Executive Assistant must have been in trying to juggle the demands of HRC as well as other stakeholders in terms of her access to emails. This got Liz thinking about some of the things she has learnt managing her bosses inbox. How systems, processes and rules are your friend when it comes to inbox management and how business leaders aren't...

Liz shares how the podcast title Being Indispensable was chosen in complete ignorance of the fact that Seth Godin had explored the concept in his book "Linchpin: Are You Indispensable" (which Liz is definitely going to be reading). Even if you subscribe to the view that being indispensable is unattainable, Liz argues that the qualities and behaviors that make someone irreplaceable still hold value...

This week is all about making space to care for herself. As part of this Liz is doing some self-reflection and beginning the process of putting into place the technique of mindfulness that has been proven to develop the "mind muscle" used to create a calmer mind and a healthier body. In addition, Liz took the Myers Briggs Type Indicator test to get some insight into her personality type as explain...

Two weeks into the job-share Liz reflects on her learnings so far....systems and processes, or the lack there-of can become glaringly obvious when you undertake a job-share. Liz also notes how important it is for the person who is embarking on the job-share arrangement (the fresh eyes so to speak) to come to the table with an open mind and willing to leave their judgement at the door! Well, in her...

Liz comes clean about how she hasn't allowed herself permission to not be okay post treatment for Breast Cancer. In pretending that life has gone on and it was no big deal she has not given her body and mind what it actually needs to heal. In this episode Liz opens up about how up until now she has been projecting the image of someone who has their shit together when in actual fact she's been slow...

A Minibee (Mini Being Indispensable) episode where Liz ruminates on what she's learned from reading about the four tendencies that Gretchen Rubin outlines in her bestselling book "Better Than Before": Upholders, Obligers, Rebels and Questioners.  By doing the online quiz Liz has established that she's a classic Obliger. What does this mean for her in terms of her relationship with her business lea...

In Part 2 of this interview with Jan Jones, author of "The CEO's Secret Weapon", Liz talks to Jan about the benefits of Exceptional Assistants sharing the traits and habits that allow them to develop outstanding relationships with the business leader they support. Jan shares her perspectives on why the EA is a service professional and how developing relationships with other EA's is vital.

Jan Jones is an author, a businesswoman and an exceptional assistant in her own right talks to Liz about her fantastic book "The CEO's Secret Weapon" and how she started her working life in Sydney, Australia as a 'Girl Friday' working for a small brokerage firm. Jan reflects on how the exacting standards of her first boss have stood her in great stead as she embarked on a career that has taken her...

In this episode, Liz opens up about the challenge of continuing to pursue her podcast journey when every fibre of her being is telling her to run away and hide. She shares how the inspirational writings of Elizabeth Gilbert and gutsy voice of Cynthia Heimel have helped to remind her that Being Indispensable is more than the vanity project she fears others may think it is. As Elizabeth Gilbert says...

In a week where Liz is struck down with Sinusitis and has to take a day off work, she reflects on 'guilt', a most unhelpful emotion and shares how she is working to challenge this negative thinking. The habit of over apologising is also explored with some references to the work of Gretchen Rubin and her podcast 'Happiness', Brene Brown's TED talk and books and Fred Kofman's Huffington Post blog ar...

In the first interview for the Being Indispensable podcast, Liz interviews Sonja Firth, an Executive Assistant who epitomises the description 'capable'. Sonja has an eclectic set of skills and is highly regarded by her clients for her knowledge and effectiveness. In addition to being sought after to provide office support, Sonja is in demand as a LinkedIn trainer. Sonja works with businesses and i...

In this episode Liz gives an update on the results of her LinkedIn survey question and discusses Amy Cuddy and her research on Presence. How we can use power poses to program our mind to show up as more confident and have PRESENCE. Fascinating and inspiring research which shows that tiny tweaks can lead to big changes. 

The first in what is planned to become a regular addition to the Being Indispensable podcast library - road ramblings. This episode focuses on the perils of asssuming when making flight bookings for your executive. Liz shares her epic fail when she inadvertently allowed her executive to be booked on a discount air fare. 

Liz ruminates on the potential ramifications of Ernst & Young Australia reducing costs by rolling out Virtual Assistants to support Partners and Senior Managers. This is topical given the rise of the VA industry but has implications for the ability of assistants and their executives to work effectively. Does being 'virtual' affect an assistants ability to be proactive and how traditional Executive...

In this episode Liz outlines the role serendipity played in her decision to become an Executive Assistant. How a lunch with a friend led her to pursue a career transition to becoming an EA. She discusses the research she conducted into the role of the EA, the skills and capabilities required and the Michael Hyatt article that formed the basis for how she approaches her role.

Being an Executive Assistant can be isolated and lonely. The relationship with the business leader whilst personal and close requires the assistant to maintain distance from others in order to perform the role well. This makes it hard to share experiences and learnings. In this first episode, Liz outlines why Being Indispensable is the podcast for Executive and Personal Assistants to get the tips,...