How to Work with Administrative Support Staff
It's important to recognize the many contributions administrative support staff can make to a firm. Bonnie M. Householder, executive secretary to the senior vice-president--finance, Clopay Corp., 312 Walnut Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202, a certified professional secretary and president of the Cincinnati chapter of Professional Secretaries International, describes how to build a more effective team. In these days of downsizing and cut-backs, more and more secretaries are assuming roles once handled by middle management. We are gaining more responsibilities and autonomy as well as more dollars. At the same time, gone are the days when there was one boss for every secretary. Many executives share secretaries with others, which makes teamwork even more important. Studies have shown most secretaries spend less than five minutes face-to-face with their bosses each day. While this may seem surprising, on days when executives run from one meeting to another, five minutes may be a high estimate. This lack of direct communication means it is even more important to learn to work effectively as a team. This can offer career growth opportunities for everyone involved, as well as technical, communication and time management skills. Supervisors should understand the ways in which administrative support staff can improve efficiency. LEARNING TO DELEGATE Secretaries can offer tremendous assistance in organizing professionals' time. For example, a secretary asked to arrange a meeting should be told the principals involved and the amount of time needed as well as the purpose. This approach is consistent with an important new business buzzword-empowerment. Empowerment doesn't mean merely delegating responsibilities but also giving the authority to act on them. For example, an executive asked to gather data for a project might involve a secretary by asking him or her to obtain the needed information from others in the office or company and compile it in a useful format within the required deadline. Supervisors shouldn't delegate only nonessential work, but should offer detailed and challenging projects as well. They ought to give the support staff a chance to make mistakes and to grow. Secretaries should receive guidance but shouldn't be stifled. If a mistake is made, a good way to point it out is by saying, "Next time, you may want to consider .... "This will be more productive than an angry reprimand. Delegating is well worth the effort it requires for several reasons. First, it's probably part of any executive's job description to keep an eye on the big picture and ensure the firm or department meets its overall goals. Chances are, CPAs know how to do everything in their departments, but delegating is more efficient and cost-effective. While secretaries are making more money these days, due in large part to additional responsibilities we have assumed, we are still not paid as much as our bosses. That's not to say the secretary's time is less important; it's simply less costly. If a support person asks for help with a project, the supervisor's best response is to sit down with him or her, ask for an explanation of the problem and then just listen. The supervisor shouldn't respond instantly but ought to give the person time to consider the problem and, perhaps, to solve it by thinking out loud. In first attempts at delegation, it's a good idea for supervisors to establish some progress checks along the way. The support person might handle one segment of a project by a set deadline before advancing to the next part to ensure he or she is on track and on time. THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE There are many ways secretaries with greater responsibilities--and greater self-confidence--can aid their management teams. For example, professionals who must complete time reports frequently write client activities on their calendars and hastily compile the reports the night before they're due. …