It Takes Two: How Companies Can Partner with their Administrative Functions to Empower “Administrators of the Future”

I currently have the honor of working for an organization that is highly engaged and very supportive of transforming the administrative role into a value added, strategically integrated function within our overall business structure.

FORMA Therapeutics is at the forefront of pursuing what I passionately believe the role of executive administrative support could and should be – a position that is respected as an impactful business partnership versus a supplemental business afterthought. But, I am acutely aware this perspective is not necessarily a reality for most other administrative professionals within their own companies.

With the quick developmental pace of artificial intelligence, coupled with continued streamlining of resources due to uncertain times, I am seeing more concern being expressed by executive administrative personnel worldwide through questions that, while varied in terminology, all come back to the same core theme:

“What can I do to ensure the long-term sustainability of my role given the major transformational changes occurring across the administrative and business landscapes?”

There are many articles written on what we as administrative professionals should be doing to navigate this sea of change from the perspective of an individual contributor within the profession. However, I believe these individually focused learning avenues do not address the other (and possibly more important) half of how to successfully approach this inevitable industry transformation.

For the executive support role to thrive in the years ahead, business entities themselves must also morph how they view, integrate and utilize the administrative function.

How can companies begin this process? My positive experience at FORMA has helped me categorize the change opportunities (which can be implemented via a step-stage process) into three distinct categories:

FUNCTION STRUCTURE MODIFICATIONS

Implement an “Administrative Cohort”

The historical functional structure of executive administrative support within companies has defaulted to a siloed approach where the role remains fairly restricted to the department they work in. Due to this siloed approach, the administrative support mechanisms within companies have been labeled expendable because their incredible knowledge and expertise have been diluted to the point where they can no longer be linked to and/or drive company results. This is why the first step to help rectify this disconnect is to implement a collaborative administrative support model (what I refer to as the “Admin Cohort”), where resources (time and talents) are pooled via a built in support/advocacy group and then strategically aligned to the most pressing needs of a company. Whether you are start-up group of 3 or a mighty legion of 3000, this structure modification is imperative as it offers a direct value proposition to achieving success for the company as a whole (versus departments), within a cross-matrixed growth mindset model.

Assign a Dedicated HR Business Partner for the Administrative Support Function

HR Business Partners (or in smaller companies the main HR representative), are incredibly talented liaisons who find the successful cross-sections of human capabilities and strategic goals of the company. HR Business Partners (HRBPs) are many times assigned to a specific department, so Administrators are (by default) linked to the departmental function. In reality, administrative support is its OWN function where the capabilities are distinctly unique and require a different perspective on how they feed into the future planning of the organization. Partnering with an HR representative will allow for a new collective voice which translates into action-oriented advocacy. From facilitating group goal-setting to discussing pro-active headcount requests during budget season, working with an HR Business Partner would be another opportunity for a new structural alignment.

Integrate a Dedicated Administrative Curriculum within the Standard Onboarding Program

As mentioned above, the role of an administrative support professional is quite unique in that our day-to-day work is never the same. While there are some consistent tactical aspects (calendaring, expenses, meeting management, travel booking), the rest of our roles require us to be a “Jack of All Trades”. A traditional onboarding format usually leaves administrative personnel sitting at their desk on day two, scratching their heads asking themselves, “What am I supposed to do now?” A simple example of how this plays out is Administrative Assistants tend to be power users of software programming on behalf of their Executives, so how is it that an Administrative Assistant would come to be trained on software that even the person you will be supporting does not use on their own? This is why it is important to create a supplemental, yet formalized, onboarding curriculum that caters specifically to the unique needs of the administrative function within your company. By having this support within the first days of being hired, more immediate and positive impact can be delivered, which in turn elevates the overall respect towards the role itself. Need some ideas to get started? Click here to read more about Administrative Onboarding formats and templates. 

OPERATIONAL MODIFICATIONS

Encouragement & Support of Pursuing Cross-functional “Pain” Projects

The traditional role of the Executive/Administrative Assistant has been mostly defined by tactical responsibilities (e.g. phone screening, calendaring, travel/expense management, dictation/documentation, etc.). But a shift has been occurring over the past 10 – 15 years requiring executive support personnel to step into the broader role of project manager, culture creator AND operational expert. With the continued improvement and integration of artificial intelligence, alongside up and coming management that is more self-sufficient with app technologies, the tactical aspects of the role will disappear and if those tasks disappear, would your role (as it is currently structured) still be able to offer an appropriate level of ROI to the business? If the majority of the administrative positions within your company cannot answer this question in a clarified manner, it may be time to encourage a new way of cross-functional professional development to occur.

In the article of “5 Steps to Shifting Your EA/PA Career Path (When you have hit the top)”, I discuss how seeking out “Pain Projects” (e.g. delayed or menial projects in other functional areas of the business) benefits both the individual (by gaining trust and skills within other departments) and the business (by utilizing already hired talent to solve back-burner challenges). Companies, departments and managers should not only support, but encourage cross-functional project work among the administrative staff as it becomes a win-win for everyone involved.

Dedicated Professional Development for Administrators

In 2017, I attended a fantastic professional development conference in NYC called the “Executive Leadership Support Forum (ELSF)” – a two-day conference that brought together some of the most talented C-level support in the tri-state area. I was beyond impressed at the level of skill and experience these men and women brought to the table, but what came as an absolute shock was an estimated 90% of attendees stated this was their first professional development conference even though they had been in the Administrative field for over 10+ years – YIKES! Again, I have been absolutely blessed with the incredible support of my current company who over the 4 four years I have been employed, sponsored my attendance at a relevant professional development event each of those years. But as seen through the quick poll taken at the ELSF Conference, this is obviously not a current standard. It is absolutely imperative companies recognize the administrative role to be just as worthy of focused professional development as any other position in the company.

The payoff from investing in dedicated administrative professional development is two-fold. First, information learned at these conferences can be brought back and shared with other administrative support members which amplifies the sense of community based on shared growth, collaboration and trust (imperative traits for any high functioning team). Second, improved capabilities for an employee usually translates into improved outcomes for the business.

I appreciate that not every company may have the funds to equally sponsor an Administrator versus a C-suite Executive, but within the online technology driven landscape, there are a multitude of affordable opportunities* which can be utilized to show that a company is invested in their administrative colleagues. From the Practically Perfect EA “Future Assistant Conference” that can be accessed via online webinars for under $100, up to EAO’s (Executive Assistants Organization) 5-hour live stream video conference that comes in at $399 per participant, there are a myriad of affordable options to integrate professional development support for your administrative teams.

 * You can view a comprehensive list of 2018 opportunities for administrative professional development events via this wonderful blog post found at "TipsforAssistants.com"

PHILISOPHICAL MODIFICATIONS

The historical “Mad Men” stereotype of the administrative assistant acting in a strictly secretarial role within business is no longer a reality. The day to day responsibilities of an Executive/Administrative Assistant have become much more strategic and soft skills-driven than in years past. But the gap between perception of capabilities and the reality of assignment of responsibilities remains egregiously wide. A part of this gap can be lessened by administrative personnel educating, advocating and delivering results on behalf of their own talents. But, the majority of change will occur when businesses shift their entrenched philosophical viewpoints on the value proposition of the administrative support function itself.

If businesses begin to implement the structural and operational suggestions noted above, a more direct link between high quality input and value-added output will occur. Mindful upfront growth integration vs. growth crisis afterthought, strategic support vs. tactical support, ROI need vs. supplemental want – these are the mindsets that business leaders must address to successfully support the transitioned Administrator of the future.

It is important to acknowledge that to successfully navigate the significant administrative industry transition ahead, both individual AND business efforts must be implemented in tandem with equal parts passion and dedication. I sincerely hope this article offers some step-stage opportunities in elevating the administrative function of the future at your company and/or validates the transitionary path which is already being pursued.

If you have additional suggestions on how the business landscape can better support the “Administrator of the Future” please share them in the comments below!