How to Become an Overnight Success as an Executive Assistant
“Your character and your reputation are things you can build, which will let you take advantage of opportunities other people may characterize as lucky, but you know it wasn’t luck.”
Naval Ravikant
My husband is a top-producing mortgage loan originator, and every now and then, people will comment to others that he became an “overnight success”. We’ll chuckle at this because what they think is “overnight” is actually 15+ years in the making. It’s been a journey filled with hard work, late nights, calls and emails during weekends and vacations, learning from mistakes, and building and nurturing valuable relationships.
This is the reality for most people who seem like "overnight successes." The truth is, success doesn’t happen overnight. It’s built from years of training, dedication, and hustle, often beginning with our very first jobs in high school or college. Every decision you make, every path you follow, the people you connect with, and the mindset you cultivate all contribute to your growth and eventual success.
This is equally true for Executive Assistants. What you do in the early stages of your career will matter significantly later on.
So here’s my take on how you, too, can become an “overnight success”, especially if you’re just starting out in this role. :)
Work hard even when no one is watching
Hard working people stand out. Even when you walk into a coffee shop, it’s easy to spot those who genuinely enjoy their work and take pride in serving others. Never underestimate the impact your hard work can have on others. You never know, someone might be looking to hire someone like you. That’s how I got my job at Nihon Whiskey Lounge and then at Dropbox.
Your hard work will also be something that people remember later on. When you’re interviewing somewhere, and the executive is doing some backchannel references on you, you want those people to say positive things about you. So work hard even when no one is watching, because people are always watching.
Remember your actions speak loudly
You’ve probably heard the saying that you can tell a lot about someone by how they treat restaurant staff. At Dropbox, we applied a similar philosophy to our interview process: the interview began the moment candidates entered the building and interacted with the front desk. This helped us understand how they treated people who weren’t an obvious part of the interview panel.
Also, as Executive Assistants, we are the face of our executive and the company. Every interaction counts. How we stay calm under pressure, manage chaos, treat others, balance firmness and kindness, and make people feel heard and respected - all of this leaves an impression. Be mindful of your actions because they speak volumes.
The relationships you build now will matter later
So many of my past relationships have proven invaluable in my career.
The reason I was able to start my consulting business after Dropbox was because of all the relationships I built over the 7 years I was there. Many of the people I directly worked for went on to start their own companies or became C-level executives at larger organizations. I like to believe that if I didn’t work hard for them or learn to be adaptable or make an impact, they wouldn’t have reached out to me for help.
Even the relationships I’ve built with catering companies, event stylists, event vendors, swag companies, have all come in handy over time. Because of the relationships I built with them over the last 15 years when we were all younger and starting out in our separate careers, I’m able to pull last minute favors and we know how to work really well with each other.
Have the right mindset and mentality about your work
I talk to EAs all the time whether it’s through interviewing or at networking events or just catch ups with people who reach out. And surprisingly, there are a lot of EAs who want the benefits and salary of supporting someone with a C-level title, but don’t want to put in the work or years or time.
If you have the mentality of “that’s not in my job description” or “I don’t want to work past 5pm”, that’s fine, I mean to each his own I guess. But that will stunt your growth as an EA. People will notice. When backchannelling is done on you, that will be mentioned. So remember that what you do now and how you act now and how you treat people now will matter a lot later whether you like it or not.
Don’t try to rush things
“Good things take time, better things take a little longer.”
So is the case as an Executive Assistant. Don’t expect to become great at your job as an EA immediately. Even for someone who has 15+ years of experience in this industry, for every new executive I support, I have to take 6-12 months to really get to know them. Growth takes time. Building trust takes time. Getting good at your job takes time. Being impactful to a new executive and team takes time.
Don’t be in such a rush to get better. Your day to day experiences will get you there. Your mentality and attitude will help you learn. The mistakes you make will make you better. And the time and effort and care you put into the role, the executive, and the company, will help make you a great EA.
Don’t discount the experiences from your jobs early on
So much of what I’ve learned or who I’ve become can be attributed to the things I learned while starting to work at the age of 12 at my mom’s restaurant. While I hated the fact that I had to clean ketchup bottles, refill salt and pepper shakers, refill napkins, peel potatoes, and do dishes, it’s those very same tasks that have made me more aware and observant in my career.
Just like with our day to day work as EAs, no one ever really notices if things are going very well, but everyone notices when things aren’t going well. No one notices if the ketchup bottles are nice and clean and salt and pepper are regularly filled. But if they’re dirty or empty, boy will you get complaints.
Everything you learn from any job you have, is something that will help you later on in life. So wherever you are working now, think of that experience as a positive one that you can learn from.
And ten years down the road (yes ten years sounds like a long time, but it will go by fast), you’ll look back on your journey and remember how different you are now than you were on day 1 as an EA.
You will have life experience and work experience. You will have relationships both in and out of work that will help you. You will be the EA that junior EAs come to for advice and mentorship because they see what you’ve gone through and how you are now.
People might look at you and think “Wow, they were lucky they got in at the right company at the right time!” or “They’re lucky they supported great executives.”
But you’ll know it wasn’t luck, it wasn’t being at the right place at the right time, and it wasn’t that your executives were all magically great bosses. It’s everything that you did that got you to where you are. All the hard work, the mentality shifts, the late nights, the care/empathy/high EQ, the lessons you learned from the mistakes you made, the relationships you built, your character, your willingness to adapt - those are what will set you apart.
Those are what will make you an “overnight success”.