Find Your Admin Assistant Bliss: A Top 10 How To Guide

I LOVE BEING AN ASSISTANT.

Anyone who knows me in my personal life or has worked with me along my meandering career journey can attest to the fact that I find my own joy in helping others to become more confident or more skilled in whatever it is that THEY do. It sounds so simple, but in reality, it took me a good 10 years to stumble upon this "Admin Assistant Bliss". From testing out different industries and different sized companies, to making a ton of "hand-smack-to-forehead" mistakes, I came to the conclusion that there are a number of tried-and-true attributes of not only discovering, but keeping this bliss in your professional life.

Below, I have listed my Top 10 ways (in order of importance) to secure your Administrative Assistant Bliss.  Yes, they all begin with the word "C" - What can I say, I also love alliteration! :)

1. CURATE
Search for the culture, industry, location, team & job scope that aligns with your inner happy place. When you have a strong foundation, you can build up your dream job!

2. CARE
Find a Company, a team, or a boss that makes your heart swell with pride when you tell others about them, which in turn makes you want to bring out the best in all of them. Care = Good Karma. Don’t underestimate the importance of this emotion.

3. COMMUNICATE
Honest, authentic and empathetic – tailor it to your audience. Compliment often (up, down and sideways), kindly critique when necessary (also up, down and sideways). Never say anything you could not say direct to the person of which you speak, and during extremely emotional interactions, always take some time out for reflection before you respond. (For a more explicit breakdown of communication guidelines, please read my LinkedIn post on “Courageous Communication”).

4. COMPOSURE
While we cannot control the chaos, the quirky personalities or the inevitable random crisis, we can serve as a calming touch-point, a quick-thinking fixer, or a stoic beacon no matter what situations are encountered.

5. COURAGE
A true partner will be your biggest cheerleader, but also needs to be your biggest challenger as well. Telling someone your ideas, your aspirations or something as simple as the truth in order to encourage positive behavior change (yes, it could hurt feelings!) takes a huge dose of courage. Find your voice and work that courage muscle whenever & wherever possible.

6. CONFIDANT
I was originally going to use “Confidentiality” but felt that term was woefully short of what an Admin's role actually embodies. We are all human, and therefore, we all have our own unique human condition vulnerabilities (i.e. doubts, insecurities, fears and failures). From atop with the CEO, all the way down the corporate ladder, each person just wants to know they are making a difference. An exceptional admin opens themselves up to, shares in (and then keeps absolutely private about) this human experience without judgment. When mixed with #2, it becomes one of the most impactful roles of an assistant.

7. COLLABORATION
I love the quote, “If you want to go fast, go alone; If you want to go far, go together.” We each are born with innate strengths, which then leaves innate gaps that need to be filled. Find your other halves to fill those gaps, not only in your immediate “tribe”, but throughout your company. When mixed with #5, anything is possible! When you truly collaborate, you celebrate and explicitly acknowledge the other person’s ability to be better at the things you are not, and ironically, this brings your own innate talents to the forefront. Leave egos aside and focus on reaching the goal…TOGETHER.

8. COHORT
The traditional structure of administrative support roles within a company are many times siloed within their own functions. This structure unfortunately undermines the collaborative talents, strategic focus and therefore overall impact the administrative team can have on the success of the company. “Cohorts” are usually associated with education/teaching settings, but it can (and should be) translated into business settings as well. Create an “Admin Cohort” that includes administrative assistants from various sectors of the company that meets on a regular basis. The cohort is a safe space that should offer discussion of company goals (not just departmental goals) and alignment of collaborative admin led-projects that will support those goals. The cohort should also serve as an “Empowerment Powerhouse” where talents are shared, soft skills nurtured and development opportunities are encouraged. I will share my detailed guidelines on setting up such a structure in a future post – stay tuned!

9. CRAFT
Craft as a noun means “an art, trade, or occupation requiring special skill” while Craft as a verb means “to make or manufacture with skill and careful attention to”. Totally spot on!! Administrative Assistants (or as I like to refer to ourselves “Miracle Workers”) who choose the profession as a career path should give their role the reverence it deserves. There is still an unfortunate misunderstanding (and sometimes, underestimation) of just how skilled and capable an Administrative Assistant is. Just like any career path, you want to push the boundaries of those skills and be the best you can be at both the noun AND verb of this #9 action item.

10. CREATE
This in itself could shift the perspective of the admin support industry as we know it. Admins create on a daily basis – most of the time it is the more visible items like itineraries, board books and presentations. But what about all the less tangible, but many times much more important creations? We create culture, we create trusted relationships, we create “safe-spaces” and we create extra time out of thin air (just to name a few!). We have all the tools and talents at our disposal to create VALUE for the company in which we work. Don’t wait for opportunities to come to you. Reach out to your network throughout the company and see where there may be opportunity to create broader value together. It is important to explicitly link these creations back to the overarching goals and purpose of the business. God created the world in 6 days…. We all know that if he had an admin, he could have finished it in 1 :)

PS: In reality, these are not exclusive to Admins alone, they can serve as a guide for any job role out there. I hope this list offers an easy to remember road-map for anyone currently searching for their professional happy place.