Sitting on a File Cabinet, Naked, With a Gun: True Stories of Silicon Valley CEO Assistants [Hardcover]

Linda McFarland (Author), Joanne Linden (Author), Sharon Turnoy (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 28, 2009

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 Beware of making that outdated mistake.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.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

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 [e-mail] --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 140 pages
• Publisher: AuthorHouse (October 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1449031587
• ISBN-13: 978-1449031589
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,835,917 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Should be required reading for execs as well . . . ., March 3, 2010

By 

Brian E. Cabrera (Silicon Valley, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sitting on a File Cabinet, Naked, With a Gun: True Stories of Silicon Valley CEO Assistants (Paperback)

This was a great read. Having been an executive in the Silicon Valley for a long time, I found it to be right on point about the lessons every assistant to a CEO or other executive should know. In fact, executives and those aspiring be would do well to be aware of the lessons in this book. There are a number of real life stories (some names changed to protect the "guilty") throughout the book that anyone who's dealt with an executive can relate to instanty. They are equally important if you are an executive to keep in mind. The stories are told in a concise, relevant, and entertaining manner, and you feel the honesty and humility of the writers coming through. I would gladly recommend this to anyone and in fact purchased 5 copies for some of the folks in my department immediately after reading it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must read for all Administrative Professionals, December 7, 2009

By 

E. Conway "ec" (California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sitting on a File Cabinet, Naked, With a Gun: True Stories of Silicon Valley CEO Assistants (Hardcover)

I could not put this book down. The stories were interesting, relevant and I thought the Points of Wisdom at the end of each chapter were a nice summary. As a career EA, it made me proud of my chosen profession.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Honest Look at the Lives of Executive Assistants, November 23, 2009

By 

J. White (San Jose, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sitting on a File Cabinet, Naked, With a Gun: True Stories of Silicon Valley CEO Assistants (Hardcover)

I work in Silicon Valley. I read this book with a lot of personal interest and curiosity. I am not an admin or a CEO. However I do manage people and I do interact with admins. This book is filled with interesting stories and summarizing insights at the end of each section. I feel like a lot of the wisdom shared with the reader can be applied to everybody's daily life. A lot of it has to do with common sense. Something your mother might have told you before. But it is always good to see how this common sense applies to people who devote their careers helping the powerful CEO's of Silicon Valley. I've taken good notes of their lessons learned and feel like it will benefit me in my own ways.