Your Exec Doesn’t Notice You, And It’s Costing You!

✔️ This Week’s Agenda

• 💡Chrissy breaks down the recognition gap in the EA role

• 🧠 Take a self- audit on whether you have a recognition gap in your role

• 📥 + Free Bonus Downloads!

• 🔁 Share Back: Tell Us How Your Exec Got It Right

Hi Friends,

Brace yourselves this one’s a bit of a lengthy, heartfelt intro 😉 

The EA vs. Chief of Staff narrative has been living rent-free in my head lately. I’ve been thinking about why so many of us fall for the allure of becoming a Chief of Staff. And I think last week’s issue got into part of it, mainly, why I don’t classify that shift as a promotion. Maybe I see things a little too black and white sometimes, but I believe words have power. And calling it a promotion has always felt like a subtle dismissal of the incredible, strategic work EAs already do.

The more I reflect on why I once wanted to become a Chief of Staff, the more I realize…it wasn’t really about the role, what I craved was recognition.

• Recognition for the late nights I spent building decks or fixing things no one noticed were broken

• Recognition for the times I jumped out of bed in a panic, thinking I missed an important detail

• Recognition for the blood, sweat, and (let’s be honest) a few tears I’ve poured into this role

A close friend recently sent me a screenshot of a tweet that said:

“If someone’s job requires an ‘Appreciation Week,’ it means they’re not getting paid enough.”

My reply?

“He clearly doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” 😂 

Because honestly? I know for a fact that there are plenty of well-paid EAs, and there are employers willing to pay $215K+ (I see you, Netflix). The money can be there. But recognition? That’s a different story entirely!

To that salty Twitter poster’s defense, we don’t need just a day (though we’ll happily keep it), what we really need is the space, the visibility, and the platform to show what this role is actually made of.

And yes, the CoS title still gets more built-in respect. I think a lot of us crave that, not because we want to stop being EAs, but because we’re tired of doing high-impact work that no one sees for what it truly is.

This week, we’re talking about the recognition gap, why it exists, what it costs us, and how to start reclaiming the credit we deserve.

With love, and lots of coffee,
Chrissy

📊 The Recognition Gap: By the Numbers

Let’s not call this a feeling, let’s call it what it is: a pattern.

• 82% of professionals say they don’t receive enough recognition for their work.

• 66% say they would leave their job if they didn’t feel appreciated.

• 28% of employees never receive recognition from their CEO or executive leadership.

• And in our world? 85% of administrative professionals say they are not recognized in the same way as other roles in the organization.

Let that sink in…

We are:

• Leading complex projects behind the scenes

• Keeping high-stakes relationships intact

• Forecasting problems before anyone else sees them

• Carrying the emotional and logistical weight of someone else’s career

…and still being overlooked in performance reviews, skipped on org charts, and excluded from strategic conversations.

Here’s the reality:
When you do your job exceptionally well, your work becomes invisible. Because people only see the mess when it happens, and we’re the ones constantly cleaning it up before it does.

The recognition gap doesn’t just make us feel undervalued. It affects our promotions, our compensation, our career paths, and our mental health.

And let’s consider this, when someone says they’re thinking of becoming a Chief of Staff, it’s often not because they want to stop being an EA. It’s because they want the respect, authority, and visibility that comes pre-packaged with that title.

We don’t crave recognition because we’re needy, we crave it because we’ve earned it.

And if the system won’t catch up on its own, we start by tracking, vocalizing, and claiming every win until it does. 💪 

🎯 Quick Check: Are You Being Recognized?

Let’s do a little self-audit. 🤔 

If you’ve said any of these lately… You might have a recognition gap on your hands:

• “I thought they knew I handled that.”

• “It’s fine, I don’t need the credit.”

• “I’ll just wait until the next 1:1.”

• “They only noticed after someone else mentioned it.”

• “I don’t want to come off as braggy.”

• “That’s just part of the job.”

👀 If you’ve nodded to 2 or more →🚨 It’s time to start tracking, sharing, and vocalizing your wins!

Recognition isn’t ego, It’s clarity, It’s career insurance. 🤝 

📝 Free Bonus Downloads: The Brag Book Template + Wins Tracker

Don’t wait for review season to remember what you accomplished.

Use this simple Brag Book template to track your wins, value created, and receipts, all in one place.

📎 Download the Google Doc version

 📎 Download the Win Tracker

Recognition, Done Right!

Okay, we drag execs for the misses, but let’s give credit where it’s due. Ever had a moment where your exec actually nailed it? Like, “wow, they see me, they really see me” energy?

💬 [Drop your story here]- I’m rounding up receipts for next week’s issue (anonymously unless you want your flowers public) 😉 .

💭 Food For Thought!

💾 Save These for Later

Curated picks to make your work week slightly less chaotic.

• 🎓 Opportunity: Apply for The Officials VA Scholarship, Free access to their community, mentorship session with Lauren Bradley, and access to Kirmada . Get in while it’s hot. 🔥 

• 🎧 Podcast: The Mel Robbins Podcast

• 🔧 Tool to try: Clockwise – For when your calendar needs therapy (and so do you).

• Answer to the Riddle: An EA, Duh! 🙄 😆