Rachael Somerville

As somebody embedded in the climate NGO ecosystem and watching up close the struggles to adopt new media strategies and shape cultural narrative in the attention economy, I agree with those who've pointed out that toothless, approvals-bound comms and a disregard for the power of rapid message experimentation is holding the movement back. But folks who think our movement must simply adopt the right's tactics are ignoring a lot of what makes the right’s efforts on this front successful — they do seem to have much more freedom to deploy resources on half-baked ideas and to iterate until something sticks, but they also recklessly lie, mislead, and appeal to racism and misogyny to make gains in the algorithms. Even when enviro orgs have the freedom to be spicy and fail fast, they simply cannot make the same sacrifices to oligarchy’s rigged algorithms. The right can gleefully game them not because they have more courage, but because they have no qualms. https://lnkd.in/gX_sv3-P

Why Your 'Team Lead' EA is Actually Your Cheapest C-Suite Hire Yesterday, a CEO told me they couldn't justify promoting their Senior EA to Chief of Staff. "The salary jump is too big," he said. "We're talking £95k to £140k." I laughed. Actually laughed. "How much are you paying McKinsey to tell you what she already knows?" I asked. Silence. Your 'Team Lead' EA who manages two juniors and runs half your operations? They're already doing C-Suite work. You're just paying them admin prices. I placed an EA last month. She managed three direct reports, owned office operations, and basically ran the COO's world. Her title? Executive Assistant. Her pay? £72k. Six months later, she's Chief of Staff at a competitor. £100k plus guaranteed bonus. Her old company? They hired two people to replace her. Combined cost: £135k. Maths not your strong suit? Let me help. **The Hidden C-Suite Math:** Your 'Team Lead' EA is actually doing: - People management (that's an Ops Manager: £85k) - Strategic planning (that's a Chief of Staff: £130k) - Office operations (that's an Office Director: £90k) - Executive support (that's a Senior EA: £80k) Total market value: £385k worth of work What you're paying them: £75k and a gym membership What you'll pay when they leave: £200k+ for multiple replacements I remember a conversation last year, a Hedge Fund needed a new EA as his 'Senior EA' had just resigned. "We need someone who can manage the team, run operations, handle strategy, and support the exec team." "So you need four people?" I asked. "No, just one. Like Sarah did." "Then pay like Sarah did four jobs. Because she did." The silence was deafening. Here's what separates smart companies from the rest: Smart companies recognise the C-Suite work happening at EA level. The rest lose their best people to companies that do. Your EA who's "grown into" team leadership? They didn't grow into it. They saw a gap and filled it. For free. Your EA who "helps with" strategic planning? They're not helping. They're doing. At a 70% discount. Your EA who "oversees" operations? That's not oversight. That's ownership. At admin prices. The £150k+ you think you're saving by keeping their title small? You'll spend double that on recruiters, temp cover, and training when they leave for someone who values reality over rhetoric. Stop pretending your Team Lead EA is "just" an assistant. They're your cheapest C-Suite hire. The only question is whether you'll recognise it before your competitor does. Because I guarantee you - I'm already writing their new job spec. And it doesn't say "Executive Assistant" anywhere on it.