Can I Find Purpose in the Executive Assistant Role?
Allow your passion to become your purpose – John Maxwell
In this article, author Jan Jones discusses finding purpose in the executive assistant role.
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Question: Did you find purpose in the executive assistant role? I want my work to mean something. I don’t always see the purpose and I get discouraged, especially when I don’t feel appreciated. It’s hard to remember my purpose when I’m doing work that seems meaningless.
Jan Jones: Some or all of the work you are doing feels meaningless because it doesn’t bring you joy. It doesn’t ignite your passion and get your creativity flowing. It may not reflect what you believe is the purpose of your life, but that doesn’t make the work itself meaningless. That’s an important distinction you should make.
How can work be meaningless if someone is willing to pay you to do it, and has decided you are the best person for the job? Understand that what you are doing is required somewhere, at some level. If it is needed and necessary, it is not meaningless. It may be repetitive, even boring, but it is not meaningless because in the scheme of things it has purpose for your company and its customers. It may not have sufficient meaning for you, but it does have a purpose.
Maybe you could take on that purpose and make it your own? To me, that’s integrity. Even though this task is dreary, I will do it to the best of my ability. That mindset shift in itself may give it the purpose you are seeking, because now you are invested in it. Something of yourself that you have been withholding, is now a part of the work. Maybe just enough to make it meaningful.
Are you willing to be that person who will perform a required task? Will knowing that you are making a contribution, even on a basic level, be sufficient to make it meaningful? Understand that there are some aspects of every job that aren’t as inspiring as other parts of the job. Does the rest of the work you are doing make up for those “meaningless” tasks?
Understand why you are doing something and the what you are doing will make sufficient sense for you to do it willingly. When you do things willingly, you feel personal fulfillment and satisfaction, because you have control. And isn’t that what you are looking for? Some control over your own life. That control makes you feel purposeful. You don’t feel like a cog in a wheel, fulfilling someone else’s destiny. You feel like you have some self-expression which is what we all crave in life.
My hunch is you don’t understand the reason for the work you are doing. If you did, you wouldn’t call it meaningless. You’d see it as part of the whole. It’s what is required to fulfill your company’s vision of providing a needed service to the world. If you saw it that way, you’d do it willingly. Then it needn’t be a big shiny object dangling in front of you to keep you interested all the time.
For example, I hear assistants complain about filing. One of the first things I did in a new job was acquaint myself with the files. Files gave me history, context and perspective. They told me what got us to where we are today. Files helped me to pick up the ball and proceed intelligently with current projects. Filing is the history of your company’s activities. Hopefully, the person who came before you understood that, so you were able to pick up from where they left off. Understand how crucial filing is to your job and your company, and do it conscientiously. See yourself as a custodian and you will be inspired to keep those records in a manner that will allow for safe retrieval and reference when necessary. Meaning and purpose depend on you and the perspective you bring to what you are doing. It’s not the work itself, but how you approach it.
Let’s look at this comment from John Maxwell. “Allow your passion to become your purpose. Your Passion isn’t always going to lead you to your Purpose, but most of the time it will. What do you love? What do you love to do? To find your Purpose, ask yourself two questions:
– What am I Passionate about?
– What am I Good at?
These questions may help you to realize you are exactly where you are meant to be. Or, they may lead you to discover you are meant to be doing something else.”
To answer your question, my role as an executive assistant was one avenue through which I expressed my purpose in life. I feel truly blessed because I loved the work of the EA role. I wanted my contributions to matter and be of consequence. I discovered this role was how I could do it.
Early in my career, I realized how integral the EA role was to business. Executives relied on their assistants, which made the EA a valuable commodity. I wanted my executives’ respect. I wanted them to view me as a fellow professional. I knew I would have to apply myself diligently, with intelligence and humility, to earn that recognition. I learned and absorbed everything I could, always trying to understand why I was doing what I was doing. I paid close attention and took steps to learn everything I could to make myself essential to the business.
How did I do that? I was proactive and took a lot upon myself, so I could build a business owner’s mindset. I integrated myself into the role. The more I dived deep, the more I found scope for self-expression. I didn’t wait to be asked or told. I actively sought out what needed to be done and I made it happen. I was constantly looking for ways to contribute and add value. Going over-and-above was routine. By showing what I could do, I let my work give me visibility – and more importantly – credibility. I made a name for myself. My executives respected me, valued my opinion and spoke highly of me. That caused people within and outside the company to respect me (and some to resent me, but that was not my problem). By developing exceptional skills and expertise, I earned my autonomy and my right to be respected and heard. There was a feeling of significance, which brought me fulfillment and gratitude. It created an aura of calm and confidence. That’s a feeling worth striving for. It gave my work meaning.
I think that’s something missing with many assistants. They forget that their performance is what earns them the respect of their fellow professionals. Showing what you can do, and earning a reputation as a high-performer is your path to a seat at the table. You will not gain the respect and appreciation you are craving if you lack enthusiasm, do the minimum, turn in mediocre performance, complain, feel sorry for yourself, say no, don’t step in and take advantage of opportunities. You have to exceed expectations at every level. Show you are extraordinary and set yourself above the crowd.
Do that and you’ll be amazed at where passion and purpose might reveal themselves through your work, if you are willing to seek them out. Your life is what you make it. It doesn’t depend on circumstances. It depends on how you respond to those circumstances.
I recommend following John Maxwell’s formula. Even though I had no idea about it at the outset of my career, I’m living proof that it works and I wholeheartedly endorse asking those two questions: What am I Passionate about? What am I Good at? Becoming extraordinarily Good at the executive assistant role led me to my Passion to be a successful business owner.
Maybe those questions can make meaninglessness a thing of the past and lead you to living joyfully, with Passion and Purpose. They may even help you to gratefully realize that you already are. Now it’s not a job, it’s a passion. And suddenly you are unstoppable. Get in the driver’s seat. Live with passion and purpose. Create the life you desire and deserve.
©The CEO’s Secret Weapon. The ideas expressed in this article and any text extracted from “The CEO’s Secret Weapon” are the intellectual property and copyrighted to Jan Jones. All rights reserved. No unauthorized usage or duplication by any means is permitted without the express consent of the author.
Author: Jan Jones
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Jan Jones is the author of “The CEO’s Secret Weapon How Great Leaders and Their Assistants Maximize Productivity and Effectiveness.” The book has received widespread acclaim from executives and executive assistants worldwide. Jan spent 20+ years as an esteemed international executive assistant to well-known business people, including Tony Robbins, the world’s #1 business and life strategist. Jan continues to champion the executive assistant profession with her writing, consulting and speaking. She offers timeless, practical advice that is relevant to the day-to-day role of the executive assistant.
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