Executive Assistants Don’t Become Managing Directors

That’s what they said. But I’ve got the receipts.

Author

Ed Clementi
August 04, 2025

I made a LinkedIn post this week that seemed to resonate.

It was personal.
It was bold.
And it came from a place I don’t talk about often enough.

The post shared how I walked through the doors of Morgan Stanley in 2004 as an Executive Assistant — and how nine years later, I became a Managing Director.

It wasn’t a post about titles or promotions.
It was a post about possibility.

Because I know there are people out there right now — maybe reading this — who feel stuck.
Who feel like their potential isn’t being seen.
Who feel like their path has already been decided.

I know that feeling.

“That Doesn’t Happen Here”

Two weeks into my start at Morgan Stanley, I was sitting at my desk — supporting three Senior Managing Directors — and watching how they carried themselves.
Their confidence.
Their presence.
The respect they commanded.

And I remember turning to a colleague — another EA — and saying:

“I’m going to become a Managing Director here one day.”

She looked at me and smiled. But then…
Three or four others around us laughed.

“Yeah… that doesn’t happen.”
“Assistants don’t become MDs here.”

It wasn’t malicious.
It was what they believed.
What they had seen.
The invisible ceiling they had learned to accept.

But I didn’t accept it.
And neither did the colleague I first told.

She leaned in and said:

“I believe you will.”

Nine years later — when I was promoted to MD — she called me.
Her words?

“I always knew you’d do it.”

Funny thing is — after I made it, a lot of others said the same thing.
“I always knew you would.”
Not out of flattery.
But because when you show up every day with the right mindset…
People feel it.

The Only Thing I Could Control

I didn’t have a blueprint.
I didn’t have sponsors lining up to open doors for me.
But I had one thing I could control:

How hard I worked at it.

I wasn’t going to out-title anyone.
But I could outwork them.
Out-serve them.
Out-solve problems.
Out-Lead!
Build trust in a way that made people want me on their side.
And multiply my impact!

And even on the days when doubt crept in…
When others doubted me…
I made a decision:

One step forward. Always one step forward.

That’s the thing most people miss.
Success isn’t a massive leap.
It’s not some defining moment where everything changes.

It’s a thousand quiet moments where you decide not to give up.

Receipts Over Fluff

Today, leadership has become a buzzword.
Everybody’s an “expert.”
Everybody’s posting surface-level advice, but very few have lived the hard lessons.

Experience matters.
Having the receipts matters.

Because leadership isn’t something you memorize from a list of bullet points.
It’s something you build through pressure, through people, through problems.
It’s being in the room when things are falling apart — and having the ability to bring people together, simplify the chaos, and deliver results.

That’s not something you fake.
It’s something you earn.

I didn’t become a Managing Director because I cracked some secret code.
I became one because I understood that value multiplies when you shift from doing to leading.

If I Can Do It, Anyone Can

I’m not sharing this story to boast.
I’m sharing it because I know there are people reading this who feel like they’re stuck behind a glass ceiling.
Maybe it’s not being an EA.
Maybe it’s a role you’ve outgrown.
A leader who doesn’t see you.
A self-doubt that’s been eating away at you for years.

But here’s what I need you to hear:

You can multiply your impact.
You can grow your value.
You can lead — right where you are — starting today.

I’m proof.

Throughout my career — and especially in the past year — I’ve heard the frustrations.
I’ve seen the talent being overlooked.
I’ve felt the conversations where people talk themselves into settling.

But I’ve also seen something worse:
Acceptance.
Acceptance of being undervalued.
Acceptance of poor leadership.
Acceptance of staying small — because it feels safer than being seen.

That’s not just unacceptable to me — it genuinely pains me.

That’s why I’ve committed myself to helping others take control of their potential.
To remind people — and organizations — that resilience, performance, and sustainability all start and end with the right kind of leadership.

I didn’t study this in theory.
I lived it.
Built it.
Led it.

And now — I’m here to help others build what they deserve.
But it starts with a decision:

Stop waiting.
Start leading.

If this hit home, Follow. Subscribe. Reach-Out!
Your next step is one decision away.

With Absolute Sincerity,

Ed Clementi, Founder & CEO of Inspired Fire, LLC

Make an Impact and Feel an Impact.