Personal Assistant: a Job Description

Update: I have hired Kasey Bradley for this role and am excited to be working with him. Thank you to everyone that applied and went through my idiosyncratic process!

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I need a personal assistant to help me get stuff done. Not just SmallBox stuff but anything really, within reason. No laundry or yard work. In addition to SmallBox related work, areas of focus will include new business ideas, side projects (Speakeasy, Musical Family Tree, Springboard, etc) and exploration of random rabbit holes. Must live in or near Indianapolis, preferrably near Broad Ripple- I'm not looking for a "virtual" assistant. I will need this person to sit in meetings on my behalf and run errands.
 
Ideally this person has just graduated from high school or college and wants a “gap” year. Or it could be someone who just wants a change of pace. I don’t expect anyone to last more than 12 months in this position so one of their jobs will be to find their replacement as they approach burn out- or as I clarified below- they out grow the role. Advancement opportunities may be available as well.
 
This person must be 50% problem solver, 50% workhorse and 25% mind reader. Intelligence and curiosity are givens. Quick learner is a requirement. Computer and communication skills must be solid.
 

The following will help:

Aligned with my personal purpose statement: to orchestrate creativity
as well as the SmallBox purpose statement: to transform work.

Willingness to tell me no.

Ability to understand the big picture from a quick snapshot.

Write well.

Thrives on erratic hours.

Enjoys running errands and has the transportation to do so. (mileage compensated)

Ability to parse messages that may be lacking context. 

Be a good sounding board for ideas.

A desire to research different subject matters and provide short, scannable briefs.

Recording experience with both digital and analog formats.

Committed to continual growth.

Annoyed by wasting time.

Design and code skills a big plus.

The Other Stuff:

Time: 40 hours a week roughly.

Salary- $25-35k depending on experience.

Benefits- SmallBox pays half of health for employees and dependents. Time off available and encouraged.

Perks- iPhone and bill paid, MacBook Pro.

Start- as soon as possible.

How to apply for this job:

Contact me at jeb@smallboxweb.com

You are welcome to send a resume but I am more interested in you sending links to work you have done. Bonus points for those that can do something creative to demonstrate some of the desired attributes I listed above. I’ll chose the top 3-5 applicants for interviews and respond to everyone that applies.  

Note: I'll update this post when the job has been filled.

Watch Your Language

If you want to communicate with someone it is a lot easier when you are both speaking the same language.  This goes well beyond “English”. It has to do with a group of people collectively working to redefine words to have specific, contextual meanings. This is why “touch”, “phone” and “search” mean something so radically different now compared to 20 years ago. People came together and gradually redefined these common words. They could have made new words but it’s more effective to iterate on existing words.

I have observed that successful organizations are very purposeful about language. They work to select and re-define their common vocabulary. Often this starts with leadership but it must be a team effort. A language unused becomes jargon.

A common language acts like an OS for a team. It’s a platform that enables agility, communication, delegation and accountability. Projects and systems can run on that platform.

Language must start at the top. If the boss doesn’t speak the team language then it won’t stick. I’m learning this myself- I really need to watch my language.

Career or Calling?

Do you have a career or do you have a calling? Let's break it down:

A career is something you do to make money. It may provide meaning and value outside of the primary utility of income but it's still "work". Something you do because you have to, something you look forward to being done with- for the day, for the week, for ever.

A calling is an obsession. Something you have to do regardless of what kind of income you receive. In the past "callings" have been almost exclusively associated with religious professions. After all, few industries require a vow of celibacy. But callings should not be limited to these professions. 

Historically we have had a natural separation between careers and callings. Most work was manual labor, the brain was not fully engaged. Hobbies, religion and other non-work activities were there to engage our higher mind. But as we move into the Creative Age we must re-evaluate our notions of work, business and careers. The jobs of the future will require a fully engaged, highly creative work force. Machines are replacing our muscles. 

Creative Age companies believe that healthy work/life balance does not mean work/life separation. Ideas don't limit themselves to work hours. These companies know that innovation and ideation is exponentially more valuable than activity. Our old management tools fail to measure what really matters- passion, innovation and focus. We need to create new tools. I'll take 8 hours of "flow" over 40 hours of unfocused work. It has more value to me as a business owner. One great idea can surpass 6 months of work. I've learned this the hard way.

A calling is a powerful thing since it is based on purpose. I believe that every purpose, individual or organizational, should in some way look to change the world. The organizations that enable their people to realize their purpose within the larger organizational purpose will be the ones that change the world. And, yes, probably make a lot money along the way. 

Purpose Is King

I believe it now. I guess I "knew" it before. But believing always trumps knowing. It took me a while and, frankly, I'm a little embarrassed.

I kept peeling back the layers, looking for the core. I spent a long time hanging on the "culture" floor then a while with "passion" but they weren't where it was at. 

Purpose is fuel, it is focus, it is a lens that changes how the world looks. It informs lives, products, companies... really any "thing" we do. Without it organizations are full of archers aiming at their own targets.

Purpose leaves a huge void when absent. It slowly rusts businesses and lives. It degrades energy to persistence and erodes love to tolerance. 

Purposes joined can form a powerful river. Organizations and individuals that change the world have tapped into this raw power. The rest wait on the sides, held back by fear and probably some ignorance. 

Realizing my own purpose statement has been incredibly powerful. Now I have a wall to throw ideas and opportunities against to see if they stick. What is that purpose statement? To orchestrate creativity.

For most of my life I have felt uncomfortable around religious believers. I never really understood how they could believe in something so intangible. But now I kind of get it. Even if I may not share their specific beliefs, I understand how believing in something abstract can be transformative. No doubt in my mind- purpose is king.\

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related note: about 6 months ago I attended a ThriveMap session put together by my business coach CJ McClanahan which included a worksheet that helped me reach my purpose statement. There is another ThriveMap session on June 29th. You can sign up here and I can't recommend it enough.

Testing For Trust

Gaining and retaining trust is the elusive prize, right? It can make or break relationships and projects. 

Trust is what elevates a company's services from commodity to premium. It's takes you from a vendor to a partner.

Recently we ended a client relationship due to trust issues. This got me to thinking- how do you spot trust issues early in a relationship? Is there a way to test for trust? 

So we are working on a prospective client scorecard. It will focus on several areas- web experience, team culture, company vision, etc- but most of all we are trying ascertain- "does the leadership trust their team and does the team trust each other?" If a team doesn't trust each other chances are any outside partner will have trouble winning their trust.

Once trust is earned then begins the hard work of retaining it. A different topic and challenge.

Our goal is to have every SmallBox employee that interacts with the prospective client to have their radar tuned in for trust. I would love to hear what you have found are good trust tells when starting relationships.