LEAH WARWICK: Hi everyone, I’m Leah Warwick and you’re listening to the Admin Edge. In a previous episode with guest Julia Corn, Julia introduced the concept of having a personal board of directors. With this episode, we’re going to go a lot deeper into this topic with administrative expert author and speaker Tara Sims. I hope you enjoy this information-packed conversation between me and Tara in between sessions at E.A. Ignite. Hi, I’m Leah Warwick, Senior Content Manager for the American Society of Administrative Professionals. My guest today is Tara Sims, Regional Administrative Manager and Author of Evolved Assistant and a facilitator and panelist at this event, E.A. Ignite. Welcome to the podcast, Tara.

TARA SIMS: Thank you so much for having me, I’m really excited to be here my first E.A. Ignite.

LEAH WARWICK: Yes, likewise, I’m so, so happy that you’re here and talking about some really interesting subjects. So, let’s get into it because now at E.A. Ignite, from executives, we hear that they often have a personal board of directors. Why is this important for administrative professionals to have as well?

TARA SIMS: And honestly, Leah, I don’t think it’s a concept that is broadly talked about. And so I think for this audience, this may be the first time they’ve ever heard of the concept of having a personal board of directors. I think we hear about people talking about having mentors and having a network, but this is a little bit more curated. And it is one of those things that if you think about a board of directors for a business, for example, or an organization, right, that is usually a board of individuals trusted advisors that give leaders directions and strategic advice and, you know, hold leadership accountable for things. And I think it is really important that assistants think about this idea of creating a personal one for themselves to do the same thing, to have a circle of trusted advisors who do the same for our careers.

TARA SIMS: And the truth is, we don’t grow in isolation. And so we all need people who are going to be champions and truth tellers. The people who can see our blind spots, offer guidance and help us with tough decisions, hold us accountable for things, and help us reach our full potential. Because again, it just doesn’t happen in isolation, right? And the reason why I think it is very specific to think about it as a personal board of directors is because it is really a curated group of people. You want to be very strategic about this group of people. And essentially, these folks are the folks that will help you navigate any career decisions, right?

TARA SIMS: Sometimes we are in circumstances where we are like, okay, should I do this next thing? Should I put my throw my hand in the hat for this next project, right? These are the folks that will hold us accountable for the goals that we set for ourselves. I mean, at the top of the year, so many of us sit down and say, here are the things that I want to accomplish for the year. We need people sometimes to hold us accountable. We are busy. We have a lot of things going on. And it’s nice to be able to have a group of folks that you can lean on who can say, hey, at the top of the year, you indicated that you were going to raise your hand for a stretch project this year. Have you done that?

TARA SIMS: I would also say, this personal board also can help you expand your network and opportunities, because sometimes we don’t know what we don’t know, and we don’t always know everything that would be available to us to take advantage of, right? And so you need people in your circle who maybe have a much broader network and can introduce you to opportunities that would be beneficial for your career. And then just to gain new perspectives, like I always am under the impression that there is something I don’t know, like I go into most situations saying, okay, what is it that I don’t know about this?

TARA SIMS: When I talk to my team, I manage a team of assistants when they are working with an executive and maybe they are not understanding why an executive is doing something or not doing something, right? Maybe they are waiting on an executive to give them something. I always go into situations and circumstances thinking to myself, there’s probably something I don’t know, right? And so this personal board of directors really becomes the folks that you lean on as you’re trying to elevate and grow in your career.

LEAH WARWICK: You gave so many good reasons, not just one, not just two, multiple reasons why you should have a personal board of directors and you see why executives have them, because they have blind spots too, they can’t see around all the corners either. They are also looking for their opportunities so why shouldn’t you, right? So I think it’s about time we’re all introduced to this concept if we weren’t already, so thank you Tara.

LEAH WARWICK: And so what is an example of how someone from your personal board of directors has helped you in your career or vice versa?

TARA SIMS: So I have a great example and I talk about it a little bit in my book and at the time I was working for the president of a Fortune 30 company, the division president. We were a very 24/7 business. It was really busy and crazy and I know that people will be able to relate to what I’m about to share. So I am personality wise, pretty direct. There’s not a lot of fluff with me and that can be a gift in a curse, right? And so without going into too much detail ahead, my former manager say to me, you know what? You’ve got your act together, like you know your stuff, you’re a fantastic assistant, you’re reliable, dependable and all the things, but sometimes the way you communicate has a little bit of a bite to it. And it makes some people feel like you might be unapproachable, right?

TARA SIMS: And as a representative of my office, he’s part of my personal board of directors. It is important that you are mindful of the way that you are communicating to people because it takes away from the fact that you’re so great at the work, right? And initially that stung a little bit because I thought to myself, I’m just telling people what I know, I’m just, I live in the facts, I’m not a feelings kind of girl, but what I had to learn in that moment, it was advice that was so good for me because I had to understand that in order for me to effectively communicate with individuals to effectively represent the office of the president, I really needed to consider my tone, my delivery.

TARA SIMS: And so that feedback came to me and I was very intentional over the next few years to sort of shape the way that I communicate with individuals. There are times when someone’s talking to me or I’m talking to someone and I have to pause for a minute and consider and soften what I’m about to say. I pause, which is, which is a skill that I’ve had to develop because I’m very much so, which a lot of assistants can relate to, we are in action mode, right? You come with something, we are coming with an answer immediately, we’re going to fix it, all of the things. And so I’ve had to learn to tweak my communication style a bit in order to be more effective in my role.

TARA SIMS: And to me, that was critical feedback from somebody on my personal board of directors. And as I have ascended into management, so now I manage a team of assistants, executive and administrative assistants, that skill, that ability, the fact that I’ve been able to make me, to make that change based on that feedback has made me a better manager. I’m in a better position to show empathy. I’m a better listener because I’m not always reacting to things. And so to me, that’s probably one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever gotten from someone on my personal board of directors.

LEAH WARWICK: And that was such a great way to frame the feedback too because the way you described it, I could tell this person cares about you.

TARA SIMS: He does.

LEAH WARWICK: And wanted you to know this because he wanted you to succeed. And he’s like, I don’t want this to take away from your impact. And it’s such a great example because that is the kind of feedback that can be hard to give and can be hard to receive. You said it stung a little bit. And then you realize, oh, it’s because he wants me to win.

TARA SIMS: Yes. That’s why he’s telling me that. And the personal board of directors should be people that you trust. Like, we’re not just grabbing anybody, right? We are looking at individuals that we trust, that we respect, that maybe they are sitting in roles that we might want to aspire to. And so yeah, this group of individuals is curated, definitely.

LEAH WARWICK: Well, that leads into my next question because I’m sure a lot of listeners are thinking, well, like, I want a personal board of directors, how do I do this? So how would you recommend an admin or a begin to assemble that personal board of directors? Is there a good structure or system? How many people, what kind of people should they be?

TARA SIMS: Okay. So everybody take out your pins and paper because it’s about to get good. I think, first, let me say, your personal board of directors can change over time. It doesn’t have to be the same people for the entirety of your career. Let’s start with that. You could tweak that group based on what it is you’re trying to accomplish with the next goal you set for yourself. But everybody needs the following in their personal board of directors. The first one is going to be the mentor. This is someone with a deep experience in your field who can offer advice, share hard earned lessons, and help you avoid pitfalls. For me, that person was someone who had been in the administrative field for like 30 years. And she sat at our corporate level and I would be I would lean on her because she had just such a wealth of knowledge.

TARA SIMS: The second is going to be the challenger. This person can be tough sometimes because this is not this is the person who’s not going to let you stay in your comfort zone. They are going to question you. They’re going to push you to think bigger. They are going to encourage you to take risks. So we all need someone like that. The third is the connector. If you’re an introvert like me, although I don’t always present that way, you need people who are better connected in networks or in spaces that are going to help you grow in your career, right? And so and that person needs to be willing to introduce you into certain spaces.

TARA SIMS: I often tell people it’s nice to have a mentor. It’s even better to have a sponsor. And what a sponsor does is a sponsor will take your hand, sit you in a room, vouch for you and explain why you’re there and what benefit you will add to whatever space they’re introducing you to. So you definitely need a connector. A peer, you got to have a peer, you got to have somebody who’s in the trenches with you who understands who understands things from the perspective that you do, right? So this is somebody who’s a part of maybe your day to day who when you’re talking about a situation or you’re trying to understand something like they can really offer you honest feedback and they have the full context of whatever that circumstance could potentially be.

TARA SIMS: And then the final is going to be the visionary. And I think this is the person who thinks beyond the now because so many of us it’s hard. And I would say this sometimes I don’t know that I dreamed as big as I should have when I was early in my career. The visionary is the person that is going to to encourage you and instilling you what’s possible, right? And this is the person who is thinking more long term in your career growth and development. And so I think if you can get some variations of all of that, that’s the winning sort of formula in my mind. So as long as you have all of those things maybe it’s over as several people or a small group appear a visionary, a connector and a mentor or better yet a sponsor.

LEAH WARWICK: I love that. I love bringing all those different people to the table because when you’re saying visionary, I was thinking, yes, like that is sometimes hard, especially for administrative professionals, because you’re very in the day to day. You’re like, I’m keeping this train on the tracks. I’m running this business essentially. And so it can be hard to think bigger. So having someone who can help you do that is essential.

TARA SIMS: And I’ll tell you, it doesn’t happen overnight. So I want people to be conscious of the fact that this is something that you don’t just go back to your workplace and be like, okay, these are my five people. You really want to think about building relationships with the right people and then engaging them intentionally, right? So when you sit down with these individuals, you should have a purpose and a plan, right? You should be very specific and deliberate about the things that you are talking to them about.

TARA SIMS: And another example, when I was, I was an executive assistant, I had reached the highest level I could go in the role. And I kept thinking to myself, something’s got to be next, right? And so I started having conversations with people on my board, one of which was an executive in HR. And it was she who sort of planted the seed, well, what about if we looked at the opportunity for you to manage assistance, right? What does that look like? Right? And so I had never really thought about it initially, but I thought that’s a great opportunity for me to stay connected to the work that I’m so passionate about. And so I say all of that to say there are things sometimes people will bring to your attention on your board that you might not even be thinking about that really can help you get to that next place in your career.

LEAH WARWICK: Yes, especially when career paths are not always so obvious from the E.A. or the admin seat, there are paths they may be less conventional, or maybe you just haven’t thought of them. So having that person to help you is great. And by the way, it didn’t exist before me. So I like to share that just because you don’t see something at your organization doesn’t mean it’s not possible for you.

TARA SIMS: Oh, that’s absolutely right. I mean, we see it all the time, people all of a sudden have a new job because the need was there. The right person for that job was there. So it was created. But don’t let it doesn’t exist right now. Stop you for sure.

LEAH WARWICK: That’s really good. Yes.

LEAH WARWICK: And we do have a listener question submitted by one of our community members. And they wrote in it can be hard to open up about your goals or struggles even to mentors. So how do you get comfortable being honest and vulnerable with your personal board?

TARA SIMS: First thing is you need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

LEAH WARWICK: Oh, you’re speaking to the right person, Tara. I do not like being uncomfortable. And neither do I.

TARA SIMS: But growth requires a level of vulnerability. It just does. And that’s why it’s important to have people that you trust, right? These are not strangers. These are people that you trust. And I will tell you there is no version of elevating your career without discomfort showing up somewhere. There just is no version of that, right? And I think about I’ll use this as an example when I wrote the book. And I knew that coming along with that, I’d have to be doing speaking engagements and social and and all of these things, right? Podcasts like we’re doing now. This is not sort of even though it appears it might be natural for me, but it was very uncomfortable in the beginning because I am an introvert, right? And so you’ve got to push yourself through that discomfort because that’s the only way the growth really happens.

TARA SIMS: I would also say that before you even start having conversations with individuals, which I mentioned, I want you to be intentional. So you need to sit down with yourself. You need to sit down with yourself, make a list. You need to write out the things that you actually need support with where you want to grow and be honest with yourself about those things because if you are not honest with yourself, you’ll get into these rooms with these individuals and not be vulnerable and transparent. And that’s the only way they’re going to get clear about what it is you’re trying to do. They can’t help you if you are not honest.

TARA SIMS: It’s like going to a therapist. If you’re going to go to the therapist, you’re not going to tell the truth. Why are you here? And keep in mind that the point of a personal board of directors is really to help you get better, not to judge you. That’s really the point, right? And so these are going to be people who are invested in your growth, in your development, in your evolution. And so you just have to get yourself to a place where you’re clear about what it is you need help with. And they will help with that, by the way, because we don’t always know all of our blind spots. And you can say that, like, listen, I don’t know where I’m going, but here are some things that I feel like I could do better at. These are things that I would like to learn. Do you have any thoughts about what you see in me that I could, you know, and so that’s the point, right? These are trusted folks that you really can have a transparent conversation with.

LEAH WARWICK: Yes. Trust is the foundation. And then asking a lot of questions.

TARA SIMS: Oh, yeah. And you should, you should choose people who have earned the right to hear your truth. 100%. Because it’s an honor to hear someone else’s truth and to help someone else. It is an honor and a privilege. It is. If you have the right people around you, that’s how they’re going to feel. It’s my honor to help you. Yes. Yes.

LEAH WARWICK: Ah, so good. It’s so good, Tara. I mean, this is, I can’t wait to read your book now because you’re mentioning your book. And I’m like, okay, I think I got to pick this one up. So please, please tell all of our listeners where they can find you online and where they can get your book.

TARA SIMS: So you definitely can connect with me on LinkedIn. I’m building a lovely community over there. We’re having a good old time. Tara M Sims. And my website is evolvedassistant.com. And you can purchase the book on Amazon. Easy. Easy. Awesome. I’m easy to find.

LEAH WARWICK: Well, what are you doing? Go get Tara’s book. And thank you so much. Thank you for having me. I really appreciate it. Of course. Thank you for listening to the Admin Edge, produced by the American Society of Administrative Professionals, our visual music and audio editing by Warwick Productions with audio and video production by five tool 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.