The Administrative Assistant
At least where I worked at, the focus and way the administrative assistant worked was different depending on who he or she reported to. For example, I had an administrative assistant. She was invaluable to both me and my department. She kept me on schedule, made travel arrangements for me and others in the department, maintained and ordered supplies for the department, scheduled meetings, made copies and all the other functions you might envision an administrative assistant doing usually for me and the department. However, the function that I found invaluable, for me, was that she was my front line of defense in helping me be as productive as possible.
Notice my description of my administrative assistant, Debbie when I retired, mostly included “and my department.”
During my tenure, electronic calendars advanced to allow people to schedule meetings with people and meeting rooms unless they were blocked at a high level. This was positive and negative. Everyone could schedule a meeting and see when people and rooms were available to be scheduled.This reduced the need for many administrative assistants.
However, when individuals reached a certain level, they got to choose whether to be scheduled using the software. For example, the CEO, whose administrative assistant had her own administrative assistant, did not allow meetings to be scheduled with him electronically. This also applied to the board room but I don’t know if anyone would be brave enough to try to reserve that anyway. Given his travel schedule and responsibilities, no one (to my knowledge) ever complained about the scheduling process if they desired him to be at the meeting.
Most of the Vice Presidents allowed their calendar to be scheduled except for a couple that insisted that their administrative assistants be involved (I had my guess why and it’s just what you are thinking). So, I think there may have been three people at the company that threw a wrench in the ability to schedule a meeting electronically (besides the board room, there were a couple of conference rooms that required manual override to schedule and I think HR looked the other way in whether they were corporate assets or not).
This is where Debbie, my administrative assistant, was worth her weight in gold. It could take more than a day to coordinate a process where most attendees availability was online (and the software could identify common free slots) combined with manually calling an administrative assistant and having him or her coordinate their person’s availability.
Now before I pivot to get to a Bible verse, I have to state this clearly. I’m going to suggest that my wife is like a super administrative assistant (and much more) but in no way am I limiting her value or importance in my life to just those things she does to help me out. Whew, I hope this works.
“An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar. She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens. She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong. She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night. She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle. She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet. She makes bed coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple. Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant. Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.” - Proverbs 31:10-31 ESV
Whether you are serving your boss or spouse, the value of being a help and not a hinderance is the difference between a partner or a millstone.
