Lynda Boulay
Executive Assistant
Ernst and Young
“The ELS Forum was so informative. I learned so many tricks and tools of the trade. I had the opportunity to expand my network, so now I have local resource connections.”
The Challenge
As an executive assistant, we are the source of answers and the go-to person for most people in the office. One of the challenges I’ve faced is where I go to get the answers. The answers I knew yesterday don’t necessarily transfer over to today.
How She Found Us
I found the Executive Leadership Support Forum [ELS Forum] LinkedIn communication and social media, pointing to different articles and things going on in the EA realm, really helpful leading up to the Forum. I got to watch the ELS Forum move across the US. I was able to speak to attendees who had attended the Forum in Chicago, and it really prepared me for what was in store. Then, I found my IAAP contacts were also attending the Forum in other cities across the US.
At the Event
The ELS Forum was so informative. I learned so many tricks and tools of the trade. I had the opportunity to expand my network, so now I have local resource connections. I was able to connect with peers at the Forum and find out the different sources they use as resources. I learned about so many different resources that I didn’t know existed. One of the executive assistants has even put together an informal group so that we can continue meeting now that the Forum is over. That has been such a great by-product of the Forum: having the opportunity to continue sharing best practices and having the social component to connect with people who share similar experiences to me.
Takeaways
Since the Forum, I’ve been able to share many of the tech tips from the technology session with my fellow colleagues, which has been great! I get to be that person my colleagues approach for tips and tricks. We have a meeting set up for June to give a synopsis of the Forum to our office and to share with other EAs. One component I’m excited to share is what I learned from the workshop on how to effectively communicate with differing personality types in management. What I have implemented from that session is learning to stop and think before I ask something or do something. It has really opened my eyes to ask, who am I addressing and how am I going to approach them? Instead of immediately jumping in with my own style.
Advice
Executive Assistants must continue to learn and not become complacent. Without professional development, especially the type that is provided by the ELS Forum, executive assistants could once again be relegated to being a non-member of business teams.