An Interview with Eric Chapman, Executive Assistant, PAN Communications and Winner of the 2022 Greater Boston Admin Awards Colleen Barrett Award for Administrative Excellence   When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused what do you do? It’s no surprise that as an Executive Assistant with multiple balls in the air at all times while also moving mountains on a daily basis, things can get a bit overwhelming. During these times, I always make sure to check in with myself; am I eating, am I sleeping, how’s my anxiety, am I exercising, etc. and when something feels off, I know I need to regroup. This feeling of being overwhelmed is combated with breathing exercises & meditation, 15-minute walks for fresh air, and visually writing out lists so I can see high priority vs. low. I also make sure to get in a good workout either during lunch hour or after work. Sometimes

Every morning that an Admin’s feet hit the ground they start their impossible.So you can imagine how excited we were when Toyota Motor North America came to us with the idea for a new Admin Award, the Start Your Impossible Award.  After all, Toyota executives see first-hand how their Admins achieve the impossible day every day they come to work – and make it look easy.We sat down with Toyota Motor North America and Lexus executives and their administrative partners who they regard as “the soul of the organization” to learn more about the Admin environment at Toyota. In this Roundtable you’ll learn: What an Admin’s career path looks like at Toyota  Why Toyota leaders expect their Admins to pursue professional development Why it’s important for Toyota Admins to be networked, internally and externally How technology is increasing the importance of the role, not diminishing it How a brand-new Toyota Admin created an internal

If there’s one thing Administrative Professionals must master it’s resiliency. And as Clint Bruce sees it, that’s a skill, not a personality trait. And one that anyone can attain. As the world fluctuates between back to normal and anything but, you might find yourself in a frustrating state of limbo that might be even more challenging to you than the early days of the Pandemic. There’s never been a better time to understand and develop mental toughness and there’s nobody better to lead this discussion that Clint Bruce, Former Naval Special Warfare Officer (SEAL), Naval Academy grad, NFL Player, Entrepreneur and Family Man. Our discussion with Clint will help you raise the bar on your mental toughness in ways you never thought possible as he shares “some things I’ve learned along the way” on the ball-field, battlefield, boardroom, and breakfast table. Here’s what we covered with Clint: The 5 PursuitPoints…

Embracing big-picture thinking isn’t a title – it’s a mindset. We sat down with an extraordinary group of Admin panelists who spoke on the Power of the Strategic Partnership: – Major difference between serving as an Administrative Professional and one who also serves as a Strategic Partner – How do you prepare yourself to become a Strategic Partner? – The skills and attributes necessary to be successful as a Strategic Partner – How do you help Executives understand how you can serve them as a Strategic Partner?  – Best piece of advice for someone wanting to make this transition  We captured this useful advice and anecdotes in an informative Whitepaper and via the Event Recording. – Kathleen Earley, Executive Assistant to the President and CFO Emeritus, Salesforce – Jackie Ludwig, CEO, LUMINI Network – Yulanie Türkekol, Chief of Staff and Executive Assistant to President and CEO, Chaos Free, Inc. – Rob Wu, Executive Business Partner, Google

In times like these, it is unclear what the future of work will look like for Administrative Professionals – at home, at the office or a mix of both? We sat down with an extraordinary group of Admin panelists who spoke on: – Pros and cons of in office, remote and hybrid work environments – How to build a strong case for a remote work structure as an Administrator – How to make remote workers feel included and connected  – How to navigate COVID-19 in the workplace We captured this useful advice and anecdotes in an informative Whitepaper and via the Event Recording. Moderated by: Colleen Affeldt, Managing Director – RGT Wealth Advisors – Christine Gooch, Executive Assistant, Novartis – Melinda Vail Goodnight, Executive Assistant, Southwest Airlines – Meredith Hayes, Executive Assistant, DaVita – Alice F. Howard, Sponsorship Coordinator, Toyota – Kathleen Robinson, Executive Assistant, Marvell Semiconductor     The Future of Work Whitepaper 1:

The career path to a Chief of Staff sometimes isn’t as clear cut as one would like but we know Administrative professionals are interested in learning how to get there. We had an extraordinary group of Admin panelists who spoke first-hand about their path to Chief of Staff while offering up useful advice and anecdotes. Topics covered included: – How do the roles of Chief of Staff and Executive Assistant differ? – What to expect in the Chief of Staff role – and is it the career path you really want? – How do you make the transition internally? – How do you prepare for the Chief of Staff role? – Advice for those considering a Chief of Staff role – Which three phone apps can you not live without? Moderated by: Hallie Warner, Chief of Staff to the Founder and CEO – Adam Hergenrother Companies – Ashley Wood, Chief

The following roundtable discussion covered the Admin’s Impact on Employee Morale and Company Culture. This lively discussion covered the following topics: – How Administrative Professionals lead by being brave, especially when leadership is the source of bad culture – How Admins drive and influence culture rituals that create connection in any work environment, including remote – How Admins can inspire culture by being their authentic selves – How Admins drive business outcomes by influencing teams around company values – What Admins have tried that didn’t work in improving employee morale and creating a great culture, that we all can learn from! Moderated by: Cynthia Young, Retired Executive & Culture Builder – UT Southwestern, Ambit Energy & Southwest Airlines – Nan Barry, Managing Director, Southwest Airlines – Robin Guido, Executive Assistant, Salesforce – Erica Young, Executive Assistant, Whiting Turner Contracting Company – Jillian Hufnagel, Slim.AI, Head of Culture – Nancy Nordberg,

On this next edition of Backbone LIVE! Admin Awards Founder Sunny Nunan interviews the Co-Founders of LUMINI Network, Sean Magennis and Jackie Ludwig, which is a peer to peer advisory group for Administrative Professionals inspired by their work together at Young Presidents Organization (YPO). We talk about all kinds of important stuff like why Admins need a peer group, the cost to replace an Admin (OUCH), why networking is critical and other juicy topics that lead to the creation of this unique platform. To learn more about LUMINI Network visit https://lumininetwork.com or contact Jackie Ludwig at [email protected]

In this episode of OpenWork, a live interview video series by Guerrero Media, Admin Award’s Founder Sunny Nunan was interviewed about the modern Administrative Professional’s career, from transitions to career pathing, empowerment, and professional development, as well as the one thing every admin professional should know. You’ll also hear a story within the first segment of this interview that will probably make your head spin around on your neck, that hasn’t been told before this interview. Watch the interview here.

On June 22nd we hosted our first Admin Awards Roundtable Discussion on the Admin’s Impact on Employee Morale and Company Culture. This lively discussion covered the following topics: – How Administrative Professionals lead by being brave, especially when leadership is the source of bad culture – How Admins drive and influence culture rituals that create connection in any work environment, including remote – How Admins can inspire culture by being their authentic selves – How Admins drive business outcomes by influencing teams around company values – What Admins have tried that didn’t work in improving employee morale and creating a great culture, that we all can learn from! Moderated by: Cynthia Young, Retired Executive & Culture Builder – UT Southwestern, Ambit Energy & Southwest Airlines – Nan Barry, Managing Director, Southwest Airlines – Robin Guido, Executive Assistant, Salesforce – Erica Young, Executive Assistant, Whiting Turner Contracting Company – Jillian Hufnagel,