As an assistant you like to know that you are tracking with your executive and that your priorities and objectives are aligned with theirs. You like to see things from their perspective so you can anticipate what they’ll need next and provide it before they even ask.
But…. what happens when you begin to care a little too much what your executive thinks of you? You begin to get worried because it’s been a long time since you’ve received a “thank you”, or any sort of recognition. You begin to question yourself, and the relationship you have with your exec. Why can’t they just say, “thank you”?
You, my friend, have crossed over into people pleasing territory.
On the surface, people pleasing seems harmless. You’re just trying to do everything perfectly and make sure other people are happy with your work….right?
Unfortunately, under the surface, people pleasing is extremely detrimental. At its root, it’s essentially tying your identity and self-worth to another person.
Instead of standing in your self-sufficiency, and knowing that you produce good work, you look to your executive to tell you that you’re good enough.
When you don’t get the recognition you feel you deserve you desperately try and control what they think of you by making them happy. Again, you don’t get the level of recognition you deserve, and the cycle repeats.
Eventually, this leads to extreme frustration and resentment, and fails to serve anyone.
How do you let go of people pleasing and embrace the kick-ass assistant you know you are?
Here are a few tips:
Here’s the irony… We people please to make everyone else around us happy thinking this will bring us happiness, but it seldom does! Most of the time it only leads to bitterness, entitlement, and frustration.
Annie Croner is the founder and CEO of Whole Assistant, an online platform & community, formed to provide a positive place where assistants can go to transform their lives and level up their careers. Annie has made it her focus to help assistants achieve their goals and manage everything on their plates, while finding freedom from overwhelm and burnout. Over her 20+ years as an assistant, Annie has worked for boutique companies across multiple industries including accounting, marketing, nonprofit, and private wealth management. Working in a variety of settings has led to a diverse understanding of the assistant role and the many challenges that often come with it. Annie lives in Denver, Colorado where she enjoys green smoothies, her family, and an occasional evening of Latin dancing.
To learn more about Annie, please visit her website: WholeAssistant.com or connect with her on LinkedIn.
One account means one invoice, one set of standards, and one point of contact. Savoya centralizes billing and reporting by traveler, cost center, and market so your team spends less time reconciling charges and more time managing the program.
Savoya obscures personal contact information through its mobile app, requires signed confidentiality agreements from all chauffeurs, and enforces company-wide privacy policies. Security teams receive advance chauffeur and vehicle details for positive identification.
Events require dedicated coordination, event-specific dashboards, and backup vehicle planning. Savoya assigns a concierge team and monitors every trip in real time so multi-day conference programs don't fall apart after day one.
Savoya tracks flights with ADS-B data and automatically adjusts chauffeur pickup times when the aircraft moves. Changes are reflected in the system and communicated to the chauffeur directly, without requiring a phone call.
Yes. Savoya operates in 300+ markets across six continents on a single account. The same vetting standards, technology, and trip visibility apply whether you book in Dallas, London, or Tokyo.
Ask for specifics: background checks, drug screenings, insurance validation, and confidentiality agreements. Savoya runs a 14-Point Vetting System and accepts fewer than two percent of applicants. Request documentation rather than relying on marketing language.
© 2026 Savoya. All rights reserved.
