Memo: Secretaries Get New Roles
About 3.8 million people in the U.S. work as secretaries, a figure roughly equal to the population of Los Angeles. And if every one of those secretaries walked off the job tomorrow, American companies would be brought to their knees, says business consultant Michelle Burke.
As middle managers vanish, support staff members are being asked to take on more responsibilities, says Burke, who runs one of the few leadership training programs in the country exclusively for administrative support staff. Not only are secretaries required to have more technical skills, they must also be able to see and understand their company’s financial and other goals, says Burke, 35, who spent 10 years as an executive assistant.
Recognizing the important role that administrative staff play, companies are beginning to look at ways to improve the communication--and even managerial skills--of assistants. The training trend, which is slowly catching on, has particular significance for working women, who account for about 98% of professional support staff, according to U.S. Department of Labor statistics.
Burke’s company, Executive Counterparts, has provided training for such companies as General Motors Corp., Genentech Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co., Seagram Co. and Sears, Roebuck & Co., as well as several federal agencies. Burke is the author of “The Valuable Office Professional,” (American Management Assn., 1997) which suggests ways assistants can improve their performance, enhance job satisfaction and boost their salaries.
In an interview at her San Francisco office, Burke talked about the assistant’s changing role.
Q: Has the assistant’s job changed in the last five to 10 years?
A: It has changed dramatically. With technology changing rapidly, they’re obviously having to learn more [computer] programs--word processing, graphics, databases. But those are functional skills. The skills they really need to be successful are [about] being accountable for the role they play in the organization. They need to have more managerial skills, excellent communication skills and listening skills to be able to anticipate needs, to focus on results rather than tasks. This job has typically been a task-oriented position: This is your “to-do list.” . . . Now what they’re needing to say is: “What is this task for? What is the bigger picture?”
Q: Why is this more true now?
A: Let’s face it, there’s no longer loyalty within a company, so it’s really important to pay attention to all the tools and the skills they need, not just answering the phones, filing and typing. They are being asked to think. That doesn’t necessarily mean they have the authority to make all the decisions but they are getting more of it. They’re doing a lot more project management. Assistants are producing reports whereas before they were just providing data for it.
Q: The administrative assistant has traditionally been a low-paid position. I’m wondering if that is still the case.
A: The average salary is between $24,000 and $34,000 a year. I work with a lot of executive assistants who are up in the $50,000 range and more. That’s based on where you work and who you support. More women are getting educated. Traditionally most women went into this role right out of high school. Executive assistant is now becoming a career. I talk with thousands of women who love what they do. This is a job that has a lot of variety, a lot of responsibility, and it can have a lot more authority, depending on who you work for.
Q: In your book you talk about “renting” your job versus “owning” it. Can you elaborate on that?
A: I’m talking about people taking accountability for the role they play in the organization. What they do every day has an impact on the bottom line. One of the things I ask executive assistants, and most of them can’t answer, is what are the top three results that your manager is responsible for producing. Now I think that’s appalling, if you’re working for an organization and you can’t name your manager’s top three results and yet every day your to-do list is about helping produce those results. The other side of the coin is that the manager is not helping the assistant, and that has been part of the problem.
Q: Who is doing training now and why?
A: I’d say high tech [companies] are more apt to get on the ball and have their support staff trained, but I am now seeing a lot more manufacturing companies doing the same. I think it’s because the market has become so much more competitive globally and they’re realizing that the people who were the middle managers are no longer there and the support staff who have taken over these responsibilities need more training.
Q: If administrative assistants could change one thing tomorrow to improve their job performance and job satisfaction, what would it be?
A: They need to focus on the result, not the task, and [on] communication. They need to be able to speak clearly and directly to their managers. I’ve discovered that’s what a lot of managers want. “Don’t give me the whole big story, get to the point.”
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Assistants’ New Role
Michelle Burke’s tips for more effective communication:
* Be accountable: Accept total responsibility for your communication.
* Be specific: Remember: who, what, why, when.
* Be prepared: Create an action plan; do your homework.
* Be timely: Be sensitive to the timing and mood of a situation.
* Be direct: State your desired result first, add details later.
* Be aware: Know your communication strengths and weaknesses.
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As company hierarchies flatten and the authority of many executive assistants increases, the differences between how secretaries worked in the past and how they will perform in the future become more pronounced, Burke says. Here’s how she contrasts the old assistant with the new:
Traditional Assistant
* “Rents” job
* Focuses on tasks
* Waits for direction
* Is driven by policies and procedures
* Is managed
* Is plagued by problems
* Resists change
* Prefers comfort and security of status quo
* Know job objectives and responsibilities
* Follows to-do list
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Proactive Assistant
* “Owns” job
* Focuses on results
* Takes initiative
* Innovates
* Self-manages
* Is solution-minded
* Adapts to change
* Continually improves self and work
* Recognizes job’s relevance
* Consistently anticipates needs and meets them
