Here’s why the toughest times provide the best experience

During my 27 ish year career as an EA, most of which was supporting at the most senior levels, I experienced some really challenging times.

Mergers, acquisitions, public relations catastrophes, IPOs, changes in leadership, Royal Commissions, House Economics Committee appearances, the GFC, a pandemic, bullying, sexual harassment, unreasonable requests, demanding executives and some lean times with serious cut backs.

I also experienced some really amazing, happy, cruisey times.

Here’s the weird thing. The happy, easy times weren’t the moments in my career that brought me the most growth or opportunities.

The challenging times were, and while certainly harder to get through on a personal level, they were the experiences that gave me an edge as an EA to CEOs, Chairs and the C-Suite.

When times are tough in an organisation we REALLY learn what things are about.

Employee engagement, the serious concerns and expectations of Directors and Chairs, how every single cent spent matters, what keeps executives awake at night, how customers expect an organisation to show up and live their values, corporate social responsibility, crisis management, customer experience and employee welfare.

You also learn a LOT about human behaviour.

So if you’re in an organisation that’s experiencing some challenges and you’re thinking about jumping ship for greener pastures, I have some food for thought to digest.

If you can, try to shift your perspective and find the opportunities to lean in.

This is the where the gold is. The tricky times bring a ton of opportunities to contribute at a higher level, to stretch the scope of your role and to take on the work you wish you had access to in your job description.

It’s that experience that will give you an edge and set you apart in a crowded market and it’s that experience that will give you the meaty examples that knock the socks off hiring managers.

The truth is just about anyone can manage a calendar and inbox, book travel, take actions/minutes, update documents and presentations, process invoices and expenses and organise events.

But not everyone gets “it”.

How to anticipate needs in the most elevated way, how to work strategically and with impact.

How to support leaders in a way that fosters a no surprises culture and sets the whole organisation up for success.

How to manage expectations of stakeholders.

How to protect the reputation of your organisation, your Board and your executive.

The hard times give you the exposure to the moments that really matter.

The hard times will give you the experience that takes you from being an EA to being a ‘seasoned’ EA.

It’s easy to say “lean into those moments”, and I know that’s easier said than done.

It also has to be done with care because the tough times bring enormous pressure, particularly if you’re in the thick of the challenge or in one of the senior roles.

So how to look after yourself while maximising the gold mine of challenging times? A few tips:

• Protect your energy - set boundaries and stick to them

• Protect your mindset - work hard to keep a healthy, positive and balanced perspective and practice mindfulness to ensure your nervous system has space to decompress

• Protect your overall wellbeing - we can’t run on an empty tank

• Be a cultural beacon - call out the moments where employee wellbeing and engagement needs to be addressed

• Stay focussed on your goals and your organisation’s strategic priorities - it’s easy to become swept up in reactivity, but making space to focus on what will truly shift the dial is important

• Consider the experience you’d like to gain and make this known - offer to help or lead where there are capacity gaps

• Be the safety net - mistakes happen when things get hairy so check, check and check again, even the work of others, because when the stakes are high its often the little things that cause the biggest issues

• Value and nurture relationships - it can be easy to bunker down when we’re in crisis mode so remember to make space to see and hear others

• Be innovative - what ways of working need to change to support this phase in your organisation? How can you make things easier and remove friction points?

• Demonstrate leadership - this has nothing to do with your position in the hierarchy. Show up as the kind of person with the integrity and ethics your organisation needs in that moment

• Just get stuck in - often things are moving too quickly for people to sit back and work out how to direct traffic in the thick of a crisis. If you see an opportunity, step into it - get someone to hand the work over and run with it

• When everyone else is running around like a hairy goat remember to slow down to speed up - what is being missed? What corners need to be peered around?

Of course it has to be said: no job is worth your physical or mental health, so if the environment is toxic, the person you support is abusive or the pressure is taking its toll on your wellbeing and can’t be fixed with boundaries and better habits, it is most certainly time to move on.

Are you experiencing a challenging time in your career/ organisation?

I love to hear from the community - you can share your thoughts with me at hello@rachaelbonetti.com or connect with me on LinkedIn

And if you’re considering development to elevate your offering and expand your potential then The Elite EA Academy is for you.