RECOGNITION being organising the 2017 annual leadership conference in Cambodia . “ The one in 2017 … was in a third world country and probably the longest haul flight the group had done in a while ... We built houses for those that were under privileged and put a roof over their heads — one of life ’ s basic necessities . The gala dinner was in a location that was out of this world , in a jungle with a temple as the background .
“ For me that was probably the biggest project I ’ d ever had … I think not being able to speak the local language and using interpreters and trying to negotiate everything as well , is not an easy task . You ’ ve got to have a lot of patience for these things and for me that was a huge challenge . I thought , if I can achieve this and it be successful and run smoothly without a hitch — which is exactly what it did — I could do anything . So , for me that was a massive moment in my life where I proved to myself my abilities and capabilities and how far I can push myself .”
As any EA knows , planning events is a mammoth task that comes separately to the day-to-day work of supporting your executives and finding a balance between both can be difficult . Stacie is all too familiar with this challenge .
“ There was very , very long hours and it ’ s just hard work and persistence , managing your time and working as fast as you can , as accurately as you can …
“ I ’ d sit at home in front of the TV before I ’ d go to bed and I ’ d be researching venues or I ’ d be looking at menus or ideas for theming and styling or looking up bands , whatever it might be . I spent a lot of my spare time doing the research side of things and flicking off enquiries .”
EAs have to be resilient — this is common knowledge by now . As an EA you ’ re thrown into so many different situations and scenarios it ’ s important you take it on board .
“ You ’ ll hear things that aren ’ t necessarily in your favour or it might be hard to take on as feedback , but it ’ s all a part of growing and developing . I ’ m very big on personal development and my own career development as well . If I don ’ t know if I ’ m doing something wrong , then how am I supposed to grow ? So , I appreciate when I hear things like that ,” says Stacie .
This positive attitude is something that she learnt at a young age and took with her along her career .
“ It ’ s probably something my dad taught me when I was younger , and it ’ s part of my natural nature . As time goes by you just become more and more resilient to things and don ’ t let things faze you . There ’ s no point … getting emotional because then you ’ re just going to lose time and productivity .”
While EAs aren ’ t seen as “ gatekeepers ” anymore , they still need to guard top secret information . This can be tricky when you ’ re first starting out and Stacie is quick to share her top tips for juniors in this position .
“ If there are emails then I file them straight away , so they ’ re not in easy sight . I code things as well , so that if someone happens to look over my shoulder , they aren ’ t going to know what it is because it ’ s under a codename
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only I recognise . “ One best practice I learnt from my very early days is , everyone comes to the EA because they know the EA knows everything and they want to try and get information out of you . And you just have to pretend like you don ’ t know anything , and say , ‘ Oh , I don ’ t know .’ With things that might be printed out I have things hidden in folders or locked up in drawers and I don ’ t leave anything laying around .”
If you ’ re constantly developing and growing , career progression is natural . But this often means moving on from your executive and building a new relationship from the ground up . With Stacie ’ s extensive experience , she ’ s no stranger to this challenge .
“ It ’ s just letting them know that you ’ re getting the job done . So , when they ask for items just keep them updated on how you ’ re going and letting them know when things are completed ... It ’ s about proving yourself and that tasks have been done to the highest possible standard . To me it ’ s also work ethic , and keeping yourself available to them when they need you .
“ There are going to be times when your executive is travelling … out of hours or on a weekend . There ’ re things that will happen out of hours and they need your support , so you ’ ve just got to be there and be able to support them and action items straight away . I think it ’ s just letting them know you ’ ll support them no matter what , whatever the time is , whatever the day is and building the trust along the way .
“ And it ’ s not just that it ’ s also building a bit of a friendship , too . You ’ re working closely with each other every single day and being able to have a bit of a conversation on the side that ’ s not necessarily work related just to break the day up a little bit .”
While Stacie is constantly pushing herself and developing her skills as an EA , she also believes in helping others and is passionate about mentoring . “ I want them to know that my door is open , and they can come to me for anything . It is really nice to give back and help people grow and flourish . And just for people to know they ’ ve got support there too , because at times things can get busy and you can get a bit flustered and you ’ re not really sure what to do . Just being able to have someone you can bounce off in moments where you ’ ve got to be thinking quickly … That ’ s what I want to be for others .”
Stacie ’ s skill and outstanding work as an EA might not be a surprise to everyone else , but even after so much success she remains humble about her career and never expected to become 2019 runner up EA of the Year at our Executive PA awards .
“ I felt so honoured and humbled by the whole experience and to actually attend something and be recognised in my field and for what I do , is incredible . As EAs , we ’ re so busy running around and looking after everybody else that we kind of forget about ourselves , too . And to have that moment where you can be recognised for what you do , is a really nice feeling .” S
Issue 2 2020 | Chief of Staff 23