04 Mar Executive Assistants : Not A Glorified Secretary
There is a misconception that the role of Executive Assistant is, in fact, just a glorified secretary.
Yes, I have had an Executive say those words to me as an Executive Assistant. The same Executive who couldn’t tie his shoes without my help to organize a committee to do so.
might be a slight exaggeration, but ::stares unapologetically::
In fact, an Executive Assistant is much more than your Office Administrative teammates. Not better. Just different.
An Executive Assistant is the person you want around to keep your operations, well… operating. This person has an advanced level knowledge of how a business runs – not at the CEO level, but pretty darn close. This is because they have to think ahead – be the brains of the operation as the body moves and puts things into motion. Essentially, this person is the right-hand person to the CEO or person in charge.
Many companies require or prefer the Executive Assistant position to have a degree of some sort – management, business, etc. Although this isn’t necessary, the reasoning behind this is because the traditional education received will teach a person how to apply the basic business or management principles to a role that requires a high level of organizational and management skills. It will help them think objectively and strategically when performing daily tasks.
I would say that it takes a bit of creative ingenuity. But I am definitely bias to creativity in the workplace!
Knowing the organizational structure of the company for which they work helps the Executive Assistant understand the roles and responsibilities of their team members. One must know the how the organization functions in order to maintain a functioning business and in order to keep everyone on the same page. This requires the ability to communicate with each member on their level and using their ‘work-speak’ as it were. So strategically, the role of Executive Assistant should prefer a jane or jack-of-all-trades, in that one must be familiar with sales, operations, bookkeeping, HR, research, marketing and social media management, and, yes, even clerical and filing duties. It goes a step beyond answering the phone and transferring calls, to planning calls and coordinating functions. And a person with a diverse work background can put themselves in everyone’s shoes to understand how they think.
An Executive Assistant must be able to work independently, often predicting outcomes and potential solutions. One should be detail-oriented and observant – know the needs of the people you support before they do. Understand and work under deadlines and with sometimes less guidance. Research and record-keeping, as well as deadlines and documentation. Being able to understand how to effectively “multi-task” while performing tasks through to completion is also a must.
If this sounds like a job description, it isn’t. These are things I learned as an Executive Assistant, and valuable skills to have. It goes way beyond the assumption that you want someone who has only done one thing their entire career. While there is nothing wrong with this – it indicates an expertise at a crazy-good level; you should also consider someone who has done many things throughout their career. They will ‘get it’ because they may have already done it.
One of the things I love the most about being an Executive Assistant is being a leader in a supportive role. This really is a servant-leader position because while you seemingly serve others in your company, you are a leader in your own right – you are the expert in your field and the person to whom many in the company will look when it comes to operational and organizational assistance – sometimes without even understanding your importance in the infrastructure of their working world.
So no, Executive Assistants are not your secretary. They are far from your (also very important) Administrative Assistant or Receptionist. Understand what you need from your Assistant before hiring; treat them with respect and professionalism; and don’t take them for granted.