Do You Have What It Takes To Be An Executive Assistant?

What are the qualifications of an Executive Assistant? What do you need to be in order to succeed? 

When I was offered this position, I was a little bit insulted. I thought that being a Supervisor was far better than being a mere "Secretary". Yes, I too had that impression. But I've been successful in my career as an EA to the President and I found so much fulfillment in this job. If it didn't give me a sense of achievement, I wouldn't have lasted. EAs have the best seat in the house. There's plenty to learn... and see.

To some people, it comes naturally. Others need to work hard to acquire the skills. So, here's what i think an EA needs to be, basically.

The Qualities of an Executive Assistant

The admin work came easy to me since by nature, I'm a task oriented person. I love ticking off pending tasks from my To-Do List. It brought me satisfaction and a feeling of accomplishment. So the first quality of a successful Executive Assistant is being TASK ORIENTED. That was all the skill I had in the beginning and a great deal of common sense. The rest was learned the hard way.

Admin work is not rocket science. What can be so hard about filing reimbursements, composing emails and other secretarial stuff? These skills can be learned. But being an EA is different from being an Admin Assistant. (No disrespect meant to Admins, ok?) Managing a Top Executive's office takes more than admin skills, believe me... unless that's all they expect you to do. The title can have different job descriptions. EAs who assist the CEO, COO or President's office are also Personal Assistants, and they are expected to be more.

An EA needs to be FIRM in order to survive in the Dragon's Lair which is what I call the Executive Office. If you're not firm, you won't be able to implement your boss's directives and make high level company executives take you seriously. They'll just walk all over you and you'll be a failure. Remember, that the only thing thing that gives you authority in their opinion, is your association with the office you represent. Majority of EAs are on a lower pay grade than the people they're assisting and managing. Why should they listen to you? So, you need to be firm and clearly communicate why you're doing what you're doing. You cannot be afraid to do your job.

Related Article: Defining Efficiency in Admins and Executive Assistants

At the same time, you also need to be a GOOD POLITICAL PLAYER. The higher up you go in the company Org Chart, the thicker the politics... and little ole you is right up there just below the highest position. You have to walk the talk.

Some people turn their noses up on office politics, but it's there, it's not going to go away and a good EA accepts this and learns how to play it to her advantage. Politics only means knowing the right people to approach when you need to make things happen. It's about connections and networks. I often tell my boss that I'm a guppy swimming in an ocean of sharks - and that is an accurate picture. A great EA is an expert in navigating shark infested waters (the politics) In fact, he/she learns to be very comfortable in that environment. They have to learn it and fast.

Executive Assistants are PROFESSIONALS. Personal problems should never interfere with how you interact with other employees and clients. You represent your Boss's office and as such, an amiable and professional demeanor must be in place at all times. If a personal problem is too much to handle, go on leave. Outbursts and attitudes are not welcome either. There were so many times when I felt like crying or making a snide remark. It takes a lot of willpower to not take things personally and just let it go.

Even though there are situations where you'd like to strangle someone, EAs must never use their position to threaten a colleague. My boss told me one time that the downfall of some EAs is when they start acting like they're the Boss. It can be an easy mistake to make since you're the voice and arm of the highest executive in the organization. So, another quality of good EAs is that THEY KNOW THEIR PLACE. They know when to exert their influence, but they never go overboard. EAs should be mindful of how they're behaving at all times. Don't use other people's reaction to you as a gauge. You should expect that even when you're just doing your job, some people will think you're bossy.

It's a fact that there will be people who will think that you're arrogant. Accept it. Like I mentioned, only a fellow EA can understand the nature and demands of the job. It shouldn't affect the way you work. Just do what you need to do to accomplish your tasks. An effective EA is SELF SUFFICIENT and is not a desperate people-pleaser. If you need everyone to like you, you're in the wrong job. You will be rubbing people the wrong way a lot and you must expect resentment and envy from some, no matter how helpful and friendly you try to be.

An EA is at all times DISCREET. This makes it hard for us to have friends in the office. Your office group consists of your boss, other EAs and your boss's direct reports. Why can't you be chummy with other employees? Because there are things that you know that you cannot share outside your group. What then will you talk about? It's very hard to have conversations and establish real friendships when you can't talk about work! It's not right for EAs to talk about their bosses and company secrets with those who don't need to know. EAs are Gatekeepers and they guard the CEO or President's office well. We allow very few people into our circle and that's the way it has to be.

EAs need to be PROACTIVE and METICULOUS. They can't wait for their Executive to tell them every little thing that needs to be done. In time, a perceptive EA will be able to predict what the boss needs even before they realize it themselves. They pave the way for them so they won't encounter obstacles that will get in their way. We're not psychics and we can't preempt everything - but we should be able to foresee most of them. 

Lastly, but definitely there's more - an Executive Assistant is a PROBLEM SOLVER. So, you need to be RESOURCEFUL, CREATIVE and PERSISTENT. In the course of your career as an EA, you will collect many tools and connections that will help you do your job. 

Do you watch Suits? If you want an example of a good EA, be a Donna. She is a source of many things, good and bad. She can either help you or give you trouble. That's a good EA right there. When you reach the point where you're a Donna, that's when the fun really starts. 

The qualities I mentioned above, for me, are the basic requisites. Of course, the qualifications may differ depending on the nature of the organization you work for. For example, in the company I work for, I'm an enforcer. It's a fast paced environment. My style of support will probably stress out a Bank President who probably has a more laid back work attitude than my boss. What this means is that an EA needs to be FLEXIBLE and adjust to their boss's working style.... if it's too much of an adjustment, work for someone else who will benefit from your personality. You don't have to change who you are just to please someone else - even if the job pays well. You'd be miserable.

I believe that a great Executive Assistant is MADE. They don't just spring up from the ground with all the required skills and attitudes. We are molded by great bosses, by experience and our continuous quest to perfect our craft. So, if you don't have the skills I mentioned yet, you can acquire them. I once searched Google for the topics - "How to manage up" and "How to manage expectations". It's kinda funny when I think about it now, but in the past, I had some problems in those areas. I still do... sometimes. :) I'm too vocal about my opinions as you can probably guess... hahahaha!

If you feel that you need a lot of work, don't worry. With the right mindset and attitude, anything can be learned. That's a fact.

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