Dr. Geoff Smart

Geoff Smart is the #1 thought leader on the #1 topic in business. He is the Chairman & Founder of ghSMART, a leadership consulting firm, and his purpose is to help leaders amplify their positive impact on the world.

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Do You Have a “Ninja” Executive Assistant?

You should want to have a ninja executive assistant (EA). Let’s talk about how.

Two things determine if you have a ninja executive assistant: who you hire, and how you work together.

This article reveals a non-scientific set of tips based on a quarter-century of observations of what it takes to have a ninja EA. Since I founded ghSMART 24 years ago, I have had the privilege of working with dozens of ninja EAs at our firm. And we have interacted with hundreds of great and not-so-great EAs across our client companies.
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Confidence

Confidence. How can you build your confidence as a CEO, investor, or entrepreneur?

My colleagues and I at ghSMART see many talented people work hard to build their confidence.

New CEOs have imposter syndrome. Private equity investors who just raised another $1b+ fund read newspaper headlines about the coming recession and quietly gulp. Self-made billionaire entrepreneurs worry that their fortunes will take an embarrassing hit. Newly-elected government leaders worry about whether their results will live up to their campaign promises.

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Two Reasons Why Smart People Make Dumb Career Moves

I love helping people land their dream job. But even smart people make dumb career moves. The two reasons why smart people make dumb career moves are 1) they don’t have a career strategy and 2) they don’t put enough time into their job search.

What’s a career strategy? It’s a written document that says:

• What your career wishes are (e.g. role, content, culture, leadership challenges, type of company, size, location, work-life flexibility, long-term career goals).
•3 paths you are considering, rank ordered from best to worst (e.g. 1) join a marketing consulting firm, or 2) go into a marketing department inside a corporation, or 3) hang out my shingle and freelance).
•Actions you are going to take by when (e.g. contact the following 20 people who are in a position of influence to help me land my dream job by 12/31…).

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