Jan Jones is the author of The CEO’s Secret Weapon: How Great Leaders and Their Assistants Maximize Productivity and Effectiveness, a book regarded as ‘the Bible’ for executives and assistants worldwide. Over her 20 years of experience working as an executive assistant, Jan has represented high-level leaders and executives such as Tony Robbins and Michael Gerber. In addition to championing the high-performing executive assistant – a role for which she advocates through her writing – Jan is also a consultant and Founder & President of Jan Jones Worldwide Speakers Bureau, an international speakers bureau that connects inspirational speakers to their worldwide audience.
Jan joins me today to discuss what it takes to be an extraordinary executive assistant. She shares ideas she learned from renowned leaders such as Elon Musk on finding, interviewing, and hiring the right executive assistant. She underscores the monumental role executive assistants play in supporting executives, leaders, and businesses and explains why the job is widely misunderstood. She also illustrates what it’s like to work for author and coach Tony Robbins and explains why she believes everyone should write a book.
“There has to be constant communication between the executive and the assistant. If you don’t trust them, an executive assistant won’t be able to do their job.” – Jan Jones
This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:
- Enjoying the gift of life despite its challenges
- Why Jan still identifies as an executive assistant and how her experience in the role guides her life and business
- How to determine if it’s time to hire an executive assistant
- Why Jan doesn’t recommend using virtual assistants as a long-term solution to businesses
- The time and effort required in finding the right executive assistant
- The relationship between a high degree of self-awareness and hiring the perfect executive assistant
- A lesson from Elon Musk on interviewing and assessing a candidate for an executive assistant role
- The core competencies and characteristics of an exceptional executive assistant
- How an executive assistant made a difference in the discovery of Elvis Presley
- Figuring out the right compensation for executive assistants
- Jan’s experience working as an executive assistant for Tony Robbins
- An executive assistant’s fight for recognition and why the role is maligned today
- The impetus behind Jan’s book, The CEO’s Secret Weapon and the challenges she faced in writing it
- The labor that comes in organizing a book’s ideas, the importance of choosing a great editor, and why everyone should write a book
Resources Mentioned:
- The CEO’s Secret Weapon: How Great Leaders and Their Assistants Maximize Productivity and Effectiveness by Jan Jones
- The E-Myth: Why Most Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael Gerber
- Meetings with Remarkable Men by G. Gurdjieff
- What It Takes: Lessons in the Pursuit of Excellence by Stephen A. Schwarzman
- Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
Connect with Jan Jones:
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