executi ve as sistants as strat egic s uppor t special...

Copyr ight © 2007, Melba J. Duncan. Al l r ights reserved.

www.duncangroupinc.com

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Executive Assistants

as Strategic Support Specialists,

Managers and Leaders: An

Expanding Universe

Melba J. Duncan

The Duncan Group Inc.


[email protected]

212.297.6118



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This is the best of times for Executive Assistants! Your

sense of humor, enormous drive, common sense, perseverance,

self-confidence, legendary discipline and integrity can propel

you to new levels not formerly associated with a support role --

in a New World in which military or civilian leaders, who are

effective at optimizing talent, will recognize and richly reward

the right people.

The Executive Assistant position is a “role on the rise.”

You are at the center of a changing work environment, one

that offers immediate advantages and opens up to a world with

infinite possibilities.

Today, I invite you to accompany me on a journey of

discovery that will take us from some of the very

concrete aspects of the role of the Executive Assistant, with

which many of you are already familiar, to a vision of the new

possibilities and learning opportunities that you will encounter

on your path to repositioning your role.

First, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the special

role of the Executive Assistant in the Military. You are part of



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a very elite group, and you should know that we are proud of

what you do.

Most of the people I recruit into the executive assistant

position work in the private sector. But I am as comfortable

speaking with you, as I am with those assistants. I understand

the role, because the core skills and personality requirements

are the same in business, non-profit or government.

The job is often the same, although the goals and the

environment in which you function are vastly different. What

changes is the environment in which we make our journey, not

the nature of the journey itself.

Corporate Assistants contribute order, accountability,

and efficiency to the worlds of corporate executives who are

committed to the search for market share.

On the other hand, you add order, accountability, and

efficiency to the daily efforts of those whose leadership have

freedom as its aim.

One skill all expert Executive Assistants have in common,

regardless of their mission or environment, are highly

developed anticipatory skills.

In fact, like the character “Radar” on the satirical

American comedy, M*A*S*H, you have mastered knowing



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exactly what your superiors are going to need next. You have a

way of seeing the most critical logistical challenges just over

the horizon, perhaps before your superiors do. You develop a

way of offering solutions to problems before they materialize.

As we travel together this afternoon, let’s look at where

the Executive Assistant position is headed in the New World of

work. We will discuss the MEGATRENDS that are driving

change in the workplace, and their impact on skill

development needs at the Executive Assistant level.

In this New World of work, you will find a new

perspective, a new optimism, and a new respect for the

Executive Assistant position. To reach these new levels of

performance requires an understanding of, and adaptability

to, the complex skills that are steadily being incorporated into

your daily routine. Keen attention must be given to building

complementary strengths to adapt to this changing role.

Career Assistants must seize every opportunity to learn new

techniques and protocols to keep up with rapidly advancing

changes.

If ever there was a time to exercise your adaptive

capacity, it is now. History tells us that the Executive Assistant



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position is not threatened by change; rather change provides

the framework for this role’s ascension.

This is why those who do this work, and the work itself,

are so difficult to typecast: Assistants and the work they do are

continually evolving in order to accommodate, respond to and

complement any new demands. Assistants have always taken

on new challenges, thereby ignoring the traditional definitions

and boundaries of the role, and ensured a smooth transition

process.

If we pay careful attention to the changes and present

shifts in responsibility and accountability, we can readily

observe a blurring of the lines between Management and the

Executive Assistant role of Strategic Administrative Support.

Collectively, you have prevailed and earned your place in your

organization’s structure. This marks an important new stage

in the evolution of the Role of Assisting.

In my work as a recruiter for senior level assistants, and

as a consultant to management, I am privileged to meet with

the Captains of Industry. From each conversation, I am able

to determine a collective view of what these leaders consider

excellent performance. I listen to their views on what they

need and expect from their Assistants. I learn about the key

skills that are required for continued success in the coming



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years. I see this position from a different perspective; and I

share this collective experience with you in the following

observations and predictions:

FIRST: I observe that these shifting New World

dynamics are transforming the daily routine, the social status,

and the economic rewards of Executive Assistants. New

possibilities abound as these changes drive civilian and

military leaders to look for talent INSIDE their organizations,

as they strive to match their employees’ experience, skills and

aptitudes, and aspirations, to their evolving strategic needs.

Today’s organizations are cultivating high performers from

within their ranks for key positions. This is an ideal state of

affairs for Executive Assistants, who have previously not been

“officially” given this level of strategic responsibility.

SECOND: I observe that because you are Masters of

Change, you are expected to play a central role in supporting

your superior’s efforts to manage the extraordinary transitions

that await us in the coming years. Your work will be more

diverse, challenging and rewarding than ever before.

THIRD: I predict that to rise to the level of “value-added

colleague” you must continue to build on your basic skills to



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effectively manage the most mundane task to the most strategic

assignment, from beginning to end. In this changing

environment, flawless execution is what matters most.

This means that Assistants cannot overcome these and

other obstacles to execution by doing more of the same;

instead, they must fundamentally rethink how work gets done.

Learning how to expand your position by letting observations

teach is your real opportunity.

Fourth: I predict that your success is based on the ability

to apply intelligence, common sense and creativity to the

challenges you encounter, while learning every step of the way.

Fifth: I predict that you will excel in this “New World”

because you truly enjoy the self-management focus, the

opportunity for independent decision-making and a lot more

autonomy.

Sixth: I predict that the techniques you have honed will

be even more important to your organization’s success. This is

a very good time to be a skilled professional!

All of these predictions have many powerful implications;

so let me point to one implication, which is an idea of

outstanding importance: this role is never stagnant; “nothing

stands still.” Career mobility requires focused and specialized

attention. Assistants of the future will have to expand on



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everything they can now do to achieve record-breaking

performance! You are expected to fill the capability gap.

So, put yourselves in the driver’s seat, organize and

create your own career paths and position yourselves to

manage these major transitions. Think critically about these

new skill demands that I talk about this afternoon. Think

carefully about how to address your career-development needs.

Ultimately, you are responsible for advancing your skills in

order to continue building on what you have already mastered.

Your role of providing strategic administrative support to

executives has already taken on some role-related management

and leadership responsibilities, even though this may not have

previously been acknowledged. And, that expanding role will

be recognized and rewarded going forward, and you

will be expected to take on more and more of these

responsibilities.

So, let’s get on the path of discovering the new skills and

protocols and think about where we fit in this impressive new

role. The magical way to do this is to step outside of ourselves,

and put someone else in our place: the recruiting process will

provide the right model.



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This afternoon, we will work together on a new

assignment to identify an Outstanding Executive Assistant for

a very important client. Our strategy is to begin with a blank

page, ask targeted questions of our candidates – and watch the

process unfold.

If we listen closely, we will notice that while our

candidates are answering these and many other questions we

will pose, we are also learning about ourselves – and targeting

the skills we need to develop to master these new

responsibilities in a New World of work.

Let’s agree that our goal in this search process is to

identify what is meant by a “signature experience”, which tells

the full story about the skills, attitudes and aptitudes of our

potential candidates.

After many years in the field of recruiting, I have learned

that our observation and investigation process is like peeling

back an onion, layer by layer. Each layer is connected to the

next. As we observe and gather information, this gives us a

richer understanding of the personal characteristics, skills,

education, experience and types of people who will “fit” the

executive’s personality, attitude and work habits.



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As you work with me on this assignment, keep in mind

how you “fit” with the executive to whom you report.

A solid match ensures a lasting partnership relationship,

which is the underpinning for long-term success.

So, let’s begin by peeling back the onion. Ideally, the

following questions will provide the feedback, insight and

focused strategies of the 21st Century Assistant:

What are the core characteristics of the New Role?

What are the essential requirements for success in the

workplace?

What basic and new skills, and professional manner,

should these candidates have? What should be their attitudes

toward work?

Our candidates must possess at least these three non-

negotiable, core characteristics:

Accountability. Trust. Adaptability.

The right candidate must ACTUALLY possess these

characteristics --because they create the foundation for highly

productive employee-employer relationships. Let’s think this

through by looking at how and why these characteristics are so

important:



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The Accountability Factor

Accountability requires unquestionable integrity and

impeccable ethical standards. Once a commitment is made, it

should always be fulfilled. Absolute honesty and integrity is

expected in whatever you say and do. Those who break

commitments have fallen down on the job … and have hurt

their own and their colleagues’ credibility and performance.

Doing what you say you are going to do, when you said you

would do it, is not negotiable. You accept responsibility for all

assigned tasks; nothing is left to chance. You honor and fulfill

any commitments you make; you do your job so that you know

it better than anyone.

The Trust Factor

To develop trust you have to act in such a way that others

will recognize that you’re acting not on behalf of your personal

interests, but on behalf of the organization as a whole and the

welfare of the individuals in your work community. Your

colleagues’ welfare is as important as your own. As a trusted



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and valued colleague, you are relied upon to protect

confidential information. Trust and credibility form an

important alliance between you and your manager.

The Adaptability Factor

The world of work has been transformed by Professional

Assistants’ contribution, where change is a constant and where

innovative ideas perpetually speak to something new.

I see the changing work of Assisting being defined as a

matter of art rather than science. It is more easily recognized

rather than described, and it is known by its effects rather than

by logical analysis. Assistants thrive in changing

environments. You watch for change and adapt accordingly.

If we are going to sustain excellent performance,

then we will need these three specific traits (Accountability,

Trust and Adaptability) in order to meet the challenges of at

least four critical MEGATRENDS that are shaping our future

at an ever-quickening pace:

The first is TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE – a force that

is transforming the way we work. You will be reinventing

systems and processes, and this requires the skill of creative

systems management. For better or worse technology is

moving at an unprecedented pace. Microsoft recently released



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an entirely new product line including but not limited to

Windows Vista and Office 2007. Microsoft has completely

redesigned their core product line and Executive Assistants are

going to have to adapt.

Further, the increasing mobility of the executive is

translating into work-flow issues for the Assistant. No one can

be in the office all the time so we are seeing many Assistants

using mobile technologies, like Blackberry and Windows

Mobile to keep up.

The second is the INTEGRATIVE WORKPLACE. You

must successfully manage multi-generational/multi-cultural

influences, and this requires complex social and cultural-

management skills.

The third is the DO MORE WITH LESS WORKPLACE

– the system under which we now all live - which demands that

fewer and fewer team members produce an ever accelerating

greater number of goods and services. New ideas are

welcomed. Your input is sought in solving problems. This

requires the skill of Innovation.

The fourth is SUSTAINABILITY. How do we attain our

goals in an environmentally and organizationally sustainable

way? This requires skills in management and leadership

practices.



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All of these MEGATRENDS – which tend to overlap and

bounce off of each other in the contemporary workforce –

RELY upon the three core characteristics I mentioned earlier.

ACCOUNTABILITY -- your own ability to meet agreed-

upon commitments, or own up; … the ability to inspire

TRUST in others … and the ADAPTABILITY to develop new

solutions in the face of the many new circumstances that will

arise from these MEGATRENDS.

As private and public sector leaders take action around

these MEGATRENDS, they look within their organizations for

“Critical Talent”. It is wise for us to observe where we are,

what we do, and how we can improve on what it is we do to

distinguish ourselves as “critical talent.”

A report from Deloitte Research entitled “It’s 2008: Do

You Know Where Your Talent Is?” describes “critical talent”

as “those individuals who possess highly developed skills and

deep knowledge, not just of the work itself but also of ‘how to

make things happen….’”

Now, that report is not referring only to senior executives

who command the highest salaries; it is also talking about

those employees who drive the infrastructure of their work

environments.



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Deloitte is talking about those people who do not avoid

responsibility, but welcome it, and welcome the task of helping

to build constituencies for critical initiatives.

The report suggests that these “critical talent” people

should be fairly easy to identify: “they’re the ones who

repeatedly make the most CRITICAL decisions that impact

the efficiency and effectiveness of their departments and

organizations. They are flexible and contribute to operational

innovation.”

This brings us to the next step in our search process,

which is to identify points of comparison – the links between

the candidates we have selected and their performance

capabilities -- so we can begin to appreciate their potential for

success, and determine if they are among the “Critical Talent”

population.

We ask our candidates to give us specific examples of how

they contribute to their companies’ intellectual leadership. We

look for intellectual flexibility and operational innovation

skills. These are important strategies at the Executive

Assistant levels because for almost every business operational

innovation is a matter of survival. This requires that

businesses streamline systems, focus strategies and implement



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more effective processes. Your ability to demonstrate

operational innovation is among your most measurable

contributions.

The necessity for operational innovation opens up

significant opportunities for those employees who work most

closely with executives to support them in their strategic

agendas by organizing their complex lives. I am talking about

Executive Assistants – Adaptive Assistants. I am talking about

you.

The facts:

Organizations need highly analytical individuals with

technological savvy, creativity, global-know-how, adaptability

and great communication skills. Assistants are expected to

collaboratively solve complex and rapidly-changing problems

every moment of every day.



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Organizations need greater flexibility and innovative

ideas from their employees. People must be able to connect

across institutions, divisions and regions to create new ways to

promote high-quality decisions and lightening-fast execution.

Organizations will expect continuous learning and growth

from their employees. They will identify “critical talent” from

within their ranks. The best business leaders know that the

most important lessons don’t take place in the classroom – but

on the job.

As I pointed out earlier, during the recruiting interviews,

it is useful to ask ourselves the same questions we pose to our

potential candidates. How would you answer the following

questions?

Are you recognized for your innovative problem-solving

skills?

Are you teachable?

Are you willing to totally immerse yourself in everything

you do?

Are you able to think in the short-term and the long-

term?

Are you building on your transitional skills?

Are you among the “Critical Talent” population?

Do you have the skills of Indispensability?



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For all workers – not just executive assistants, but for

each and every contributor in organizations who will thrive in

the coming years -- the key is to learn and adapt to your

environment, and to exhibit innovative problem-solving skills

and to master the Skills of Indispensability. Let me tell you

what I know about that.

For over 20 years, most of my work has been focused on

workplace resource requirements and circumstances.

My colleague, Brandon Toropov, and I, are in the midst

of a research project to determine “what it takes to be

indispensable” in the 21st Century world of work. This is a

passion of mine, since I have never believed that people are

dispensable.

We are interviewing 100 CEOs worldwide for our book,

“The Art of Indispensability.” Those we have interviewed thus

far support the possibility that the skills of indispensability

often can be hidden within their organizations.

I interviewed Donald Gogel, President and CEO of the

prestigious private equity firm, Clayton Dubilier & Rice, to

share with us what he believes are the characteristics that

make an Executive Assistant “indispensable.” He responded

as follows:



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“An intuitive sense of the priorities of the business and

the executive – for example: what’s really important.

A high success rate in getting things done (whether that is

getting through an important phone call or obtaining tickets

for a concert).

A high degree of consistency and loyalty.

“Street smarts” and raw intelligence.

Knowledge of and sympathy with the business culture.

Respect from executives and executive assistants.

“If an Executive Assistant has most of these

characteristics, let me assure you that he/she is indispensable.”

This is the Assistants’ Professional Edge.

This excellent advice translates, in practical terms, into

six key principles:

FIRST: Being Indispensable means being one of the team

members that the key people in the organization simply can’t

do without. That means taking on projects that you are

UNIQUELY qualified to manage. It means being one of the

elite “mission-critical” employees.

Being indispensable means being proactive – to take the

initiative to create and capture true value from ideas and

technologies, wherever they are found, and to do all this in



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addition to, and to better address, your existing

responsibilities.

SECOND: Being Indispensable means being FUTURE-

FOCUSED. It means taking responsibility for looking around

corners, for understanding the immediate and long-term

results of any course of action. Team members who are future-

focused are those who think a lot more like a CEO, and a lot

less like a member of the so-called “typing pool” of years past.

THIRD: Being Indispensable means being committed to

MULTI-DISCIPLINARY LEARNING. People who do this

may be really, really good in many areas, and they are also

eager to learn about lots of different things. They are

generalists and specialists. They are willing to cross disciplines

and department lines to extend their own personal knowledge

base, because they understand that education extends across a

lifetime. Remember we cannot remain stagnant, but must

forever be moving forward in our own growth.

FOURTH: It means ADAPTING YOUR KNOWLEDGE

AND SKILLS TO THE ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE of

your employer. People can be brilliant and not fit in. To be



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Indispensable, you must know how get your work done within

a certain work environment.

FIFTH: It means MAKING NO ASSUMPTIONS. The

simple fact that something is familiar to us is no guarantee, in

today’s economy, that it is useful or relevant to a given

challenge that our organization faces. To me, assumptions are

like perceptions: they are opinions not fact, and always

require thorough scrutiny.

To be Indispensable, we must learn when to look past our

assumptions about a given situation. We must check the facts.

SIXTH: To be Indispensable means connecting

PROCESS INNOVATION to your role. Tomorrow’s leaders

will invest in innovative ideas, and they will appreciate those

employees who bring about process change and thereby create

a winning situation for more than one person or team.

I predict that mastering these practices is necessary for

EVERYBODY in virtually EVERY thriving organization.

These six elements – being Proactive, Future-Focused,

Committed to Multi-Disciplinary Learning, Adapting Your

Knowledge and Skills to the Personality of Your Organization,

The Make-no-Assumptions Principle, and Connecting to

Process Innovation -- are the building blocks to acquiring and

maintaining what I refer to as “Long-Term Indispensability.”



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The scope of implications of this new job profile is nearly

limitless. The biggest mistake is to believe that you will

continue to be as successful, as in the past, by relying on

certain skills and abilities.

In my line of work, I am always looking at the vital life

signs, searching for the real performance indicators…the

nuanced new ways to assess top performing Executive

Assistants. By asking hard questions, we can identify decisions

that we must make to achieve a higher level of performance –

what we are capable of – what to do and what not to do.

So let’s ask the same questions of ourselves as we ask of

our candidates:

What are your highest impact skills?

What are the defining characteristics of this new

role?

Do you feel qualified to be successful in your

position? If you don’t what are your developmental

goals?

Are you at an impasse?

The future security of your role is that you are prepared

to offer techniques and great ideas that add the most value,



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and that you are committed to delivering the highest levels of

performance.

The key to global competitiveness is knowledge.

This means that you appreciate the nature of knowledge and

you make a commitment to remain up to date in your personal

knowledge base. The key is to acquire new knowledge and tie

it to your experience. Complete knowledge involves both

understanding and experience.

Your impact skills should enable you to offer:

A commitment to quality. You ensure the quality of your

work and help those around you to do the same. An

understanding of and commitment to quality will make the

difference.

Inventiveness. You are willing to try new things; you

search for creative solutions to improve processes and thereby

productivity.

New standards for productivity, performance, and value.

As Peter Drucker has so often said, “The best way to predict

the future is to create it.” You are positioned to manage major

transitions.

Intelligence and common sense skills. I know, because you

speak excitedly in a language only you understand, about what



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it is you do that is different every day, and about things that

nobody else seems to able to do, or even define.

Your repertoire of skills and capacity for achievement

extends far, far beyond what most people in your organization

can even imagine. Your position connects to four capabilities:

The specific work to be done – the formal job elements –

engaging your ability to focus on what it will really take to be

successful in the new role; and taking responsibility for

learning these new skills.

Your understanding of your environment’s values

personality and identity;

The unique structure and capacities of your organization,

or, if you will, the understanding of “how we do things here”;

And the constantly changing individual needs of the

people you support.

I ask you: Who else can balance all that? There is no

single agreed upon description of what your job entails, or

even what the title should be. The tremendous variations

among administrative professional roles arise from the

different motives behind creating the position in the first place.

This position is structurally, strategically, socially and

politically unique … and extraordinarily situational. And, not



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to your surprise, there is a certain inference of Murphy’s Law

that resides in this work; we know to expect the unexpected.

Some months ago, I led a round-table conversation with

Executive Assistants. Our purpose was to look at the

motivating factors, career development strategies and specific

innovation actions necessary to distinguish this role.

We described the potential offered by business model

changes. Our goal is to help organizations AND their

Executive Assistants stay ahead of the curve … by identifying

growth opportunities in this unique role.

We agreed that the work of the Assistant is surrounded

by change on so many fronts, that we are now at the critical

point where we can and should transform the organization’s

understanding of this position, thereby defying standard

definitions, as technological advances and globalization

redefine its core processes and functions.

How do you do that? What are the imperative Career

Objectives?

As we trace some developments, remember that this is a

position that is continually being transformed and redefined by

outside and inside circumstances.

Think for a moment about how YOUR CAREER will

be affected by the four forces that we spoke about earlier, that



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are driving changes in the world of work:

! Technology

! Demographics

! Globalization

! Sustainability

Consider that continuing to grow is a critical priority.

Consider your Personal Strategy, which is necessary for

you to achieve your career objectives. There is no simple, one-

time response that will address all of these complex issues.

Instead, we will have to do a NUMBER of things, over time,

and we have to get a little better at doing A GREATER

NUMBER OF THINGS as we move forward.

Those four driving forces of change (technological

advances, the integrative workplace, the “do more with less

economy”, and sustainability) require adjustments from us

that are going to take us longer than a day. Or a week, or a

month. Or even a number of years. We’re talking about a

series of changes that we have to be willing to build into our

working lives, by committing to small improvements on a

regular basis, for the rest of our careers.

It is important to consider two very important

components of CONTINUING GROWTH.



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FIRST: SEIZE NEW OPPORTUNITIES, and make a

habit of doing so. Shying away from new challenges, new

lessons, can be a disaster in the new economy. Because our

organizations are constantly changing, evolving, and adapting

to new realities, that means the executives are, as well – and we

must step up as well. There is no room for complacency.

SECOND: While you are embracing those new

opportunities, be sure to keep your eye on new approaches to

DEVELOP NEW PROFESSIONAL CAPACITIES. If the

skills you have today are exactly the same skills as the ones you

had a year ago, there’s something wrong. If the abilities you

had yesterday have not been augmented TODAY by new ways

of doing things, new understandings of old processes, and new

ways of introducing ideas to the people with whom you work,

there’s something wrong. You’re not yet ready for the forces of

change you’re going to be facing. Find out what you don’t

know.

To sum up what I have said so far:

Suitability for key positions requires individuals to create

their STRATEGIES FOR CHANGE… for attaining superior

results in a complex business world. This actionable guide will



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help us to stay at the top of our game in this economy. To

achieve success requires that we constantly:

• Model the organization’s core values

• Build expertise

• Support key relationships and build alliances

1. Be a trusted member of the team

(your success as a member of the team

will be determined by your ability to

work cooperatively with other team

members toward a given end).

and

2. Be an effective communicator

I predict that by adopting these strategies … and by

focusing your efforts on what it will really take to be successful

in the new role, with the same intensity throughout every part

of your work… and by your obsessive quest for self-

improvement… you will make an extraordinary thing happen:

You will transform your role from Executive Assistant to

what I call Strategic Support Specialist.

You will begin to make the transition from Strategic

Support Specialist to “Value-Added-Colleagues”,

incorporating aspects of role-related management and

leadership. Value-Added Colleagues means that you are able



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to demonstrate in very specific terms the impact of your

contribution.

As these roles of Strategic Support Specialist and Value

Added-Colleague converge, it is expected that you will

represent your manager in dealings with others by employing

problem-solving skills based on creativity, improvisation, and

the right psychological tactics, chief among them: tact,

business etiquette, diplomacy and global social skills.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of the Success Skills that I

predict Strategic Support Specialists/Managers must have:

• Mental agility

• Speed and accuracy; check and double-check

everything you do; keen sense of timing

• Global communication and interpersonal

competence

• Analytical, decision-making, and problem-solving

skills

• Management and leadership point of view

• Ability to drive results

UNDERLYING THIS LIST are two all-important skills:

Compulsive attention to detail and doing more than is

expected.



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There can be no “sinking details,” because you work from

task lists, following up every assignment to completion,

regardless of distractions, obstacles, and time pressures. You

turn in daily status reports as a cross-check system with the

executive.

There are no short-cuts; your work habits must save

executives from frustration.

As Strategic Support Specialists, you provide a valuable

bridge for all matters involving relationships, details, time

management, disseminating information and facilitating faster

communication. You make no assumptions. You enjoy

applying your intuitive skills to the challenges you encounter,

while learning every step of the way.

You know that job satisfaction comes when you know you

are making a contribution, know what you are doing, and

know that you are of real value to your team.

You are creative and you have common sense: in many

instances, you are working with a given direction and a blank

page from which to create the intent, design the structure,

build the team and accept responsibility for the outcome. You

have a confident reliance on your ability to direct executives to

where they need to be, on the right date, at the right time, to



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the right place, with the right people and with the right

information.

As support-level Managers, you pull things together, keep

them together, and make things happen. On EVERY

executive’s behalf, you integrate the elements of their daily

activities, so that the implementation is fluid and seamless.

You set and maintain high expectations for all the work that

you do. You take an idea from conception through research,

analysis, collaboration, teambuilding, execution and follow

through.

Just as important, you know what NOT to do in a given

situation. You apply common sense and insight to understand

a situation completely, and understand the ramifications of

intentionally NOT doing something that’s clearly important.

For example, the executive says, “no calls for me during this

meeting.” Then, of course, the exceptional call comes in, a call

that you know must be taken, a call that demands action. You

interrupt for this call; you take action; your intuition and

judgment are on point. This elegant response assures that you

have transformed the traditionally administrative role to one

with clear strategic responsibility.



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You build personal trust; admit doubt or error and

acknowledge mistakes. You are seen as a collaborator, not as a

competitor. You encourage others to do their best.

You know that if you yourself preach teamwork, you

have to manifest a personal commitment to work effectively

with others.

You have mastered your conflict resolution skills – if not,

here’s a way to think about it, from the 19th

Century British

Philosopher and Political Economist, John Stuart Mill, “In all

intellectual debates, both sides tend to be correct in what they

affirm, and wrong in what they deny.”

Now let me ask you a question. What is your attitude

toward a 24/7 work world? Before you answer – let me remind

you: 24/7 is about Attitude!!! Not Hours!!

Being “on call” twenty-four hours a day, seven days a

week, really is expected in some environments.

Most of you probably remember Alice in Wonderland –

let’s look at Alice in 24/7-Deadline Land.

The executive regarded Alice with a distinctly

disapproving gaze. “Am I to understand,” he said warily,

“that you plan to go home?”



33

“Why, yes,” Alice responded. “It’s nearly nine in the

evening and I have been here since dawn.”

“Alice, Alice, Alice,” said her employer, shaking his head

slowly, “this is no longer the me decade, but the commitment

decade. You simply must put in more hours. I fully expect you

to put in at least 200 hours every week.”

“Well, one can’t work that many hours,” Alice objected.

“Besides, there aren’t that many hours in a week. Even if I

worked round the clock and never slept, I could never work

more than 168 hours in a single week.”

“Yes, I know, Alice, said her employer. “But I expect

your family to chip in as well.”

That was Alice in Deadline-Land, but what about those of

us in Reality-Land?

The business world with which I am familiar requires

that most Executive Assistants work at least 10 hour days and

are available 24/7, as needed. If this requirement is an aspect

of your position, then your working relationship depends upon

your keeping to this commitment.

The most important aspect of your position is relationship

management: creating the executive/executive assistant

partnership. True partnerships rely on the “right fit”, entail



34

mutual trust, superior communication, and that elusive

element we call “give and take.”

The right “fit” and open communication eliminates the

schisms and antagonistic relationships that can develop

between executives and assistants.

Collaborative partnerships require communication

between the executive and assistant that is accurate and honest.

This involves knowing each other’s strengths and supporting

each other in areas for development.

Executives and their Assistants can hardly be partners in

learning if there is a one-way mirror between them. Each is

expected to learn from the other’s mistakes, understand the

other’s role, personal mission, demands and pressure, blind

spots, work habits and temperament. A famous American

Humorist and Author, Sam Levenson, said: “You must learn

from the mistakes of others. You can’t possibly live long

enough to make them all yourself.”

Getting along with the executive you support requires

that you build trust as a collaborator. Whether you are

working with a new executive, or one you have been reporting

to for quite a few years, make sure your priorities are in line

with the executive’s priorities. Study the executive’s

personality, style and preferences. Know the best time and the



35

best way to present information and to get approval for

something you want to try. Always try to look at decisions

made from the executive’s point of view.

In a healthy partnership, successful performance is

enhanced when assistants possess real freedom and power to

influence decisions. “Influence” means that you are involved

in deciding how to accomplish your work goals. Assistants’

intellectual and technical capabilities are certainly influences;

yet, it is the “personality fit factor” that is the key to

sustainable performance, both personally and organizationally.

It is impossible to over-emphasize that the most “valued

Executive Assistant” is the person who aligns his/her strategy

with the executive and the organization’s mission. Whoever

does this work well knows that the key is in the orientation of

the role. You are there to make the executive’s vision a reality;

there must be personal chemistry between the Executive and

Assistant team; accountability, trust and adaptability must be

absolute; your ego must be checked at the door. At the same

time, you are confident and resourceful. This is your

Competitive Edge!

I realize that’s a remarkable job description … but then

again, I think you’re poised to be a remarkable contributor.

With your 50% attitude, 50% aptitude equation, you are



36

constantly changing, and consistently working toward finding

the right balance in your working partnerships, while at the

same time finding new ways to execute at full efficiency.

So -- congratulations! You have now identified the

essentials. We now know the details of your “Strategic Plan”

for outstanding PERFORMANCE. But our journey isn’t quite

over. Let’s look now at the assets that make PERFORMANCE

possible in the first place:

Your experience: What you have done – how much

you have stretched in this position.

Your competencies: What you are capable of –the

art of innovation.

Your attitude and personal attributes: Who you

are, your vision, your character, your priorities

Your knowledge: What you know, reinforced by

your passion for on-going learning.

When at peak PERFORMANCE levels, Assistants are

“world-beaters.” But guess what? When we are NOT at our

best, we create problems that diminish the value of all that

productive energy. We may just go down in flames -- and

perhaps drag our co-workers, and our organizations, down

with us.



37

To help ensure that your career path will be long and

rewarding, I want to challenge you to recognize your own

HABITUAL PERFORMANCE DEFICITS. The most

insidious of all these is the behavioral attitude known as “self-

deception.”

For an in-depth discussion of this little-known problem, I

recommend the book “Leadership and Self-Deception” by the

Arbinger Institute. Self-deception is so pervasive that it

actually determines one’s experience in every aspect of life.

I believe this behavior does play a major role in our

current, best explanation of the difficulty with building and

maintaining healthy workplace environments.

The Arbinger study points out that self-

deception, also called “resistance”, undermines successful

performance, both our own and others. It keeps us from

seeing how we can be part of the root cause of much of

the problems that impede organizational performance,

including problems relating to



38

leadership, teamwork, communication, accountability, trust,

commitment and motivation.

Being self-deceived means that we inflate others’ faults,

inflate our own virtue, inflate the value of things that justify

our actions, and we attach blame. And we pull others into our

way of being by justifying our actions.

This is easier to do than we might imagine. With very

little effort, we can become infectiously self-deceptive and

demoralizing to ourselves, our colleagues and our

organizations. We must strive not to be the person whose blind

spot becomes a flaw, or whose “derailer” activities have

become development needs. This is clearly the wrong

direction. We are successful only if we are learning how we can

be more helpful to others.

A better way is to stay focused on your development plan,

with action learning as your personal strategy.

Three important criteria are necessary:

First: you seek a constantly changing job description;

Second: you maintain a work/life balance;

Third: you execute efficiently!



39

To that PERFORMANCE STRATEGY we must add

Action Learning:

You develop technological savvy, analytical skills,

creativity, global know-how, adaptability and great

communication skills and the ability to solve time-sensitive

issues.

You make critical connections: Who you know is as

important as what you know. You build a rich, diverse

network which enables you to gain access to information, solve

problems collaboratively and achieve goals.

People with rich networks tend to solve problems faster

and with better results. Be the person who knows “whom to

call”, the person who knows “what to do next”, and the person

who energizes others – not the person who creates bottlenecks.

Strengthen your collaborative capabilities. Much depends on

what you know and whom you talk to.

You adjust your mind-set. Course-correct; figure out

how the changes in your environment will affect what you’re

trying to do. We’ve seen that change is a constant. Expand

your responsibilities and demonstrate how much you can

contribute to your organization. Stay informed. Support and

motivate; bring the team together. Be prepared to take on

more responsibility. Your organizations expect more of you



40

personally and as part of your team, so be ready to develop

new skills and build on current ones. Be diligent. Cooperate.

Integrate.

Last but not least – you simplify!

Trust Albert Einstein when he said, “make things as

simple as possible, but no simpler.”

You have the personal responsibility for improving your

skill sets, improving your knowledge base, improving your

relationship with the executives to whom you report,

improving your relationship with your colleagues, and

maintaining a positive attitude. And, as if that weren’t enough,

you have a responsibility for something else: Setting the

standard for doing the right thing: LEADERSHIP.

Let me urge you to embrace the idea that you have

significant LEADERSHIP responsibilities in your role as

Strategic Support Specialist. Here is how you to work toward

that.

All of us develop over time. During our time together

today, I hope you recognized the importance of charting your

DEVELOPMENT COURSE … by which I mean a series of

personal development objectives … in three different, but

overlapping areas:



41

• Personal Style

• Professional Judgment

• Self-management

Your personal style is your attitude and your

communication skills.

Your professional judgment is your unique body of

accumulated experiences.

Your ability to self-manage is the source of your personal

power. An aspect of self-management is taking control of your

circumstances. British playwright, George Bernard Shaw,

puts it this way: “I don’t believe in circumstances. The people

who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for

the circumstances that they want, and if they can’t find them,

make them.”

Self-management begins with a mental aspect. Self-

managers recognize the details that need to be handled. Self-

managers recognize the qualities that make a team or

themselves high functioning. Self-managers don’t require

outward influence or supervision to complete their jobs. They

create doable tasks from the hypothetical – for example, they

don’t deal with the issues of determining direction. If it was a



42

road trip, the self-manager would (without being asked) get the

maps, plan out a route, book hotels along the way and ensure

that the executive had the money to pay for the trip. The self-

manager sticks to the plan but is also adaptable to any

unforeseen events.

As Strategic Support Specialists, with leadership and

management aspects to your role, character is your #1

attribute. And we can choose one of two paths: character or

compromise. We don’t choose our parents, the location or

circumstances of our birth and upbringing, but we do choose

our character, and we do choose whether, and how, we will

develop in each of these three areas.

Once we do that, we have identified the critical

formula for strategic success:

Attitude + Commitment + Vocabulary

=

Your Reality

Attitude determines how we handle every relationship,

task, and circumstance. Attitude is a reflection of our self-

esteem. Attitude is a choice.

Commitment is our willingness to follow through, right

here, right now, in the real world.



43

And vocabulary means the words we choose to

communicate with OURSELVES and the OUTSIDE WORLD.

We are what we think; and our reputation and influence is

determined by what we say.

Take control of those three variables, and you take

control of your reality. Take responsibility, take control of

your reality, remain in the present, and watch what happens.

As we close here, I want to urge you to create a Mission

Statement as a personal and business strategy. This is Your

Legacy. Formulate a Mission Statement that will exert a

positive effect on your work immediately.

This statement should reflect your personal ethics – and

should refocus your energies when things get hectic. You

should include certain standards of performance and personal

accountability that you want to be able to move toward day in

and day out, with thought, words, actions, and habits.

Remember, that when you want to attract something into

your life, to make sure your actions don’t contradict your

desires. High performance requires a daily “balancing act.”

So within your Mission Statement, create a list of

“Declarations” that will serve as a centering, daily reminder.

Allow me to make some declarations that can serve as a model

for the ones you can build into your own life:



44

I declare that you are wonderful.

I declare that you will speak well of your employer and

your department, your colleagues, or you do not speak at all.

That you are honest, loyal and exemplify overt integrity.

That you do not circulate confidential, sensitive

information.

That you know that values translate into behavior, and

that personal values tie into integrity.

That you understand that your greatest asset is your

reputation. That no job, promotion, or amount of money is

worth a compromise of your ethics.

That you understand that you influence the perceptions

others hold of you, you comport yourself accordingly.

That you are responsible for and take charge of your

career development.

That you are known by your work, your presentation,

your personality and your reputation.

That you are a strong team player. You handle the

inevitable stress and conflict of this job by focusing on

solutions, and on how to achieve them, rather than who did it

wrong, when it was done wrong and why someone else did it

wrong.



45

That you don’t get distracted by office politics.

That you seek to build open and honest relationships

inside and outside your work environment.

That office rage - like road rage – degrades the

integrity of this position.

That you have learned to be optimistic even when the

chips are down. The good news on this front is that you have

to TOOLS to be optimistic: your own emotions. Let’s face it,

without emotions, life would be pretty boring. Let me quote

from the extraordinary book (and film) “What the Bleep do

We Know?”: “Certainly life without emotions is plain yogurt

on bleached oatmeal for breakfast, lunch and dinner (with no

honey). So the question really is: How do we use these

emotions? What are we evolving them to? What are we

becoming?”

I declare that when things seem to be going astray, that

you rely on your ability to manage yourself in the moment.

I declare that when you stop to think about it, you will

realize that the work you do is probably some of the most

emotionally and intellectually demanding in the entire

organization. Yes: much of what you do parallels what a good



46

executive does. You shape the broad picture into a set of action

steps – and then you execute!

Keep moving forward. Do what you do from a sense of

deep personal commitment – from a sense of mission. Don’t

just contribute -- be inspired to contribute. Your position is

valuable and important in your organizations. Never be

imprisoned by your job description; it’s probably out of date,

anyway.

And I send a message to your employers. First, that new

titles should be considered for the advanced skills you bring to

your organizations. We are shifting to Strategic Support

Specialists or Executive Managers.

Second: That your job descriptions should updated

regularly, and should reflect the skills and attributes I have

spoken about today.

Third: That Executive Assistant compensation should be

commensurate with this new job description.

Know your power! You are entering a new

dimension of accomplishment in your career. Remember that

honesty, great interpersonal skills and flawless execution are

what matter!



47

A career, ultimately, is a journey. I read somewhere that

the best part of traveling is not the change of scene, but the

change of mind. It’s time to get started. Enjoy the trip. Great

ideas are waiting. Why not be the one to discover them?

I’ll leave you with a thought from Ralph Waldo Emerson,

who said, “Make the Most of Yourself --- for that is all there is

of you.”

And, oh, yes, who gets the job? I declare that you all do!

Thank you.



48

Sources

Papers

"Engaging Senior Management on Sustainability." In

Sustainable Production: Building Canadian Capacity, ed. Glen

Toner. By K. Brady. Published 2006. UBC Press. Available

through Research Network for Business Sustainability

(www.sustainabilityresearch.org)

“It’s 2008: Do You Know Where Your Talent Is?” report

by Deloitte Research; published 2006. Available via

www.deloitte.com/dtt/research

“The Changing Nature of Work” Paper by Jim Ware;

published 2005. Available at

www.thefutureofwork.net/blog/archives/000279.html

Books:



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Everything but Money by Sam Levenson; published 1973.

Pocket Books:

Global Sustainability: Bending the Curve by Gilberto C.

Gallopín, Paul D. Raskin; Published 2002; Routledge

John Stuart Mill, by Maurice William Cranston; Published

1958; Longmans, Green and Co.

Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box by

Arbinger Institute; Published 2000; Berrett-Koehler

The New Executive Assistant: Advice for Succeeding in Your

Career by Melba J. Duncan; Published 1997; McGraw-Hill

What the Bleep Do We Know!?: Discovering the Endless

Possibilities for Altering Your Everyday Reality by Arntz,

Chasse, and Vicente. Published 2007. HCI.

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