Why Executive Operations Matters

Executive operations is gaining traction, but what does it mean for you as an admin or EA? Learn more from experts Lynn Walder and Concetta Green.

Recorded at APC 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." At APC 2024, we hosted an Executive Operations Summit co-presented by Concetta Green, Chief of Staff at Harvard Business Publishing, and Lynn Walder, Founder and Principal of Executive Management Partners. I hope you enjoy this conversation between Concetta and Lynn on how executive operations is evolving, and how it could benefit you and your organization. Lynn speaks first.

00:00:39                     

Lynn Walder: Hi, friend! I'm so excited that we're here today.

Concetta Green: Me, too.

Lynn Walder: Day two of the Administrative Professionals Conference.

Concetta Green: Let's go. We're out here.

Lynn Walder: We're with our kindred spirits. I'm so excited. My name is Lynn Walder. I'm the Founder and Principal of Executive Management Partners based out of Boston, Mass, and here with us today I have one of my favorite humans ever, one of the most accomplished people that I know in my purview of administrators, and, I would daresay, a long friend, Concetta Green. She's the Chief of Staff of Harvard Business Publishing. Welcome, Concetta.

00:01:12                     

Concetta Green: Thank you so much for having me, Lynn.

Lynn Walder: I know. This is your first podcast here at APC, right?

Concetta Green: It is.

Lynn Walder: Just an FYI: This is Concetta's first attendance and speaking engagement at APC, and I was presenting with her yesterday. She crushed it. Again, so proud of you. We're going to follow on some of the things that we talked about yesterday. We trained on executive operations for about 400 administrators yesterday, and we're going to kind of delve into that a little bit more for all of our listeners out there.

So, with that, why don't we actually try to give a little bit more purview and insights as to what executive operations actually is because this is kind of a new and up-and-coming concept, and so there's probably a large swath of individuals out there who may not know exactly what executive operations encompasses and also that there's some nuance, not only around the philosophy and the fundamental framework of executive operations and how it's evolving, but also the models that help showcase this. 

00:02:14

So do you want to give us a little insight from your own personal experience of what that looks like? 

Concetta Green: Yeah, I can. And I know during our summit yesterday we also talked about executive operations really being about the processes, the systems, and the communications that really deliver on business goals. So that can show up in different ways. Yes, we do have a cohort model, the administrative cohort model, that we've been able to put in place at HBP, Harvard Business Publishing, and it has served us very well. We started off informally for the first year, just making sure we had connection, solidarity, advocacy, and a solid cohort that broke down silos between our admins, and then it was formalized about a year later.

00:03:01                     

Lynn Walder: I love it. So I think you mentioned it yesterday. You said, "First we tested the model on paper. It wasn't on paper. And then we actually formalized it." So you were piloting it, right?

Concetta Green: Absolutely. So I think piloting is probably the best way to test new ideas, especially for EAs. You want to do low-risk activities that can have high impact. If they can change things even by one percent, that's fantastic, right? Incremental change is good as long as it's moving the business forward and driving toward the goals. So, yes. [laughter]

Lynn Walder: Awesome. Very cool. I also want to just layer in a little bit more on – you had spoken about executive operations as a philosophy or a framework focusing in on the process, systems, and communications in a cross-functional manner for driving business goals, better decision making, and these kinds of things. Is this something that we've already been doing but we haven't had an appropriate, branded PR title of what we actually do for the business, so this is maybe where we've evolved this concept?

00:04:12

There's operations in all other parts of the business, right? And those operations keep those functions accountable to what they need to deliver within those process and systems and workflows within other parts of the organization. Do you think it's that terminology that needs to come into play as a branding mechanism also for administration as we evolve as a profession? 

Concetta Green: Yes, we need to update. Not only do we need to update the terminology, but we need to educate ourselves on the terminology. I think we (EAs and administrators) focus so much on the doing of the work [that] sometimes you can process a report and not read anything. But if you begin to process the information and get use of the terminology and the vocabulary, you can be more confident when speaking about those things. I think that lack of vocabulary has kept us hidden within companies. In some ways, that's comfortable, but it's also driven a sense of complacency.

00:05:12

And if we want more, we're going to have to speak up, and we're going to have to be more. So that requires us leaning in a little bit more, learning a little bit more. If we want to be understood, then we must seek to also understand. 

Lynn Walder: That's some real knowledge. We're going to have underline that one there, Concetta.

Concetta Green: Okay, let's do it.

Lynn Walder: I love it. So here we are at APC, and we just delivered a six-hour session on executive operations, which is completely mind-blowing in my purview. That tells me that this is really gaining traction out there. This is becoming much more widely understood and accepted and implemented. Why do you think that the traction is now really gaining speed at this moment in time?

00:05:57                     

Concetta Green: Oh, my goodness. Well, firstly, gen AI is making everyone crazy and afraid. No one wants to lose their job. So I think that's making people start to take their heads out of the sand a little bit. Again, speaking quite generally, many of us have been complacent and very comfortable because we've been allowed to hide in the shadows. Now that we have some competition that is quite vocal and public and being celebrated – and we've been here for decades and no one talks about us. Now we're getting nervous. So we need to perk up and we need to get up to date on what's happening in this world because I think there is always going to be value for EAs, but our jobs are at risk, and that's something that we need to be realistic about with ourselves and with one another.

00:06:47                     

Lynn Walder: And so do you think that executive operations is that next step to redefine our value in a new way?

Concetta Green: Yes.

Lynn Walder: And also using language of the business, correct?

Concetta Green: Mm-hm.

Lynn Walder: Because it's using the term "operations" instead of just "administration," which has been traditionally looked at in the business as kind of a side cost center instead of an integrated, strategic need for the business.

Concetta Green: Right. Everyone's minds, typically, in business, go a little blank when you say "administration," right? Those who might be listening or watching, you say "administration" and it just goes… [laughter] You say "fin ops" and you're like, "Oh, yeah, numbers." Oh, yeah, sure. So I think the language needs some massaging, and I think we can impact that if we're able to get the message out. I think the wave can start to move in the right direction in our industry.

00:07:41                     

Lynn Walder: Well, I appreciate you said that we have to start updating our language, but language only goes so far, right?

Concetta Green: True.

Lynn Walder: And so that's why you actually implemented this model. You took the concept and fundamentals of the underlying goals of executive administration as a pseudo function right now, and you actually employed it within a framework to showcase what that actually means to the rest of the business. Can you walk us through what that looked like for you, and how you implemented it as your place of work? You mentioned that you kind of piloted it under the down low before you actually really brought it out into the light. But why don't you walk us through that process, because I'm sure that there's questions out there from our audience.

00:08:23                     

Concetta Green: Sure. Our company was functioning just like most companies. Administrators were working in a very siloed fashion within different business groups. When I came in as the EA to the CEO, I was asked to formalize the office just in general, the executive C-suite, and what I realized was that I needed partnership. I needed to know what was happening in the different units, and the only way to do that was to collaborate and partner with the people who knew everything that was happening within the organization.

00:08:55

I knew that they had strengths that I did not, and I knew that I had strengths that they did not, and I wanted to make sure we had the opportunity to best leverage the best of all of us, and also to create a collective voice, and also just to create a space where there could be learning, where the circle could teach itself, because everyone has something to teach. And I'll tell you that there have been times where people are nervous to speak up, and that's okay. I feel like it's my job as chief of staff to facilitate a space where everyone feels safe to speak up in some regard. 

I might ask someone to present a quote in our monthly meeting, something to inspire everyone. I'll ask them a week in advance so they have a chance to let their nerves settle down. And then in the meeting I will show it on the screen and I'll ask everyone, "Where does this find you today?" Because I think it's time that admins learn how to use their voice. And if we first learn how to use it with one another, we can have more confidence then when it's time to use it with other leaders within the organization, because we are leaders. 

00:10:00                     

Lynn Walder: Yes! I love that. And I want to actually pull and tease out a little part of the executive operations cohort structure, because we just got a question that came from one of the previous sessions we were just in about high concerns around needing to report into a head administrator if you are implementing this model. I had to make sure that we took a step back because that is not how I actually set the model up as the initial proposal. I look at it as a loose collaborative, and I wanted to hear your approach that you took at Harvard Business Publishing when you were rolling this out. Do you keep it as a loose collaborative and not a reporting direct line? How has that worked or not worked?

00:10:45                     

Concetta Green: So it's interesting. What I love about your model is that it's highly adaptable. You can look at the diagram and understand how it should work ultimately. I had to make it work for our unique circumstance. So, yes, informal worked best because I was building relationship, number one. And then over time we had to prove that that model worked in person before it ever showed up on paper. So I didn't go in with a template, throwing it in everyone's faces, weirding people out, thinking I'm trying to create some weird faction at the company. I actually just started building relationship and giving people the confidence of relying on us because we know how to leverage the strength of the group.

And then, over time, I was able to use some of the templates that you shared to have better conversations with the COO, with our [TRO], who actually were willing to listen to me because they saw the impact and they saw the change that had already started to happen within some of our admins, just because they had the opportunity to work together differently, because before we did that there were so many process and communication gaps. 

00:11:55

By us spending time together on a monthly basis, by creating our own Slack channel where we could talk to each other on a daily basis, moment by moment, it sped up efficiency. It drove efficiency. It drove effectiveness. That, to me, is all I want to see. If I can come to a place and leave it better than I found it, I don't need to be the official boss of anyone. But over time they do report to me with dotted lines, with their executives, and that's okay. I'm not there to drive a wedge between them and their executives, because that relationship is really important to keep intact, but I do serve as chief advocate and I try to liaise between the executives so that they understand what our EAs need, and then our EAs understand how our executives are thinking and what they need so that we can facilitate better conversations and better service. 

00:12:43                     

Lynn Walder: That's what I love about also how you just proposed that dialogue of it's not only about being an advocate for the administrators; it's about being a liaison and educating and holding leaders accountable. That's what this executive operations cohort does. It's helping to not only upskill and build better collaboration and trust and resiliency among admins; it's there also to act as an education and an advocacy and an upskilling of the leaders themselves.

Concetta Green: Because?

Lynn Walder: Well, because they don't understand what we do.

Concetta Green: Because they're not taught that in business school.

Lynn Walder: They're not taught that in business school. That's the other reason why I feel you had to do it in an informal, off-the-books way, because you had to show first. You had to have them feel it and see the value and the impact in the moment, before they could actually truly get on board with it, which sounds very frustrating, but that's what this perfect kind of layering of a low-risk model can do.

00:13:40

Now, that being said, you just shared all the wonderfulness that has come out of the implementation of an executive operations cohort. I am sure that there were some bumps along the way, some obstacles, as there always are. And so would you actually be able to share some pain points so that maybe we can have our listeners get ahead of that if they are looking to potentially implement something like this? Again, know better, do better, be better. Can you share what people should look out for and how to approach if there's any obstacles? 

00:14:07                     

Concetta Green: Sure. So one thing we talked about in our Executive Operations Summit was expecting resistance. Resistance is not necessarily a bad thing. It's just a force that's in the world. You build muscles by lifting heavy weights. When you're new to it, your muscles shake a little bit, right? And that's sort of the bumpiness that you experience.

I would say there were times I had my own self-doubt. I wasn't sure if I had what it took to really lead a group, but I knew what needed to be done, and I knew I could do that much. There were also times and there have been times where I knew people in the group maybe weren't sure exactly what I was doing, because it was so new. [laughter] 

00:14:52                     

Lynn Walder: That's what happens when you're on the bleeding edge of innovation? It's what happens.

Concetta Green: Yeah. People are like, "Okay… You're nice. We'll kind of go with it." But I think when they saw the value for themselves as well, not just for the business. I think when my EAs saw that I actually cared about pouring into them, it made some of those difficulties or any friction a little bit easier. I would say, typically, it's just a matter of recalibrating the understanding of what the relationships should be for EAs with their business, and what that understanding is.

Lynn Walder: I love it.

Concetta Green: Yeah. Minds are hard to change. It can take time.

Lynn Walder: Got it. Yes. Well, we're going to be taking it home. I actually think we'll move into: What do you think are the top three most critical steps that you would have to take in order to propose and/or implement an executive operations function and/or model at your place of work?

00:15:56                     

Concetta Green: Yes. I would say courage, confidence, education.

Lynn Walder: Oh, I thought you were going to do some additional alliteration there because you know alliteration is like my love language. But I do agree with you. I love that. Can you work a little bit more into those aspects?

Concetta Green: Sure. With courage, if you're going to do something that no one has done before, you have to know that you're going to experience resistance externally and internally. You have to expect self-doubt. But the voice of self-doubt will always be louder than the voice of positive movement. Positive movement is always a whisper at first. So leaning into that whisper and trusting your intuition, it does take courage. Confidence is being clear on who you are, why you exist in this world, and what you bring. Because if what you bring is only connected to your title within an organization, you are in big trouble, because you will only see yourself through the lens of your manager. And when your manager can't see you anymore, you will be depressed and discouraged. That's a problem. So you have to get clear on yourself.

00:17:02

And then education – that's terminology. It's learning what they learned in business school a little bit, and it's having enough self-esteem to say, "I can do this. This is hard as hell, but I can do this." Because, you know, sometimes we support people who maybe don't seem to be the smartest, and we fix things and we solve their problems. We're all intelligent and we're all subject matter experts, so sitting at the table as equals in that way, I think, is important. 

Lynn Walder: I love it. And I think we're coming up on time, so we have a final question from one of our audience members, so I'm going to read that right here. "How can administrative professionals who are not directly involved in executive operations still contribute to streamlining process and supporting their leadership team?" What advice would you give them?

00:17:51                     

Concetta Green: I would say the principles are the same wherever you serve in the organization. The ops cohort just brings it all together with loops of feedback. So what do we get when we get you? Wherever you are in the org, you can have impact. You don't have to be in the C-suite. You can be at the front door. But if you are consistent and you show that you are capable and that you're willing to learn and grow, that has an impact. People notice something about you. And then if you're willing to expand on that, it begins to touch other parts of the org, and it does have a ripple effect and it does set a standard. So I don't think it matters where you are. I think it matters who you are.

00:18:33                     

Lynn Walder: I love it. That sounds like such a good closer, right?

Concetta Green: Okay.

Lynn Walder: Know better. Do better. Be better. And we need to know ourselves better. That's what it comes down to.

Concetta Green: Say it.

Lynn Walder: Concetta, I'm so grateful that you joined us here today – not only today, but also at the conference of APC – because I think you are crushing it, and I'm so excited. And I'm so excited to see what you do moving forward, too, so thank you for bringing your experience and your joy and everything that you are inside to the world of administration. Thanks so much.

[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.