How I became an assistant, my story

After finishing university, I started with Alcon in the Finance department. A few years later, I worked in Customer Service. Then an opportunity arose, and I worked in Sales & Marketing for a few more years. My longest job was that of a Meeting & Events Planner, for 15 years. I have many wonderful memories of educational programs with our HCPs and my colleagues. Traveling has been a bonus, and I have visited so many fabulous places. I am currently working on a ‘travel journal’ of my experiences. In late 2015, I recognized Legal & Compliance needed a full-time Executive Assistant and I had the opportunity to fill that position. It has been 5 full years, and I have learned so much more about our company, plus working with an awesome team. I have a high customer service level and enjoy helping others. Being an EA truly fits my personality, with a lot of self-satisfaction. I believe all my work experience over the years has helped me grow into each new position, especially being an EA.

What is the most difficult part of being an assistant and how to overcome it?

One of the most difficult parts as an EA is the stress of multitasking the various tasks to ensure everything gets accomplished on time, especially when it involves my executive and her urgent requests/needs, plus my other team members. Based on her day, I often stop what I am working on and immediately switch to either book/change meetings, work on tasks assigned as part of a global project with urgent deadlines that my executive is leading, prepare global communications, problem solve on finance issues, learn a new system for Legal or assist with other various requests. I then pivot back to my own projects, once I have dealt with the various urgent requests that arise. This can happen several times a day and my executive, as well as my team, know they can count on me to accomplish it all. In order to manage my stress, I either write it down or open new emails with the details. By the end of the day, I have to accomplish or reassign it before I shut down my computer. I also assign my tasks in my own calendar to make time to accomplish these tasks/projects. By staying organized, it helps me overcome stress. I also remind myself to “breathe” (4-7-8), think positive thoughts, self-talk/boost my confidence and listen to motivational speakers podcasts during my lunchtime or after work. I have learned to adapt to the ever-changing workday with a positive attitude and stay focused on my work/goals/objectives – doing my very best each day.

Do you support monthly/weekly staff meetings and how do you succeed to be heard?

Every week we have a Legal & Compliance team meeting where I prepare the agenda and minutes. In order to be heard, I add my own agenda item(s) and allot 5 minutes to discuss with our team. If we run out of time and I am unable to address the item, I make sure it is discussed on my next 1:1 with my executive or on our next phone conversation. I also coordinate our monthly EA meetings, which include agenda preparation and minutes. Again, I add my agenda items and allotted time. The EAs also contribute to the agenda so they can be heard as well. It ensures a great group discussion in a comfortable setting. I also make our meetings fun with games, music, or themes; I enjoy having all the EAs smiling and laughing. I use my leadership skills to help facilitate more lively discussions among the EAs and do my best to help others stay positive and often share best practices with my colleagues.