EA PROFILE
“ I can ’ t just go to work and then switch off at the end of the day . I really need to enjoy what I ’ m doing ”
Recently we had the pleasure of speaking to Lauren De Matos , Executive Assistant to the Executive Director of People , Safety and Culture at Life Without Barriers . Lauren was also crowned Runner-Up Up and Coming EA at our 2019 Executive PA awards . Here Lauren shares her tips and tricks to adapting as an EA working across industries and the importance of learning and development . Since remote working is now a common arrangement , Lauren also shares her experience on how to maintain a well-functioning connection with your executive remotely .
Lauren has an extensive background in administration and took many opportunities to advance her skills in each role she took . After Lauren finished her HSC , she took part in a two-year administration traineeship at the local council in Scone , NSW . After her time with the council she moved into a receptionist role at a local law firm in Scone and gained experience in the legal world .
10 months later Lauren decided to move from her little hometown to the big smoke in Newcastle . Here , she transitioned into a role in allied health and then went on to work as a clinical support officer in the local operating theatre . After three years there , she moved to BAE Systems as an executive assistant to the general manager . Lauren then began her current role at Life Without Barriers in 2018 .
While administration wasn ’ t necessarily Lauren ’ s main career goal , her progression in the industry was an organic experience . “ I really like the fact that I get to have time with people , that ’ s a really big thing for me . Then I really loved the diversity of the role . It ’ s not something that you just sit down and know what to do or what to expect every day . I just love being a support person in some capacity and the fact that we do get to float between different industries . You don ’ t really get to do that with many other professions .”
As many EAs would know , accepting a different position at a new company can be a daunting prospect . As an executive assistant , you ’ re one of the main points of contact within the business and getting up to speed on who you ’ re working for can be difficult . As someone who has experience across a variety of industries and companies , Lauren is a pro when it comes to researching .
“ Before you go into it , research the company as best you can online … I think for me it was really a matter of taking those opportunities to meet as many key stakeholders and build those relationships in many parts of the business . I find , especially in a big organisation , it can be hard to understand what happens outside of your function .
“ Just establish as many relationships as [ you can ] with as many different people . And always ask questions … As anybody else in this profession knows , [ EAs ] are the go to people for a lot of different questions from a lot of different people so you need to make sure you become that hub of knowledge and the best way to do that is to just ask as many questions as you can .”
While 2020 has seen an increase in remote working , Lauren was adapting to this style of work long before it became the norm . Seven months into her role at Life Without Barriers , Lauren ’ s executive made the move from Newcastle to Brisbane .
“ We just got back from Christmas break and Scott was on his way up to Darwin and he rang me and said , ‘ I ’ m in Brisbane ’. And I said , ‘ What are you in Brisbane for ? You ’ re supposed to be in Darwin .’ But he ’ s like , ‘ No , I ’ m moving to Brisbane in two weeks .’
“ We were really open and up-front to begin with … We laid down some ground rules with open communication , being available on mobile for each other , and emails and everything … So , now we refer to each other as ‘ Work Wife / Work Husband ’ and I know that ’ s not everybody ’ s favourite terminology but our commitment as ‘ Work Wife / Work Husband ’ is to talk every single day . That way he still feels connected , I feel connected and we can get through those tasks we need to . And because he moves remotely from the rest of his team it gives him that connection back into the team and lets him know what ’ s going on .”
50 Chief of Staff | Issue 1 2021