Name: Elizabeth (Lisa) Farah
Title: EA Manager (Executive Assistant Manager)
How would you describe your job to your grandma? I spend my day doing a variety of things so it never gets dull. I do lots of different admin jobs and fill in will whatever else needs to be done. I like to think my contributions keep the admin portion of Surex organized and functioning in top notch form making it easier for employees and the owners to do their jobs. I also am involved in the reception area where we connect clients to their advisers and spend time ensuring Surex is providing the best customer service possible.
How did you get into your role as Executive Assistant Manager? I got into this business just looking for something to do part time to supplement the family income. I will never forget the first company meeting I went to where Lance asked about when you received exceptional customer service and how it made you feel. His whole speech was on how we as employees can exceed our clients expectations and it resonated with me as I think it is something so many companies get wrong. Their vision and passion was also contagious and I knew I wanted to be involved, that this would not just be a job but a place where I could find my own sense of success as I love looking for ways to do better, to find ways to improve and make a difference. There are many different paths that you can take in Surex to do this and I realized pretty quickly that I would be happiest in a job with a lot of variety. With anything it takes time and I went to a couple of different jobs before I landed here, but at Surex if you work hard and are a team player you will get noticed for it and opportunities arise that allow you to grow in your career and have your gifts and talents serve Surex in the best place possible.
What is a piece of advice you would give your 15-year-old self? "Above all...to thine own self be true" I would tell myself not to be afraid to be me, we are all different for a reason and have different talents and bring different perspectives to everything we do. Embrace it!
What do you love about your job? I love working for people who care, who are passionate about their vision and gather other talent to help them to accomplish it. I like being challenged every day and working with good people and learning new things. I love the variety and feeling of contributing to something I believe in.
What is the hardest part of your role? I think the hardest part of my role for me is being responsible for important things that are fairly new to me and the fear of screwing up something huge.
If you weren't an (insurance advisor, CCS, Data scientist etc) what job would you love? I would love to sit and paint all day long...pictures not walls, in the sun on a mountain somewhere and get paid for that!
What is the best thing you've done to advance in your career? I believe the best thing I've done is volunteer to take on hard tasks that gave me the opportunity to show my willingness to learn, my work ethic, creativity.
Who is someone you admire? and why? In the company? Barbie Barrus because she works hard, helps others and does her job with integrity. Outside the company? Maya Angelou for her strength to overcome hard things, her wisdom not to remain a victim and her passion to help others become the better version of themselves.
Fun Fact about you: I am a human photocopier, when I was 31 I discovered I could draw...accidentally. I started with pencil portraits and have since dabbled in many different mediums and enjoy painting landscapes as they are less pressure. No one bats an eye when you move a tree, but when a nose isn't just right people tend to notice!
