Do your colleagues see you as a gatekeeper? If so, it’s time to consider a new approach!

Being a gatekeeper used to be seen as being a core function of an EA’s role. And whilst at times the core function of protecting the executive from interruptions or from people still remains, to truly function as an effective manager of the executive office, EAs need a new approach. They need to be seen as being the facilitators of best outcomes for their executive and for the entirety of the executive’s team.

Facilitator of best outcomes versus gatekeeper

Perception, and how one is perceived by those around them, is a major factor in any role. In days gone by, when EAs were really only beholden to their executive, and the relationship was very much more like an ownership type arrangement, where the EA was seen as being there almost exclusively to help their executive, the perception of the hard nosed EA sitting outside the executive’s office and being a true gatekeeper was very much in tune with how organisations ran.

But whilst some small number of organisations may run that way still, and whilst some executives may still like to operate that way, in most cases, that type of autocratic, misogynistic and vertically structured management approach is really quite rare.

Strangely however, a lot of EAs still see themselves as gatekeepers even though the world is changing.

At one of our conferences a few years back, one EA confessed that she and some of her colleagues referred to those types of EAs as ‘Pitbull’s with lipstick’.  A highly derogatory term, especially used between women, but still it gives a sense that hard nosed old-fashioned EAs do indeed still exist.

Well, in this blog, I’m going to argue that no matter what type of organisation you work for, or type of boss you work for, there probably is a much more effective way to work with your colleagues and those other stakeholders you have to deal with.

Todays EAs are there to achieve outcomes by working as independently and proactively as possible, doing as much as they can to ensure the executive is not dragged in to every little decision or situation, and where possible directing traffic and information to the best possible people to deal with it, without often having to run everything past the executive.

This proactive role in managing the executive office, in being the person who assesses and prioritises tasks and activities, who is a true conduit of information flow and access, whilst still protecting the executive sufficiently to enable them to manage their energy flow, mind-set and focus, all requires an EA who can do more than just block people. And a lot more than just someone who blocks people and sits around waiting to be given tasks to do like the executive secretaries of old.

To achieve what they need to for their executives and to manage the office of that executive effectively, the EA actually needs to become a trusted resource not just for the executive but for their whole team. They need to be seen as being the facilitator of best outcomes for everyone.

As described in a previous blog, it is human nature for people to always believe that their issue is the most important one at any given time or that their request needs priority in terms of a decision, but if the EA is seen as a facilitator of best outcomes, and is truly trusted to work in the best interests of all, then so long as they have been able to build strong relationships with all the executive’s direct reports and key stakeholders, they will be able to manage expectations and priorities without too much argument. Indeed, when this type of relationship and working situation occurs people reach the stage of always preferring to go via the EA rather than trying to circumvent the EA because they know they will get the best outcome. And in the modern office cultures we are seeing today, with open plan or activity based working, where executives are more easily approached and the EA circumvented, we are witnessing this becoming a greater issue than it ever was before, if the EA can build the type of relationship I am describing.

In earlier blogs I discussed the process of prioritisation and what an EA needs to know and be able to assess in order to be able to proactively prioritise things for their executive, as well as what it means to be a conduit of information flows and access, especially in terms of their broader organisational knowledge and deeper business acumen and technical business management knowledge and skills, so I would encourage you to read that blog or my book for information around that.

Protecting the executive from others

So having worked out what it means to be a conduit, a facilitator, an enabler and someone who is generally respected and even cherished by all those in the sphere of the executive for what they facilitate getting done, of course there are those times when the EA needs to not just be a blocker to protect the executives time, energy and focus, but actually look to handle and manage those who might be more than just annoying energy or time vampires, and are actually perhaps destabilising influences.

The EA is by far the best placed person within any team to actually be able to identify who those people are and what they are doing, and to be able to work to actually ensure the executive is at least aware of any issues, and at best the EA can try and manage the person directly – accepting that ultimately they are the junior person in the partnership, still an assistant, who needs to know when their efforts are not being sufficient and they need to bring the executive in on an issue to resolve it.

In regard to office politics, this is exists in any organisation, often between departments or different groups or individuals, and it is an area I normally advise EAs to stay well clear of if they can. Yes, they can provide advice and counsel to people who may be acting inappropriately, or point out where people are being reckless or unprofessional, but, where possible, when it is true office politics at work, EAs should stay clear if they can. Office politics is often a result of disputes over resources and career opportunities, often involving how people are progressing or what opportunities they are either not being offered, or even just what they need to be able to deliver a project the way they want and the way they want to be perceived or recognised or it, even something they are campaigning for, so these things typically will need a senior level executive decision to resolve, and the EA should avoid getting too involved where possible.

Again, I expand on these issues in more depth in my book.

Protecting the executive from themselves

Many executives laugh nervously when we raise the notion that sometimes their EAs need to protect them from themselves, but the reality is I have head far too many tales of exactly how that happens to know that it is in fact a part of the role of a great EA.

Executives are human, with the same idiosyncrasies and often weaknesses everyone else has. Often intellectually or technically gifted, sometimes they are lacking in people skills, self-awareness, empathy and EQ, and even basic time management and life balance skills.

From those executives who simply neglect to look after themselves and do simple things like take breaks or eat, to those who can’t maintain healthy working relationships with others, or even those executives who repeatedly get distracted or lose focus on what they are supposed to be working on (often as opposed to what they would prefer to be working on), the reality is many executives would flounder if they didn’t have a greater partner working alongside them who can look out for them as needed.

In my book I expand on this and give a number of examples of where we have seen EAs do this for their executives, but again the key to it being effective and working without issue is that the EA must have great relationships with all those around the executive so they can do what they need to for their executive without anyone getting put offside by their actions – which they won’t if they recognise the EAs as being the manager of the executive’s office but also the person who is the facilitator of best outcomes for everyone.

Conclusion

As you can see, whilst the function an EA performs may at times be similar to that of the old fashioned gatekeeper, I think it is clear that in modern business that is not the most efficient way to operate and certainly not the one that is going to ensure the EA has the best possible relationship with everyone around them.

Being a blocker, someone who is difficult to deal with, someone who makes it hard for others to operate the way the business and the executive needs them to, is not sound business practice. For many it comes down to issues of assumed positional power and ego, issues that I cover in more depth in my book, but for many more it is just simply a factor of not realising how destabilising and damaging that can be.

Most executives I have spoken with over the years hate the notion of their EA being seen as gatekeepers. They prefer them being seen as conduits, of facilitators and of enablers. And that’s definitely the way I would encourage EAs to try and act.

Jonathan McIlroy

Executive Director, Education & Training

Executive Assistant Academy

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