In 2011, I decided to resign from my job as a high-level executive assistant at Myer.  I was secretariate to the Management Board (not to be confused with the Board of Director’s) and supporting the General Counsel at the time.  It was a totally autonomous role.  No one to call on when it came time to pull together the Board of Director’s papers or if I needed help.  You were expected to get it done; it’s what they paid you for.  I could be still working in the office until 10 pm or more.  I loved my role.  I was proud of the work I did and the people I helped.  But I really could have done with an extra pair of hands.  I was working more than 55 hours per week.

Nowhere to go

I had reached the top of the EA tree at this iconic Australian Company.  In fact, I had spent from 2006 to 2011 taking the minutes of these meetings.  I did this as part of my role supporting a Management Board Director.  During that time, I had turned down a request to be the Executive Assistant to the CEO.  So I was 2nd rung from the top of the EA tree, but I didn’t take the step.  It wasn’t for me; the CEO would have likely fired me.  I didn’t have the right dispensation for that type of role.  When I started working at Myer in early 2003, I told my director, ‘I don’t do coffee, and I don’t do dry cleaning’.  We laughed; it was funny, but I was also deadly serious.  I knew that I would have better things to do in my time there than running and getting café latte’s all day, and I didn’t!!

I suck at reading me.

But roll on 2011, and I’d had enough, I felt I couldn’t make a difference anymore; I was just spinning my wheels, groundhog style, so I resigned and started JMJ-EA for a Day.  Over the past 10 years, I’ve evolved from what I originally offered.  EA services remotely, or some of you may call this virtual assistant services.  I’ve learnt a thing or two in over 30 years, and I’m pretty good at reading people.  I suck at reading me, just FYI. I’ve never been one for putting myself first, but if JMJ was going to grow, I needed to be changing up my game to support my growing and changing clients.  I had to get better at reading myself.

I’m my own client

I had to think of myself as my client.  Deep dive into all I was, what I wanted and how I wanted stuff to go.  As my skills would have it, I’m exceptional at information mapping.  Taking a mess of information and pulling out the specifics to create:

  • Streamlined ways to do the same job
  • Create the automation needed
  • Create the processes, systems and procedures
  • Build my team
  • Train my team
  • Make everything shareable

I knew that if I wanted to change up the game, I had to get help.  I couldn’t do it all on my own, and I was spending way more than 55 hours a week on (I mean, in my business).  Now I work on my business building and developing new ideas and concepts that help our current clients and new ones, and I can’t do this without my team.

Change up the game

While all have entrepreneurial backgrounds and are highly successful leaders in their fields, my clients have some things in common.  They all win the Kewpie doll for reaching out to me to get help when they realised they couldn’t do it all themselves.  As a direct result, we’ve been able to impact them so positively.  We’ve made the difference they needed.

If you’re ready to stop working on your own and get the help you need, let me know about it.  Let me help you to change up your game.