Closing The Power Gap: Growth Opportunities For Administrative Professionals With Jamie Vanek

Brave Women at Work

Let’s start with a story. Many years ago, I started as an operations specialist to support a team of financial advisors. (If you are new to Brave Women at Work, I have been in the financial services industry for over 20 years.)

After my first day on the job, my husband asked me where I was sitting in the building. To this day, I don’t know what prompted him to ask, but I told him that I sat with all the other administrative assistants. He told me to move immediately because I wouldn’t be seen as having “more potential” or the ability to move up in the organization.

I didn’t want to rock the boat, so I didn’t ask to move. And you know what? My husband’s prophecy came to pass. It was difficult for me to advance in the company and during talent management reviews, I wasn’t seen as leadership material.

When I met Jamie Vanek, my guest today, I knew I had to have her on the show. The fear of being perceived as “just an admin” is wrong and the myth that administrative assistants are not capable of more needs to be debunked.

During my conversation with Jamie, we chatted about:

1. Her career history and why she is so passionate about helping administrative professionals.
2. What led her to write her book, Buried in Business: Find Freedom by Unlocking the Power of Your Admin Team?
3. The gap between administration and leadership.
4. Why being an admin has been considered “a dirty word” for so long.
5. Why administrative staff are the heartbeat of the company.
6. And more.

This show is dedicated to the almost 2.5 million administrative professionals in the U.S. today, of which over 87% of them are female. Let’s give our admins the opportunities for growth they deserve!