The Founder & The Force Multiplier

Should an Executive Assistant be part of the leadership team?

Of course, our knee-jerk reaction is a resounding, “Yes!” But, we do understand there are various nuances to consider. However, an Executive Assistant or Executive Business Partner is more effective when they are allowed in the Inner Circle.

Do not keep your assistant on the periphery, assigning tasks that have no context or meaning. Executive Assistants will be far more i...

Today we speak with Andy Culligan, fractional CMO and Marketing Consultant for BaseHQ, and his Executive Assistant, Miranda Berry, who he hired through BaseHQ. Andy is a sales person stuck in a marketer's body. He shares his journey from sales to marketing and entrepreneurship, opening up about how his decade of experience led him first to burnout, which inspired his entrepreneurial venture and led to a partnership with BaseHQ, whi...

What is the difference between an Executive Business Partner and an Executive Assistant? And does it matter? In the executive support and administrative professional world, titles are always a topic of conversation. There seems to be an endless combination of titles available for these roles. And if it wasn't already complicated enough, these 100+ different title variations often mean very different things across the globe, leadin...

Hallie speaks with Founder and CEO, Elizabeth Orme, and Leadership Integrator, Shannon Hady, the dynamic duo behind Creatively Focused, an EdTech company designed to support special education teachers, admin, and support staff. The pair shares how their mutual respect and complementary skills have propelled their business forward, emphasizing the importance of understanding and respecting each others’ values. Elizabeth and Shannon ...

Did you intentionally choose your career path? Or did you stumble into it along the way? On the job learning is fine, but there’s something to be said for  strategic career path development and intentional career planning. We discuss how to discover whether you are predisposed to partnership or solopreneurship, and what successful strategic partners do to strengthen their partnership.

View full show notes here: https://foundera...

Hallie sits down with the one and only Lucy Brazier—CEO of Marcham Publishing, publisher of Executive Support Magazine—to discuss her new book, The Modern Day Assistant, address misconceptions about the profession and its various titles, and offer practical tips for assistants to become strategic leaders in their role. This episode is packed with valuable insights for administrative professionals and business leaders alike, offerin...

Chief of Staff vs Chief Operating Officer—what’s the difference?

This episode offers an examination of the distinct roles and responsibilities of a Chief of Staff (CoS) and a Chief Operating Officer (COO). We delve into why these roles are not interchangeable, how to maximize their effectiveness, and how to decide between hiring a Chief of Staff, an Executive Assistant, or a COO.

Read our blog post on the topic here: https://foun...

Get ready to fangirl (we sure did!), because we are speaking with Monique Helstrom— esteemed speaker, activator of human potential and former Chief of Staff to Simon Sinek. In our conversation, she highlights the importance of understanding oneself, acknowledging individual strengths and weaknesses, and utilizing emotional intelligence. She also discusses her process of preparing her successor, emphasizing the necessity of effectiv...

Over the twelve years that Adam and I have worked together a lot has changed. We've built several companies, iterated others, coached thousands of people, wrote a book, launched two podcasts, learned how to become better leaders, and built a company culture of work-life presence. One thing that hasn't changed, however, is our weekly 1:1 meeting. We have been meeting every Monday morning for 30 minutes (1 hour during the first coupl...

Hallie speaks with Maggie Olson, creator of the first-of-its-kind Chief of Staff Certification. Maggie shares her journey from the food and beverage industry to corporate Chief of Staff, highlighting the importance of every experience as a stepping stone towards success. We delve into the pressures of societal norms, mental health, and gender disparities in risk-taking and explores the nuances of the Chief of Staff role, explaining...

As an Executive Business Partner or Force Multiplier, our first inclination when faced with a problem, a newly assigned task, or an upcoming project is to put our heads down and get to work. This is usually the fastest way to get said item done, off your list, and on to the next task before ten more things fall on your plate. And yet, in order to grow in our roles, we need to fight against our first instinct (and well-honed "get sh...

Machen MacDonald is an award-winning Strategic Life and Business coach and best-selling author who guides small business owners on how to maximize their success. In this episode, Machen and Hallie discuss how to move beyond fearful thinking and set your day up for success with “daily bookends”. Machen shares how important it is to have faith that it will all work out while dealing with the daily struggles of running a business, and...

In this episode, Julia Liebowitz and Evan Kesten, the co-founders of Cabinet, share their journey from forming a community for Executive Assistants (EAs) to developing an innovative SaaS platform. They delve into the challenges and rewards of transforming Cabinet into a fully remote company amid the COVID-19 pandemic, their unique views on remote work, future plans for Cabinet, and the potential of AI in reducing the workload for E...

Ever wondered what it's like to work alongside a multi-passionate entrepreneur or founder? This week's episode is your ticket to discovering the unique and challenging environment that could be the perfect career path for you. Join us as we share the six essential things you need to know about working with a founder.

From understanding a founder's intensely clear vision to navigating the blurred lines between business and personal l...

This is an episode you don't want to miss! We were fortunate enough to sit down with bestselling author of The One Thing and VP of Strategic Content for Keller Williams Realty International, Jay Papasan, and his Executive Assistant, Carly Fox. Their story is a true testament to the power of an effective strategic partnership that is built on communication, trust, and understanding each other's values.

Throughout our conver...

Feeling drained or stifled at work? It's possible that you're working with an accidental diminisher leader. This week, we recap the six core types of these unintentional suppressors: the optimist, rapid responder, pace setter, rescuer, idea type, and always on leader, and discuss how their well-intentioned management styles can actually hinder the growth and productivity of their teams and how you can help redirect them.

We'll explo...

What does it take to build and maintain a successful business partnership? Vanessa Rosenblum and Liza Lambert from Pro REA Staffing reveal how trust, communication, and accountability have paved the way for their thriving collaboration.

In our conversation, we explore how Vanessa and Liza use their 'one thing' strategy to stay on track and productive every week, explain the ways Executive Assistants can lead and manage up for bette...

Are you unintentionally draining the intelligence and capability of your team in your leadership role? Discover how even the most well-intentioned leaders can accidentally diminish their team's potential, based on the work of Liz Wiseman.

In this eye-opening episode, we discuss the two main types of leadership styles: diminishers and multipliers. Uncover the six types of accidental diminishers and learn tips and strategies to transi...

As a multi-passionate (like, seriously diversely multipassionate) serial entrepreneur, Jeff Davis, founder of 12 Mavens, discovered the power of a Force Multiplier after many years of failed attempts at trying to do it all and hiring the wrong people in the wrong positions, first. Luckily, he found his match in Meagan Tenyer.

On the Founder and The Force Multiplier Podcast, Jeff shares the story of his entrepreneurial journey and ho...