The finalists for WashingtonExec’s Pinnacle Awards were announced Oct. 11, and we’ll be highlighting some of them until the event takes place live, in-person Nov. 30.
Next is Executive Assistant of the Year (Public Company) finalist Esin Sarioglu, who’s an executive assistant at CGI Federal. Here, she talks success in her current role, overcoming career struggles, proud organizational moments and more.
What has made you successful in your current role?
First and foremost, having a good work ethic ⏤ something I inherited from my parents. Also, being valued by the three executives I am supporting, and being regarded as an important part of their respective teams has been a wonderful motivation to be successful.
Having a can-do attitude and always giving at least 150% to each task has not only made me successful but also helped me gain a good reputation. I am known to go an extra mile.
Being able to support three vice presidents efficiently while keeping them organized, and prioritizing effectively contributed to my success in my current role. Being proactive ⏤ not reactive or winging it a the last minute ⏤ is also a big part of my success. As an executive assistant, I cannot afford to react, although there are times I have to. Always having a backup plan for anything that may go not as planned is also a factor.
Lastly, having empathy helped me a lot. I tend to put myself in my executives’ shoes and try to understand where they are coming from, what they may need without them spelling it out, and remembering they are very busy individuals and my help is important not only for their success but also for their well-being. I care about them a lot and I make sure they know I do.
What are you most proud of having been a part of in your current organization?
I am most proud of being part of a wonderful EA cohort at CGI. We are always there for each other, adding to each other’s success by offering help when needed. We have a chat group that we use a lot and when one of us asks a question, it gets answered within two minutes. We also have a SharePoint site dedicated for our team, where we share important information that can be accessed easily.
We believe in lifting each other up and shining as a group, not as individual EAs, to add to the success of CGI. That is something that I have never had in previous companies I worked for. Being part of this group of exceptionally talented EAs has been a blessing. This is also a reflection of who we are at CGI. We collaborate and work together to be successful.
What was your biggest career struggle and how did you overcome it?
I have to confess that becoming an EA was my mother’s dream, not mine. She even went to school to become one. On the other hand, I attended college to become an English teacher and upon graduation, I became an English language instructor at a college in Turkey, where I am initially from.
Two years later, I moved to the U.S. and shortly afterwards, started working as an EA to the deputy chief of mission at the Turkish Embassy. It was 26 years ago. In the meantime, I received my master’s degree in organizational management from The George Washington University but still continued my career as an EA because I enjoy being in a support role.
My biggest career struggle, on the other hand, was to prove that I wasn’t just my title and I was equipped with more skills and education in order to go beyond the traditional tasks under that EA label. I used to be an English teacher who loved teaching grammar, I am obsessed with correct punctuation, I love my Oxford comma and proofreading is like therapy to me. Believe it or not, I relax while proofreading.
At CGI Federal, it didn’t take a lot for me to prove that I can be something beyond my EA role because my executives saw my potential and desire to do more. So, they chose to empower me. In addition to my assistant duties, I am also on the editorial board for the blogs posted on CGI Federal’s website, where I proofread newsletters, white papers and presentations (basically, whenever the team needs another set of eyes on a document, they reach out to me).
CGI Federal helped me turn my struggle into a personal mission to prove everyone that, given the opportunity, EAs can be more than their titles and can contribute beyond their traditional duties. Companies need to acknowledge and believe in the many capabilities that EAs embody.
I am grateful that CGI Federal did that for me and I am looking forward to contributing to my company’s success for many years to come