Executives Are Like Coffee

Which one is yours?

One of my favorite jobs was working at Starbucks back in 2005. I thrive in customer service environments. I was hardworking, loved my 4:30 AM Monday through Friday shift (yes, really), kept everything clean, organized, and fully stocked, and had fun learning people’s names and orders.

I enjoyed all the different rotations they put me on, but there was one that my shift lead refused to assign me - the barista line. Why? Because I couldn’t make coffee. Well, actually, scratch that. I couldn’t make foam.

(Did you know there’s an actual technique to making the perfect foam? If you know, you know.)

Anyway, I’m not here to talk about foam or my inability to perfect it :)

I’m here to talk about how there are way too many ways to make and enjoy coffee. Like, okay, there’s your regular black Coffee and Café au Lait (coffee w/ milk). Makes sense. An Americano? Fine. A Latte? Great. Cappuccino? I get it (even though I could never make one properly for the life of me). But now we’ve got Einspanner? Flat White? Cortado? Lungo? Dalgona? Ristretto? Red Eye? Cold Brew? Nitro? Breve? Con Panna? Vienna? Romano? Sparkling Espresso? Affogato? Macchiato? Doppio?! Does the list ever end?

I saw a coffee shop menu today that had a bunch of these, and I laughed. It reminded me of all the different types of executives I’ve supported over the years.

At Dropbox, I had the privilege of supporting over 45 executives. I covered maternity leaves, emergency leaves, and new VP/C-suite coverage over the course of seven years. I built a lot of relationships. And let me tell you… it blew my mind how wildly different every exec was.

Just when I thought I had seen it all and figured out how to work with different personalities, someone new would come along and completely surprise me. After about seven execs, I realized the best way to approach the next executive I’d be in charge of supporting was to throw out everything I thought I knew and start fresh.

Just like this coffee menu...

• Some execs are like classic Coffees, Americanos, and Lattes - what you see is what you get. Straightforward. No surprises.

• Some are like Cold Brew and Nitro - not my favorite, but I’ll make it work, and I’ll absolutely still give them my best.

• Some are like Affogato and Sparkling Espresso (or in Korea, they have Peach Iced Tea w/ an Add Shot, sooooo good!!) - fun, quirky, exciting, but sometimes too much fun can be distracting and take you off track.

• Some are like an Einspanner - fascinating, intriguing, and makes you go, WTF is this? But you learn a ton from working with them.

• Some are like the Red Eye - high energy, keeps you on your toes 24/7, but for some reason, it’s kind of fun, and you’re up for the challenge.

• Some are like a Dalgona - a little too sweet, but it’s a nice change of pace. The warmth and care and gratitude is kinda nice.

• And then there are the high maintenance ones - think Romano (coffee with lemon, delicious or nah??) or what I imagine Con Panna and Vienna to be like. But their high maintenance is somehow endearing, and you’re ok rolling with it because you like them as people.

If you’re an Executive Assistant, I highly encourage you to support different executives throughout your career, whether it’s long-term or interim support (don’t job hop, that’s not what I’m saying). Volunteer to help out when and if you have the bandwidth. The things you’ll learn, the relationships you’ll build, and the skills you’ll develop will be invaluable and only continue to help you as you grow.

I’ve been fortunate to have enjoyed supporting every executive I’ve ever worked with - yes, even the Cold Brews and Nitros. They all taught me something of value. No two were ever alike, and each one, in their own way, made me a better EA. Even if they didn’t realize it.