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Leah Husemann’s EA Cheat Code: Three Samosas for 15 Minutes · CCing my EA Podcast

• 0:00
  Welcome to the CC My EA podcast, where we talk to executive assistants about the real tactics and tricks that they use to navigate the people, priorities, and just all the chaos that comes with the job.
• 0:11
  This episode is presented by Vimcal EA, the first calendar built specifically for executive assistants. And today, I'm here with Leah, senior executive assistant at JPMorgan Chase. Thank you for joining us.
• 0:23
  For the people who don't know you, could you share a bit about who you support, what your day-to-day looks like, and just give us a background. Hi. Thank you so much for inviting me. I am so excited about this.
• 0:37
  Like you had said, my name correctly, my name is Leah Huziman. I am with, uh, JPMorgan Chase. I have been there for 13 years now, I believe.
• 0:46
  I am currently supporting the head of product, and my title is senior executive assistant, but I consider myself a strategic partner. What is my day-to-day look like?
• 0:58
  As usual, managing the calendar is, like, a big bulk of our job. And then other than that, I do, like, ad hoc special projects because I am a career coach, and he supports me fully with that.
• 1:13
  So I do career coaching internally. I do workshops. I also do, like, building the offsite, and, and now trying to figure out how to cascade AI, you know, like to the other EAs. Tell me about this.
• 1:30
  Oh, yes. [laughs] So that's not even meant to be that picture, but it was during an offsite, and- Mm-hmm... we seldom take pictures.
• 1:44
  I've been supporting him for 11 years now, and I posted that during National Boss Day, which he hates being put the spotlight on him. Mm-hmm.
• 1:56
  And, but the, but during admin day, he would post something about me, and so I said, "That's fine. Post something about me, but I'm gonna get you back," and this is how I got him back. [laughs] Nice.
• 2:08
  And he, he was so embarrassed. But, but yeah, he is really the best for supporting me, you know. While being an executive assistant, I get to coach because he knows that it's my passion.
• 2:20
  I mean, it s- seems like you guys have a great working relationship. I'm thinking, like, how important is it to have an exec on your side versus not for the success in this role?
• 2:32
  When I'm coaching, and the people that I coach will attest to this, I always, um, use a relationship as an analogy. Like, you will be successful if you have a partner, like, and your partner complements you.
• 2:50
  Mm-hmm. So if you are in a relationship where someone doesn't support you, doesn't make, uh, uh, bring out the best in you, and doesn't make you grow, why are you in that relationship? Mm-hmm. So I am the same with him.
• 3:06
  Like, he... I probably wouldn't have lasted this long if, if I did not feel that he wasn't supporting me. But he literally, on the s-
• 3:17
  the one, one year after being with him, he literally told me, "Is there any other role out there that you want to take?" And I, in the beginning- Oh, wow...
• 3:30
  I was, like, so offended because it's the first time that I heard that from someone that I'm supporting. And I was like, "Don't you like me? [laughs] Am I not doing a good job?
• 3:40
  Like, why are you pushing me to another role?" And he said, "No, because you are good at what you're doing, but I also don't want to suppress you. If there's anything else that you want to do, I will fully support you,"
• 3:54
  because that's, he sees that I can do better. But I also was like, hey, if this is the one, [laughs] you know, like in a relationship, like, why would I want to leave him? Mm-hmm.
• 4:10
  And so that's why within our relationship, he... Relationship, see I'm already using it. Like, he allowed me to grow, and he will always ask me, "Is there anything else that you want to do? What do you need from me?"
• 4:21
  Mm-hmm. Would always be his first question every time we have, um, a performance review. Going back a bit, I would love to learn a bit about how you even ended up as an EA.
• 4:32
  I think a lot of executive assistants kind of fall into the role and take all kinds of crazy paths to get there. I'm curious how you ended up as an EA.
• 4:41
  So when I moved here from the Philippines, I had a cousin, and, who was working in, um, a nonprofit, and they said that they were looking for, um, a part-time filing clerk.
• 4:53
  [laughs] I'm dating myself, where we still used to have, like, filing cabinets, and then they found out that I can do several things.
• 5:00
  And so within a year, I evolved, and my last role in that nonprofit was a website project manager because I also had background in, uh, coding and in computers, which I haven't used since I left them, [laughs]
• 5:16
  so long ago. And so, but I, when I left them, I went to, uh, Deutsche Bank as, again, as an admin because I said it's just an easy transition, and then let me figure out what I can do from then.
• 5:31
  And then because we were in the real estate department, and then the 2009 real estate bubble burst, the whole entire department got, uh, bought out.
• 5:45
  So I was doing a lot of just freelancing as an admin. And then, yeah, so I, it, it was my foot into the door in JPMorgan. Mm-hmm. I said, you know, "This is what I have been doing. Let me go back into that."
• 5:59
  I found the, that job listing. I got in, and then while there, I said, "Let me..." I had two choices. I could either move into HR- Or I can go into project management.
• 6:13
  But before that, I said I need to move to a bigger team just so I can expand my experience- Mm-hmm... which, where I found my boss now. Mm-hmm.
• 6:24
  At that time, he had, like, 2,500 people under him, and I, it, it was a great challenge for me. So I was like, "Uh, I think I like this. I'm really digging this." And so I stayed 11 years after. I'm still here.
• 6:42
  [laughs] Sounds like you're loving your time there. I do. I feel like the main thing I wanted to get from this podcast is to kind of figure out the, the tiny stuff that EAs do.
• 6:51
  I think a lot of that role comes down to how do you get people to respond to you? How do you make decisions and, like, move things forward without actually technically having any authority?
• 7:00
  Like, technically, you know, you, like, the bo- if the boss tells you to do something, you, you ha- gotta do it. But- Yeah...
• 7:06
  I think the EA role is a role where it's really like you have to practice a lot of influence without authority.
• 7:12
  And so I'm curious if there are any, you know, small tactics you've learned for doing that, basically your EA cheat code, any other, like, small tactics you've picked up to kinda get things moving. Totally.
• 7:24
  My love for food, my love for people, and I guess just the genuine interest in them- Uh-huh... has helped me. I start-- When I moved into that group of 2,500, I was very much overwhelmed. Mm-hmm.
• 7:40
  I was like, "How will I ever get to know these people?" And the one thing that I did that I found effective was always leaning into culture.
• 7:50
  So when someone comes to me and requests, "Oh, can I have 15 minutes with your manager?" I will say, "It depends. Like, for 15 minutes this week, that will cost you three samosas."
• 8:05
  [laughs] If it's next week, it's gonna be two samosas. So it, it depends. If I could say, like, if it's 30 minutes, then it's gonna be, like, three dumplings. You know?
• 8:16
  It really depends on what their culture is- Uh-huh... and because it's, it's my love for food. And then I started also doing potlucks, which not a lot of, I, I get...
• 8:27
  It's, it's not part of our job to actually organize that. But I felt that, okay, this is one thing for me to start flexing- Mm... is that, "Hey, we're gonna have a potluck. This is what you're gonna bring." Mm-hmm.
• 8:42
  So I started with just fun stuff- Mm-hmm... flexing that influence. I, I wanna know how, like, when someone wants time with your exec, how- Yeah...
• 8:51
  I wanna better understand the psychology be- behind, like, when you're asking for, you know, certain food, like how that helps- Yeah... how that helps you get your, like, get your role done.
• 9:03
  Because they become warm to me, and now, now I am depositing in that bank. Now they can return the favor for me to- Wait, isn't the food the favor? [laughs] No, be- because that's, that's me bridging that gap- Mm-hmm...
• 9:20
  and now they're like, "Oh my God, you speak my language. Oh my God, how do you know that?" You know. It's- Oh, 'cause you're picking foods from, like, their culture. Yes. I see.
• 9:30
  It breaks down that barrier, and now they feel like, "Oh my God, you're very approachable. It's so easy to go to you." And so now if I tell them, "It's actually gonna be three weeks from now. I'm sorry.
• 9:42
  I'm gonna give you back your samosa. I'm gonna give you back your dumplings." Mm. "I'm gonna give you back your pork buns."
• 9:48
  [laughs] And so it becomes, like, a, a virtual barter, because I'm sorry, I just have to push you.
• 9:55
  So they don't feel so bad that I keep pushing them and pushing them and pushing them, and they don't realize it's now six weeks- Mm-hmm... past the day when they actually needed it- Mm-hmm...
• 10:05
  because I am also able to read between the lines that it's not really urgent. Mm. You just need this. Mm-hmm. And so also with our conversation, I get to pick, like, "Oh, what do you need him for?"
• 10:18
  Like, if I find out that, hey, it's like, I only have four weeks left, I'm leaving the company, okay, then I'm gonna make sure. But, so it, it, it's that juggle, right?
• 10:28
  It's not that they're less important, but if I have someone who is leaving in four weeks, that's more important than someone- More urgent. Yes. Mm-hmm. More urgent, not, not- Yeah... more important. More- I, I see.
• 10:42
  I see. 'Cause I, I ta- I guess I take things a little too literally sometimes. But it's not like they just owe you this samosa. Oh, yeah, yeah. They're not really gonna g- [laughs] They're really not.
• 10:52
  But, but let me tell you this. There was a time when- That's why you do the potlucks- It's a-... so you can tell people, "Hey, remember that? Remember the samosas?" It's a sh- Do you remember?
• 11:02
  There, there was someone who actually- Uh-huh... brought me a whole... So they're, they're from Plano, and so when they came to visit Jersey City, where, where I am based- Mm-hmm... he did give me a whole box of samosas.
• 11:15
  [laughs] I see. So I was so surprised. I was like, "You only asked for one meeting." I'm like, "This is a lot." And he goes, "No," it, it, it was impactful meeting for him, so- Mm-hmm...
• 11:28
  he never forgot that I gave him that opportunity- Nice... that, that paved the way, and I'm like, "Yes." I see. So. This is great. Yeah. I mean, perks of being a gatekeeper, free, free food. Uh- Yeah.
• 11:41
  You just gotta know- From, from around the world... when and how to leverage that. Did you try anything before this? Like,
• 11:49
  like, was this from day one, you just knew to kinda tie into the culture, or was this something you had to pick up? Yeah. It, it took a while for me to be comfortable to actually, you know, like, slide that in.
• 12:05
  Like, and b- be confident enough- Mm-hmm... to have that conversation. Because I didn't know how much I guess what I had to establish my, my standing first with, with my manager. Mm-hmm.
• 12:21
  And once I felt that it's, I'm on solid ground, that's when I started reaching out and branching out my network and building the, the rest of the relationships around me.
• 12:35
  It's like when you first came on, you had to make sure... You had to just prove that you could do good work. Yes. And then afterwards, like, all right, I can start showing a little more personality now and add- Yes...
• 12:45
  adding a little more fun, which only then further help- helped your job even more. Yes, yes. Mm-hmm. You said that better than I did.
• 12:53
  [laughs] You know, one, one thought I'd have is, like, when this food concept might backfire, but I think we just kinda talked about, you know, one risk would be if it's really early in your relationship with your exec and you start doing...
• 13:07
  Then th- they don't really know your personality as, like, yo, is this- Yes... are they serious? Yeah. Are they not? Yeah. [laughs] It, it's... Yeah, like you said, like, it, it depends on the delivery too.
• 13:15
  Like, how are you gonna deliver that line? Like, well, it depends, like, how much are you gonna bribe me? [laughs] Yeah. How many- Yeah, yeah. It's like, how many burgers can you bring? Or how many...
• 13:26
  Somebody asked me about tiramisu. They, they're like, "Oh, I bake a good tiramisu." "Well, how many trays can you bring me?" So. [laughs] Yeah. Never had it. They never brought it.
• 13:35
  [laughs] That's a, that's a really good one. I think this is a very stealable tactic as long as y- you kinda understand. It requires you to know the cultural background of whoever you're talking to. Yes.
• 13:46
  I mean, even then, you don't have to do food specifically. It can... You could... Some- just something fun related to their hobbies or whatever, just so it's not such a cold, just transactional thing.
• 13:57
  Now you added, like, a little bit of humor and fun into it. Yes. There were times when I asked for photos. Said, "Well, sure," like, "do you have a photo of your dog?" Because I know that they have- Hmm...
• 14:08
  a dog or they're into, to that. Yeah. Or, or they just spent, like, maybe a summer in, I don't know, in Spain, so... Or, "Give me your recipe for..." Mm-hmm. "What did you learn while you were hiking in, in Turkey?"
• 14:26
  Yeah. So, so yeah. This is great. This is really valuable. Thank you. [laughs] Okay. So this is great. This is a really positive one.
• 14:34
  I'm curious, on the flip side, have there been any lessons you learned that you could only learn by getting burned once? Some, like, hard-earned, um, maybe it was a major
• 14:48
  mistake or misunder- misreading of a situation that kinda updated your worldview. Yeah. Uh, for me, it would be because it's happened so many times, and I need- Hmm...
• 14:59
  to [laughs] just really, like, remind myself- Mm-hmm... that it takes... D- d- do not make assumptions, especially within the first few meetings, if you're meeting a person for the first time. Mm-hmm.
• 15:18
  Because I always make judgment calls that are so bad. It's like, oh my God, like, c- it's so simple. Can you not read? It's right there. Like, scroll down.
• 15:30
  And then I finally meet them in person, and they are the sweetest, sweetest ever. Hmm.
• 15:35
  But I've already made the mistake of judging them and telling someone else, [laughs] saying, like, "Oh, if you ever meet that person, you be careful because you're gonna have, like, a difficult time dealing with them."
• 15:46
  And then I realized, no, it's not. And then one time, there was this person who kept submitting the wrong expense report, and I kept rejecting it. Mm-hmm. And u- until I just really got, like, so tired of it.
• 16:00
  I was like, "Look, this is the fourth time already." Like- Mm-hmm. I call them, and then I, like, just, like, a little bit lost my patience. Mm-hmm.
• 16:09
  And then when I met them in person, we hung out by the bar, and we hung out. [laughs] We hung out, and we're still friends up to now. It's, like, eight years later, so it's...
• 16:23
  Yeah, it's take your time to get to really know them before you make any judgments. Mm-hmm. Because sometimes they're just really having a bad day, you know?
• 16:34
  Sometimes there are those first meeting, and I, I'm already getting, like, bad vibes, and all of a sudden I just shut down and, like, make the judgment, like, "Oh, I don't like you." Like,
• 16:47
  but maybe I'm the one not having a good day instead of them. Maybe I'm just not having a good day and reading them, reading them wrong. Mm-hmm.
• 16:56
  Um, earlier you said that part of our job is sometimes, like, our, our managers tell us something, and we just gotta do it. Mm-hmm. The thing is, sometimes they tell us something, but we don't have to do it,
• 17:12
  or we intentionally not do it because- Do you have an example that you're thinking about that you can anonymize? Uh, it's... Y- yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 17:22
  Like, when, when, when a, a former manager is, like, heat of the moment would say, "Well, contact this person and ask them why," blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Like, it's almost like a secondhand, like, reprimand.
• 17:39
  Like, you tell them this. And so I... But, but I won't. So that's a judgment call for me because you're just saying that because- Mm-hmm... the heat of the moment.
• 17:49
  Like, right now you're salty, but I know you will regret this. And so day after, she'll be like... She was like, "Did you ever send that?" I said, "I forgot. I, I'm gonna send it now." And she's like, "No, no, no, no.
• 18:03
  It's okay. It's okay." Wow. "It's, it's good. It's good." But yeah. That's such a good story. Yeah, that's a perfect...
• 18:10
  And even, even there, you're so careful 'cause you're not saying, "I made a better judgment call than you." You're also playing it off as like, "Oh, my mistake." Y- yes. Yes. But it was a very intentional decision...
• 18:22
  that you're playing off as just, "Oh, I forgot." Yes. Now, for the EAs who want to really show their impact, that they're growing, like how, how do you document that?
• 18:32
  Like, what, what do you bring to, you know, like a performance review conversation or- Okay... uh, you wanna argue for a promotion. Yeah. Like, what do you bring to that conversation? Oh, okay, okay, okay, okay. Uh-huh.
• 18:45
  So what do I bring to that conversation of, let's say it's a performance review, and I don't know, like, how, how can I
• 18:53
  quantify and qualify my value aside from I've checked all the boxes that's within my job description? Mm-hmm.
• 19:02
  That will make it easier for me, and I won't forget, because you're gonna be like, "Oh, but this is just my job." Like- Yes, exactly... there's nothing else.
• 19:11
  Like, I don't know what else to put in here except what you told me to do. Mm-hmm. But really, you're doing a lot more than that.
• 19:20
  And so one of the things that I have been advising, um, people that I coach is whenever you do a project and then somebody replied back to you saying, "Oh my God, thank you so much for doing this," you keep a wins folder
• 19:37
  or, you know, like label it something. Mm-hmm. Like, uh, I use wins, like small wins. Mm-hmm. And y- so you save all those emails. And, and, and- They're like- Before, you know... they're like testimonials. Yes.
• 19:49
  And then at the end of the, at the end of the month or at the end of the quarter, feed them all to AI- Uh-huh... and just say, "Create this as a wins summary for me." Yeah. Mm-hmm.
• 20:01
  Just taking screenshots of people who, you know, "Thank you for whatever it is that you did," and throwing it all into AI to give a summary. That i- that is actually so actionable. To close this up, one question.
• 20:13
  What is the most fulfilling part about your job? For me, I, I would say the people. If I have to leave my job, I would miss the, miss the people. It's, it's the rewa- the rewarding part.
• 20:26
  It's the one that makes me wanna go to work. Mm-hmm. Right?
• 20:31
  That's what they were saying, is like build a community inside work so that it doesn't feel like you're going to work because you have people there that you enjoy working with. So for me, it's, it's that.
• 20:43
  It's, it's the people. Well, that's it for this episode of the CC My EA Podcast. Thank you, Leah, for coming on and sharing your stories. Thank you for having me.
• 20:52
  If you like this episode, subscribe to CC My EA for more practical EA stories and tech tips.
• 20:57
  And if heavy calendaring is part of your role, check out ThemCal EA, the first calendar built specifically for executive assistants. See you next time.