by Diane Callahan

Created on: November 04, 2008

Call me a secretary, assistant or administrator; I don't care. My skills and 20 years of experience speak for me, as should yours. Our job has no glamour and we reside outside of the spotlight. But when our job is well-done, it is reflected endlessly through the efficiency of ourselves, our executives and our office in general. What do you need to achieve this level?

1. A can-do attitude. No matter what insane assignment is thrown at me, I calmly and confidently answer, "Consider it done." This is important because it allows my boss a sigh of relief; he has full confidence that I will take care of it for him. Keep any problems that arise during the completion of the assignment to yourself. If the job absolutely cannot be done, always suggest one or two alternatives.

2. Know your boss. This is essential. You must know his or her quirks, fears, emotional buttons, etc., in order to do your job efficiently. For example, I know my boss dislikes dictating letters and memos; thus, he procrastinates. I relieve him of this duty (and get things done on time) by merely asking what ideas he wants to convey, and I type the letter or memo for him, then present it to him for signature. Perhaps your boss is one that endlessly edits the same thing over and over; find a way to interrupt that cycle. By knowing his strengths and flaws, you can make him work more efficiently, often without him even realizing it.

3. Know your grammar, spelling and punctuation. You cannot be an effective administrator or assistant if you cannot communicate effectively in writing.

4. Keep learning. The last thing anyone wants to hear from you is, "That isn't my job." An effective administrator will tackle any job, from finding just the right timeshare for the boss to purchase in St. Thomas, to figuring out why the office's voicemail system is on the blink, to learning new software in record time.

5. Know how to delegate. I recently had a hard time keeping up with all the projects I had going when I realized I could delegate some things to our weekend receptionist. Keep the delegating to things that don't require a lot of training, which would defeat the purpose.

6. Be loyal. I've seen too many assistants bad-mouthing their executives to other people in the office. Don't make this stupid mistake. If you find yourself needing to gripe about them, perhaps you should find another job. Otherwise, give your executive respect both inside and outside the office. Remember, talk always gets back to them, both the good and the bad.

Being a first-class assistant or administrator means you are a scheduler, a ghost-writer, a researcher, and sometimes a safety net. In short, a jack-of-all-trades, doing whatever is necessary to make your boss's job easier. Remember, the better he or she looks, the better you look.

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