Sitting on a File Cabinet, Naked, With a Gun: True Stories of Silicon Valley CEO Assistants - Softcover

Sitting on a File Cabinet, Naked, With a Gun offers an engaging, entertaining insider's look into the offices of some of the most powerful men and women in Silicon Valley, as executive assistants spill the beans about their CEOs. Executive assistants are arguably the most influential people on a chief executive's staff. Currently, over 8 million administrative professionals help over 4 million executives & general managers to broker and schedule meetings, decide who gets the CEO's ear, and select airlines, hotels, car rentals, and other vendors. In addition, they often support the CEOs' personal needs. They also regularly give input to the CEO on employees, from new candidates to old-timers, and they most definitely impact the fortunes of the businesses that serve them. CEO executive assistants are historically a "secret weapon" - typically not even recognized for their power to influence the CEO, and often written off as "just a secretary." Beware of making that outdated mistake. Today, the executive assistant to a CEO wields a huge amount of power and is engaged in all aspects of the business. They continually seek out ways to make their jobs more efficient, more enriching, and more empowering. They leverage their CEOs' highly valuable time to enable them to devote their total energies to making the major strategic decisions for their companies. Sitting on a File Cabinet, Naked, With a Gun is a book for anyone who has ever wondered about what goes on behind the closed doors of the executive suite. It's especially useful for anyone who has his or her eyes on a spot reporting to a CEO one day.

Linda McFarland has spent over 30 years mastering her "never-panic-under-fire" demeanor. She has held CEO Assistant positions with a variety of Fortune listed companies, spanning the high-technology, legal, and medical industries. With a passion for developing and training, Linda is a co-founder and member of the Silicon Valley Catalysts Association (SVCA) which is a group of CEO Assistants. She serves on the advisory board of the Administrative and Executive Assistant Certificate Program for UCSC Extension in Silicon Valley, and is a master instructor for that program. Linda has delivered training programs to multi-national companies and has been an invited speaker at administrative and event planner conferences. She is a Sr. Partner at PlanetAdmin which provides consulting and training for administrative professionals. Linda currently holds the title of CEO Assistant at 2Wire. Joanne Linden has a background that spans more than 30 years as an Executive Assistant. With the majority of her career in Silicon Valley, she has worked with and has been part of both successful start-ups and billion-dollar corporations. A true activist for professional administrators, she instructs at UCSC Extension in Silicon Valley's Administrative and Executive Assistant Certificate Program and is on the advisory board for that program. Joanne is a current member of Silicon Valley Catalysts Association (SVCA) and past President of the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP), San Jose and Crossroads Chapters. She is a Sr. Partner at PlanetAdmin which provides consulting and training for administrative professionals. Joanne currently holds the title of Chief Executive Assistant at Synopsys. Sharon Turnoy has been an editor, speechwriter, ghostwriter, communications manager, and executive assistant to a Silicon Valley CEO. She welcomes comments at sturnoy@yahoo.com