The Secret Inner Superhero of Administrative Assistants: “The Brand Builder”

• You pop into your boss’ office to file piles of paper, clean the whiteboard, throw away debris from a previous meeting and organize any clutter that may be in the general vicinity.
• You give a light knock on your boss’ office door (or like me, who has a glass door which allows me the “finger tap, tap, tap on the watch” move) to ensure your boss will be on time for his next meeting.
• You answer the phone with a big smile and an authentic greeting, while also promptly responding to inquiries on behalf of your boss.
• You prepare packets of info for your boss to review prior to a major meeting with an important stakeholder.
• You proactively schedule haircuts, dentist appointments or “de-stressing days off” for your boss.

If you, as an Administrative Professional, have completed one or more of the items mentioned above – you have been tapping into your Secret Inner Superhero. And that superhero is called “The Brand Builder”.

How can The Brand Builder be linked with Secret Superhero status? Because branding, if implemented through a sense of higher purpose, creates authentic connections of trust, inspiration, loyalty and aligned behaviors. Aren’t these the very values that both individuals and businesses are in constant pursuit of in order to secure both monetary and purpose-driven success? Every single person has the ability to define and nurture their own brands, but branding also extends into collaborative group settings (from the Admin/Supervisor partnership all the way up to large globalized teams). But some individuals are in positions that allow them more opportunity to execute on tasks that can build (or nurture existing) brands. The Administrative Assistant is part of this uniquely poised group.

Science has shown that people have anywhere from 1/10 of a second up to 7 seconds to make a first impression. It is this first gut impression (that is not necessarily driven by logic, but rather the subconscious mind) that then dictates, in most cases, every single action moving forward. The unfortunate reality is that most of our relationships and how they play out (particularly in the workplace!) are built off of less than a 7 second moment in time. It sounds terrifying! But, this is where harnessing the power of those 7 seconds puts you in the driver’s seat. You now have the control to steer future interactions and behaviors in a positive direction. This is where the concept of branding comes into play.

Branding is not something that can be contrived. Branding has to be built off of core truths and an individual’s desired higher intent. Inauthentic branding never lasts and ultimately can be the demise of a person’s reputation and their aptitude for success. This is another reason why I refer to The Brand Builder in Superhero terms – with great power comes not only great understanding, but also great responsibility.

For an authentic and impactful brand to be built, you must put into action the core values that are most important to the individual you are building a brand for. More often than not, I find that the Executives, which Admins support, have wonderful core values. But, the reality of time restrictions within their boss' day-to-day job do not allow them to execute on these core values in tangible ways (especially within that critical 7 second “gut instinct” window).

This is where the role of an Administrative Assistant who understands branding can fill that tactical execution gap. The seemingly simple tasks listed at the beginning of this blog post are actually tactical brand building initiatives. Each task alone seems uneventful, mundane even – but when pulled together and delivered on a consistent basis, this is where you build up your Executive, your team, your company (and even yourself!), into a leader that others will wish to emulate.

So let’s revisit how these simple tasks draw out your Brand Building Superhero status:

• You pop into your boss’ office to file piles of paper, clean the whiteboard, throw away debris from a previous meeting and clear any clutter that may be in the general vicinity.
  
  BOSS BRAND TRANSLATION [ORGANIZED]: I minimize distractions in order to be mindfully present and stay organized to appropriately prioritize
  
  
• You give a light knock on your boss’ office door (or like me, who has a glass door which allows me the “finger tap, tap, tap on the watch” move) to ensure your boss will be on time for his next meeting.
  
  BOSS BRAND TRANSLATION [RESPECT]: I value the time of peers and employees; I understand how that respect of time cascades through broader responsibilities.
  
  
• You answer the phone with a big smile and an authentic greeting, while also promptly responding to inquiries on behalf of your boss.
  
  BOSS BRAND TRANSLATION [CARE]: I believe that HOW you do something is just as important as when/why you are doing it; I care about the work of those around me (Care then breeds trust).
  
  
• You prepare packets of info for your boss to review prior to a major meeting with an important internal or external stakeholder.
  
  BOSS BRAND TRANSLATION [CREDIBILITY]: Preparation reflects Knowledge; Knowledge reflects respect; Respect reflects credibility.
  
  
• You proactively schedule haircuts, dentist appointments or “de-stressing days off” for your boss.
  
  BOSS BRAND TRANSLATION [CONFIDENCE]: I believe in self-care which helps me put my best foot forward when impacting those first 7 seconds of interactions with others
  
  

If you understand the importance of branding, and choose to proactively execute on tasks or processes that reinforce that understanding, you technically have the power to promote specific core values which can change future behaviors within any interactive relationship.

Wow.

Administrative Professionals really ARE Superheroes!

But like any true hero, we prefer to keep our alternate identities out of the public eye. It is my hope that through this post, Admins will be more aware of, and now passionately nurture, their own inner Brand Builder – the fate of the world depends on it!

(OK, maybe not the fate of the world, but more likely the fate of your Executive’s career… True responsibility indeed :)  )