How to Lead with Executive Operations

What is executive operations and how can you lead with it as an admin professional? Guest Elle Tyra, EA at ABC News, shares her tips and strategies.

Recorded at EA Ignite Fall 2024 and produced by the American Society of Administrative Professionals - ASAP. Learn more and submit a listener question at asaporg.com/podcast.

Leah Warwick: Hi, everyone. I'm Leah Warwick, and you're listening to "The Admin Edge."

"Executive operations" is a term you may have heard and want to know more about. If so, this episode is for you. At EA Ignite Fall 2024, one of our keynote speakers was Elle Tyra, an executive operations expert and EA at ABC News. Now, let's listen in to this conversation between Elle and Katie Hendrickson at EA Ignite. 

Katie Hendrickson: Hi, I'm Katie Hendrickson, Executive Assistant to the President and Chief Operating Officer of AIT Worldwide Logistics and ASAP Advisory Board Member. My guest today is Elle Tyra, Executive Assistant to the President of ABC News, and a keynote speaker at this event, EA Ignite. Welcome to the podcast, Elle.

00:00:54                     

Elle Tyra: Thank you so much. Thank you for having me. This is an incredible event. I'm honored to be here today.

Katie Hendrickson: Well, your session this morning on executive operations brought the house down. We were so excited. To start off with, can you just tell us a little bit about your journey and how you ended up at ABC News?

Elle Tyra: Yes. I moved to New York for grad school and ended up working at an art gallery. I was a sales assistant there. I knew that I wanted to translate that into the corporate sphere, because in the art world you can only go so far in sales. That's really where the propelling forward does happen is when you're really moving the artwork. So I became an executive assistant at CBS Interactive, and then, from there, I knew that I wanted to be in the C-suite after attending my first EA conference. Went to work at The New York Times, and I think by that point I'd had some media in my background, and that did become attractive to different media companies.

00:01:55

I just jumped at the chance to work at ABC News. I'm a viewer in a lot of ways, and sometimes when I'm in the control room it's spoiling the experience for me because I'm still a viewer. But my name had gotten out there as a high-level, strategic partner. And when the president at the time was looking for an EA, someone said, "I think I know the person." I actually got a phone call to go work with the president at the time, Kim Godwin, and I was just going to jump on it, jump at the chance. And now I'm at ABC News.

Katie Hendrickson: Wow, it's amazing what your network can do for you. That's such an amazing story. Today, at EA Ignite, you presented a keynote topic on executive operations. So for all of our listeners, who range from executive assistants to administrative assistants to office managers, all across the spectrum, can you describe what executive operations is, what leading executive operations means, and why it's crucial for the success of any administrative professional?

00:03:00                     

Elle Tyra: Absolutely. I think the beautiful thing about executive operations is that you can really apply it, regardless of the role. From chief of staff, executive assistant, if you're an office manager – it's about proactively managing the priorities, the people, and the systems that touch the executive office. That's the way that I define it. But if you perhaps work at the front desk and you are managing a million and one tasks, how can you proactively manage the people that you interact with, build systems that you're problem solving?

I think part of the reason why it's so crucial for an administrative professional is because it helps you get that leg up and start performing as a stakeholder. You are not being piled on. You begin leading. That is just going to make all the difference and take you forward in so many ways. 

00:03:50                     

Katie Hendrickson: It's having that forward-thinking, strategic mindset, and finding your place.

Elle Tyra: Absolutely. Finding your place and understanding that you deserve a seat at the table, that you are reaching out with people and working across the organization – again, regardless of your role, executive operations is something that we can apply to have productivity and implement workflow and build structure in all kinds of areas.

Katie Hendrickson: So then, for you, I wonder: What are some of the key responsibilities that you handle in your specific role that contribute to effective executive operations?

Elle Tyra: Right. I mean, one of the things that so many executive assistants deal with is meeting management. This is taking that to the next level, to say, "These are the meetings I need you in," having your own meetings with the team to make sure they're ready for the executive. I can't say that my responsibilities go beyond calendar expenses, travel, and inbox management; it's the way that I do those things and the way that I conduct myself as a stakeholder myself, so that I'm not just putting meetings on the calendar. I'm not playing calendar Tetris. I'm planning and scheduling things far in advance, and I'm activating those touch points and those check-ins.

00:05:09

Katie Hendrickson: And it sounds like that's something that a lot of administrative professionals would like to move into, and they haven't necessarily either had a voice to state it, or they haven't felt empowered. With your background, how would you say that you have built and maintained strong relationships with executives and other stakeholders to ensure those smooth operations, to ensure you have that seat at the table? 

Elle Tyra: Yeah, I mean, one of the things I try to do is have a monthly (if not quarterly) meeting with every single direct report of my executive. Those are people that you are working alongside. Have that monthly meeting or that quarterly meeting that says, "What do you think is top of mind for my executive? What's top of mind for you, things that you're solving for, and how can I help fill in the gaps?"

00:05:58

And once they start realizing they can rely on you to problem solve, to get things done, they will start coming to you, and you will start functioning as a stakeholder. And you see yourself differently, they'll see you differently, too. But it helps so much with those relationships when you're having that regular time. I think that it also helps with the way that your executive views you when you say, "Oh, I actually met with him last week, and this is one of the things that they're solving for." You start becoming that ear to the ground in places of the organization they might not have time to check in with. 

Katie Hendrickson: That's great. And I think, again, for a lot of our listeners, they may not be in that space yet. So what have you seen in your experience as the common challenges that executive assistants, or really any administrative professional, faces with executive operations?

00:06:51                     

Elle Tyra: Yeah, I mean, one thing I want to say is, regardless of where you sit in the org, or what it is that you do – again, if you are managing front desk, who are the stakeholders that you're working alongside? Are there any kinks or things that you can start to solve for? I think that's why I do want to make sure that we're clear: Wherever you sit in the organization, there are things that you can apply, but sometimes the biggest challenge is that imposter syndrome.

As I mentioned this morning in my keynote, the first time that someone said, "You should sit down with the stakeholder," I was like, "Um, what do you mean I should be doing that?" But getting over that hurdle of feeling like you're not good enough, or you don't sit high enough, or this person won't talk to you, I think that's one of the biggest boundaries. 

00:07:43                     

Katie Hendrickson: Absolutely. So how would you encourage our listeners to address that?

Elle Tyra: Yeah, I would say, start by having coffee with different people in the organization. Find things that you're curious about that you may naturally want to investigate and learn more about. And if there are people who are closer to your age or doing things that you would like to do at some point, pull those people aside. Find your advocates.

00:08:10

I just want to encourage you to find those people that will champion you, and don't be shy. It can just be someone that you see in the kitchen every morning that you have a good rapport with: "What is it that you do? What is it that you're working on? I'd love to learn more about it. Do you have a meeting that I can sit in?" And all of a sudden you'll just start growing your business acumen around that. You'll develop that relationship, and then you can take that back to your manager and say, "This is something that I hear is important for the company. How can I help drive you forward on this?" You're right. But it's going to start with just building that rapport where you have it already. 

Katie Hendrickson: And it's putting the puzzle pieces together so you better understand really everything happening around your executive, and are able to help prepare them.

00:08:59                     

Elle Tyra: Absolutely. And things that are going on around the company. Again, you might be friends with someone in the company that's having a challenge on their team if that team rolls up to your executive. I've had a conversation with my exec where I said, "I think you should grab breakfast with this person because there's stuff going on, on this team that I think that you might want to know about." Just give them an ear.

So often, executives are dying to get out of that same old rotation and that same old bubble and meet different people across the company. 

Katie Hendrickson: That's so good. I feel like all executives would be appreciative of having, like you said, that ear to the ground. So switching to something a little bit more tactical, what processes have you built within your organization's ecosystem, whether it's Microsoft or Google, that really help you to be the most effective.

00:09:53                     

Elle Tyra: Sure. I mean, one of the things that I use is time boxing, where I allot a specific amount of time every single day, or every Monday I triage my entire inbox, top to bottom. But it's taking advantage of how I'm using my time – obviously, with Microsoft Outlook – and then expanding it into Microsoft Planner. I use a kanban board system, and those things can integrate great with your email. I'm using Calendar. I use OneNote as a reminder. That's where my meeting notes live. When my executive is spouting something off at the top of his head, those things live there.

You can use Microsoft To-Do, and that'll trigger reminders for you. So I think it's really about living in that ecosystem and making the most of it. And I you're in G-Suite, there are similar things that you can implement. Those are some systems that I've built for myself, but again, you might need to bring in a tool. 

00:10:51

I know that when I was at an art gallery, we were problem-solving of just information sharing in general and how people were going to find out what exhibitions were coming up and where. We ended up using Asana and getting Asana licenses for everyone in the company. It turned out, most people had access to that license and weren't using it. I collaborated with two other executive assistants to build an information platform that rolled out to the entire company. 

We took about eight months to do it. We did a listening tour. We put together a PowerPoint. We took it before the board and ended up launching it to the whole company, and everyone was saying, "This is something we've been dying for." So maybe it is not even within your ecosystem. Maybe sit down with your IT team and find out if there are any tools that you can use that you might not be using already. 

00:11:48                     

Katie Hendrickson: Well, and I think that brings up an amazing point as well, [which] is: Because you asked those questions and because you really investigated, you found an area of the organization where money was not being spent to the best of its ability. So by really being focused on that, you saved the company money.

Elle Tyra: Right. And I can't drive home enough how important problem solving is. That's what sets executive operations apart. I'm not just tasking, not waiting to be told, not waiting for that pile-on, saying, "Why is this thing a problem? How can we fix it? Why is it a problem every time we do this? How are people feeling about a process?" It's that proactive part, and then partnering with others and then taking that accountability on yourself, because, at the end of the day, we're the ones on the hook.

Katie Hendrickson: Mm-hm, it's very true. So we actually have a listener question, submitted by one of our community members. They wrote: How can admins incorporate an operations mindset into their work to better support leadership? 

00:12:52                     

Elle Tyra: That is such a great question. I think one of the first things that you can do is zoom out as often as you can. I do it quarterly. I do it monthly. But take a minute to zoom out for that 50,000-foot view and look ahead at what's coming up in the organization, and start road-mapping. Start plotting. Start seeing that event in the distance and setting the time to get everyone ready. That is at the heart of executive operations – big or small, whatever it is.

If there is an email that goes out once a month, or once a quarter, how does your executive get ready for that? Are there people that you can partner with? If there is an earnings call, [or] if there are birthdays and you are the one that's responsible for reserving the conference room and getting the cake, how can you go ahead and start planning for those things, get people more involved? Do they feel excited about these anymore? Whatever it is, it's adopting that mindset of looking ahead, seeing what the snags are, and partnering with people to make things more efficient. 

00:14:02                     

Katie Hendrickson: Well, that's wonderful. Thanks so much, again, for joining us on "The Admin Edge." Where can our listeners find you online?

Elle Tyra: You can find me on LinkedIn. I think I'm the only Elle Tyra there. Feel free to reach out to me. I would love to connect.

Katie Hendrickson: Awesome. Thank you so much.

Elle Tyra: Thank you for having me.

[music playing]

Leah Warwick: Thank you for listening to "The Admin Edge," produced by the American Society of Administrative Professionals, original music and audio editing by Warwick Productions, with video and audio production at our events by 5Tool Productions. If you like this podcast, please leave us a nice review, five stars, and subscribe. If you'd like to submit a listener question, you may do so on our website at ASAPorg.com/podcast.