Speaker: Christine Summers, Executive Assistant
Hi Christine! Tell us a bit about yourself.
Christine Summers: Hi, my name is Christine Summers. I'm an executive assistant with supply chain and retail technology. I'm based out of the Austin TDC and I love my job because I get to work with a fantastic group of EAs (executive assistants) and I'm constantly learning new things about how tech can make Wayfair successful.
You recently implemented the JUMP program for L2s on your team - congratulations! What made you want to take part in this program?
Christine Summers: I was really excited about the opportunity to facilitate the JUMP program for the L2 EA group because I'm always looking for new ways to develop myself personally and professionally. This seemed like a great opportunity to grow myself in a leader role and to help grow the skills in my fellow EAs. I learned a lot from the program and through the knowledge sharing with the other EAs participating in the program.
What was one of the biggest takeaways for you or your team?
Christine Summers: One of the biggest takeaways about the program for me is that as an EA group, we can lean into learning from each other more frequently. We were learning about topics that are key to the EA role and we were able to talk about how to apply them to real life situations. That seemed to be the most helpful to everyone as we frequently learned that we weren't the only one handling a certain situation. And we were able to talk about ways of overcoming the obstacles should they arise in the future.
What excites you the most about working on your team specifically?
Christine Summers: What excites me most about working with the Tech EA team is how close of a group we are. We prioritize our weekly meetings to be able to connect and talk about what's going on professionally, and also personally. It brings a deeper level of connection to the job because we are often busy focusing on everybody else that it's a spotlight and time where we can focus on each other. And I think that's really special because we are able to celebrate our wins. And also we know when somebody needs a helping hand and everybody is eager to step up and help to make sure that we're all supporting our leaders and our teams as best as we can. And I think that's really special and what makes the Tech EA team so close.
What advice would you give to another team interested in implementing the JUMP program?
Christine Summers: Some of the advice I would give another team interested in implementing JUMP is really being able to commit to that time every week. It's very hard and disruptive on the group if people are having to jump in and out of sessions because of other meetings or time commitments. And so really scheduling the program in a time that the team is able to commit to that learning, I think is the most important and it is beneficial to everybody.
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