No doubt, my move from Florida to San Francisco in 2016 was the best and most influential decision I’ve ever made. After over a decade of service in luxury hospitality management with iconic brands that include Four Seasons and The Ritz-Carlton, I was ready to transition out of organized corporate environments and dive into the unstructured world of startups. The shift from East coast to West coast and from corporate to small business was invigorating, educational and overall fun! I was able to draw from my many years of operational and sales knowledge and build processes and procedures at a small company that helped us scale and set everyone I worked with up for success. Furthermore, it gave me the experience I needed to be a true advisor to my clients and candidates who were going through similar challenges. 

"Buy yourself time." Too often, we feel the need to act immediately which often leads us to say or do something that is incorrect, inefficient, or unthoughtful. I’ll spare you the details of how I learned this lesson (it’s pretty cringeworthy), but trust me. Next time someone asks you a question that you do not have the answer to, or to do something that you are unsure of, respond with "That’s a great question. May I get back to you in X amount of time so I can look into this for you?"

I am regularly coaching my clients, candidates and internal team on the importance of "buying yourself time." For example, when I’m preparing my candidates for interviews, I remind them that it is OK to ask "May I take a moment to think about this question?", then take a deep breath and gather their thoughts before giving their answer. It is better to provide a thoughtful, well-organized response than to ramble off a lack-luster answer just to fill in dead time.

Hands down, the two most important decisions I made in my life were 1) deciding who I would choose as my partner (now of over 20 years) and 2) choosing to "lean in" to my wife's career by prioritizing it over my own. While this individually was an easy decision for me two decades ago, I understand how difficult it may be to digest from a cultural perspective, even today as most Americans find it unfitting for a man to marry a woman who earns more than him. But that single decision has resulted in creating the most optionality for us collectively, as well as for our children and even for our aging parents. So my advice is that by being deeply intentional, singularly focused, and yet highly pragmatic about building both an emotional and financial nest egg, will yield maximum emotional and financial freedom in this often-challenging, yet deeply-fulfilling journey, we refer to as life.

"You don't know what you don't know. So be open." I have found that close to 50 percent of the time we think we know what will happen in any given situation, when in fact we actually have no idea what future will emerge. Our preconceived notions about the world around us do protect us and guide us, but when left unchecked, can easily shut out opportunities for growth—both professionally and personally. Whether it is about something personal or professional, more often than not—even at this stage of my career—I am surprised by how a situation will turn out, not only because my assumptions were wrong, but because there were many more variables at play which I could never have known. Therefore, I have found that the best thing to do is just remain open and engaged.

Most people's preconceived notions about what and who an executive assistant is and is not, only limits their growth and opportunities. Had I not been open to the possibility of being wrong about what it means to be an executive assistant, I would never have ended up at Facebook, which was the best career decision I ever made. Indeed, increasingly more and more executive assistant candidates come from untraditional backgrounds who exhibit a few critically important traits, in addition to "being open." I have found that the best candidates are not limited by a business title or boxed in by a job description, but rather when they see opportunities for business impact in their companies and their careers, they seize them. The best assistants show up with a growth mindset, not on autopilot simply focused on the core role, but rather yearn to learn new skills and immerse themselves in the business or even the personal lives of their principals. They do so because they too believe that they don’t know what they don’t know. They too desire to be challenged—not by the known, but the unknown. This kind of attitude transcends the core functions of the role and is the future of the new executive assistant.

Following my intuition and moving across the country, TWICE! 

"Never Settle!"

When I moved across the country for the second time, I had a long list of must-haves in my next role. When I met the team at Tack, I immediately knew this was the type of environment in which I belonged and could add value to.

When I decided to kindly decline my parents' financial help and fully supported myself through college. Although it was a grind juggling full-time work and school, an internship in SF, making tuition payments and monthly rent, this experience instilled in me the work ethic and resilience that have been instrumental in my career. It also gave me a steadfast sense of self-reliance to overcome obstacles; once I started believing firmly in my ability to do hard things, truly anything became possible.

Opportunities are everywhere, it is only a matter of learning to see them and being prepared to seize them.

Working at a thriving startup comes with its growing pains, I look at every challenge our team faces as an opportunity to improve and refine our internal procedures, as well as the experience for our clients and candidates. Instead of feeling discouraged or stumped by these hurtles, I get excited about finding a solution to solve the problem.

By taking a leap of faith and leaving the hospitality industry after ten years! It allowed me to step out of my comfort zone, learn new things and work with new people who challenged me in the very best way.

To be authentic and bring my true self to work every day.

Absolutely! I am grateful to work with such an incredible team at Tack that embraces and accepts individuality and diversity.

Re-Enrolling in University later in life to complete my bachelor's degree and accomplish that goal in four semesters (I did it in three). I was eager to bet on myself and launch into a corporate career that would allow me to leverage my skillset outside of a classroom setting. Recruiting, consultation, and development of people became the perfect medium for me to give candid advice to an incredible population of professionals.

"Color Outside The Lines": Speak up - It's ok to be different, have fresh ideas outside the norm, and make mistakes along the way. This truly sets you apart from the rest and expands your capabilities.

I offer an open forum for my team to share new perspectives, success stories, and market trends - by doing so, I can unlock their creativity and proactive nature by empowering them to think outside the box.

Moving to Colorado with my husband in 2019. It forced me to do some hard things that I never would have imagined I would be able to do before. Because of this, I was forced out of my comfort zone and quickly learned that I was capable of more than I ever imagined.

"The future depends on what you do today"

I have applied this advice at Tack by always striving to get things done to set myself up better for the next day. What you put into your day will create what you get out of the following days, so I think it is important to work towards the long-term goal with each task I complete.