Leadership Gold Always Shines — Don’t Miss It!

Have you ever wondered what hidden potential lies right outside your door? I'm not talking about treasure buried underground or some elusive secret.

Tell me if this sounds familiar. You're a leader with an assistant who handles your emails, hosts guests when they come to the office, sets up the conference room, books travel, and ensures the office runs smoothly. Don't get me wrong; there's nothing wrong with that.

But... what if this assistant was capable of more? How much more? Stay with me as I take you on a journey. The following story might be yours, your assistant's, or the assistant you've yet to hire. For now, let's call this assistant Pam.

Pam was an executive assistant and operations leader for a long time. She was a well-seasoned leader, having worked at one of the smallest companies in her industry and one of the largest and most prominent. Her range of knowledge at this point in her career was pretty broad.

When Pam started her job at Company A, her first boss was good to her, but he only saw her as his "email girl" who set up meetings and planned parties. And on paper, that's pretty much all she was hired for. While she loved her job and was willing to do it all, she rarely had any opportunities to do anything else. She was stuck in the assistant box. I'd love to tell you that in large progressive organizations like Company A, that doesn't exist, but it does. Pam knew there was more in her. She knew she'd eventually reach the ceiling at Company A. Soon; she'd have to choose to stay stuck or look for a job at another company unless she was given new opportunities to grow. She had so many ideas and a passion for systems. She often saw areas of improvement in her team well before her boss did. Unfortunately, he couldn't see her potential or what she really wanted: a seat at the leadership table.

After some time, her boss left the company, and Pam had a new boss. He saw her potential almost immediately. In fact, he saw more in her than she saw in herself. One day, Pam overheard him make a comment to another leader: "She's got a lot of untapped potential, and when she speaks- people listen." Did anything change overnight? No. However, she continued to serve faithfully daily. She built relationships. She gained influence within her team and across the entire company. Over time, because she stewarded every moment well, her boss started looking for ways to maximize who she was, leverage her strengths, explore the things she was passionate about, and give her unconventional leadership opportunities. Her role grew past what was on paper or was technically "allowed," granting her that seat at the leadership table.

Pam became well-known throughout the company. Other leaders started approaching her to join their teams. On paper, some might have said, "Wow. That's a huge promotion." Some of them came with more prestige and even a little more money. But Pam was wise and wouldn't budge. She'd observed the way these other leaders put their people in "boxes." Pam wasn't willing to sacrifice the partnership she had with her boss for something that looked good on paper but wouldn't afford her the same level of influence and trust. Everyone she confided in thought she was crazy to turn those new opportunities down. But her boss had invested a lot and took a risk on her when no one else saw it- giving her a seat at the leadership table as a strategic partner.

That's not where it ended. Pam went on to lead bigger and bigger initiatives that impacted her team and, eventually, all of Company A. She established culture, built teams, designed systems, and managed multiple teams! On top of that, she continued to provide support for her leader, who always had a million plates spinning! By the time she left Company A, Pam had hired everyone on her team. She'd rebuilt processes that maximized their technology, created substantial cost savings, and helped reduce ticket times. But here's the kicker. Even though she worked with a technical team, Pam wasn't a technology person. She was an executive assistant and operational leader who stewarded the leadership space given to her to drive organizational success. Did she have to learn things, ask great questions, and use leadership skills to lead people much smarter than her to accomplish things? Absolutely.

Ok, plot twist... Pam is me. This is actually my story, but it "could" be yours, your assistant's, or the assistant you've yet to hire. I don't share this to brag about myself, but as an advocate for the assistant sitting outside your door, for the assistant you've yet to hire, and for you, my assistant friends who are capable of so much more. I loved being an executive assistant, serving leaders and teams, and I still do. But that doesn't mean it has to look the way it's always looked.

If my boss at the time hadn't seen my potential, continued to invest in me, and allowed my role to expand as I grew, eventually, someone else would've, and I would've leaped at the opportunity. Plenty of times, I took too long to be transparent with my boss about what I wanted and my dreams for my role. Learn from my mistakes, and if it's something you want, have the conversation and go after it. When you know what you value and find a boss who values you and what you value, it's easy to stick it out even when you aren't quite where you want to be.

Leaders, I encourage you not to miss the potential right in front of you, possibly sitting right outside your door. So many of the assistants I worked with could out-lead the leaders around them. They're strategic, servant-hearted leaders who can think like executives. They wish their leader would give them the same trust and leadership opportunities I had.

Even though some of what you read is who I am, if my boss hadn't seen my potential and blazed a few trails for me, there's no way I'd be the executive assistant and leader I am today. You can choose what type of boss to be. One that sees potential and paves the way even when it's unconventional, or you can keep doing things the way you've always done them.

Assistants, I get you, and I believe in you. My encouragement is to be true to yourself. If you want more and that seat at the leadership table, be faithful with the small things, anticipate, think strategically, and look for opportunities to expand your role. If you can't find it where you are, find a leader who sees it, advocates for you, and is willing to give you the leadership space with a seat at the table.

If you want something different, you have to do something different.