The Changing Boss-Secretary Relationship

THE CHANGING BOSS-SECRETARY RELATIONSHIP: Imagine a partnership at work. One member is outlining the agenda for the annual stockholders' meeting, the other is managing the logistics. The last decade has brought many changes to the traditional boss/secretary relationship. We now see powers and responsibilities delegated to "executive assistants" that only ten years ago would have been the sole province of the boss. And there has been a corresponding rise in the prestige and influence of those secretaries chosen to fill such positions. The fact is that fewer women are willing to be career secretaries.

QUALIFIED SECRETARIES: Qualified secretaries are hard to find and even harder to keep satisfied for any appreciable period of time. The most talented and enterprising are voicing the same concerns as a burgeoning number of their fellow employees: "What are the opportunities for growth and advancement?" That has become a popular question. Women who were secretaries in the 1960's are now managers and vice presidents who function as role models for the current group of secretaries. On the other hand, some corporations continue notoriously resistant to employee advancement from clerical positions, leading to frustration and lowered incentive for people in these posts.

VALUING THE SECRETARY: Ideally, the secretary should be acknowledged as an integral part of the management team. When the boss drafts a letter, it is the secretary who checks it for spelling, correct grammar and punctuation and types it up accurately and neatly to present a professional and appropriate image. He or she must also make sure of details such as researching to whom the letter should be directed for maximum effect and assuring its timeliness. Boss and secretary are responsible for different parts of the same project-a team effort, a partnership. In this case, the boss initiates the action and the secretary follows it through-both acts are essential to success.

BOSS-SECRETARY RELATIONSHIP: In a true working partnership, both individuals feel confident of the talents contributed, and both feel respected and appreciated. It is a given that the secretary views the boss this way or at least acts in a way that implies it. To reap the potential benefits of a boss-secretary partnership, it is becoming more important that the boss cultivate ways of showing the secretary that the road travels both ways. Higher wages, of course, are the most immediate incentive in attracting and motivating a skilled secretary, but it is not by any means the only factor. In the case of clerical work, some relief from routine may be as great an incentive as a pay increase. For example, more interesting and decision-oriented types of work could be delegated to those secretaries who have shown themselves capable of handling it. Many employees are interested in the acknowledgment of their contributions and visible enhancement of their prestige in the corporate structure.

Copyright AE Schwartz & Associates All rights reserved. For additional presentation materials and resources: ReadySetPresent and for a Free listing as a Trainer, Consultant, Speaker, Vendor/Organization: TrainingConsortium

CEO, A.E. Schwartz & Associates, Boston, MA., a comprehensive organization which offers over 40 skills based management training programs. Mr. Schwartz conducts over 150 programs annually for clients in industry, research, technology, government, Fortune 100/500 companies, and nonprofit organizations worldwide. He is often found at conferences as a key note presenter and/or facilitator. His style is fast-paced, participatory, practical, and humorous. He has authored over 65 books and products, and taught/lectured at over a dozen colleges and universities throughout the United States.

Top Korean Bank Taps Teradata for Customer Relationship Management
MarketWatch - 8 hours ago
"SCFB is a leader in customer relationship management and the first bank in South Korea to utilize a full customer-focused marketing approach. ...

FireRescue1
Statement by Press Secretary Dana Perino
MarketWatch - 9 hours ago
The President's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts ...
FEMA ramps down hotel aid as power returns Houma Courier
Statement by Press Secretary Dana Perino PR-Inside.com (Pressemitteilung)
Gustav Victims Urged To Contact FEMA, Register For Disaster Aid WDSU
Chicago Sun-Times - The Associated Pressall 505 news articles

Telecommuting means change in management style
San Francisco Chronicle,  USA - 23 hours ago
And some owners are discovering that allowing employees to telecommute can require a different management style, and some basic trust. ...

A giant leap for mobile customer management as Business Logic ...
Al-Bawaba, Jordan - 2 hours ago
By integrating its powerful InTeleStage Campaign Suite with Oracle’s Siebel Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, Business Logic Systems is ...

ABC News
NEW YORK, Sept 06, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Pershing Square ...
MarketWatch - Sep 6, 2008
September 5, 2008 The Honorable Henry M. Paulson, Jr. Secretary United States Department of the Treasury 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, ...
Video: Feds Take Over Mortgage Giants AssociatedPress
FIRST WE SAVE--THEN WE DECIDE WHAT IT IS WE HAVE SAVED OpEdNews
Serious negatives in Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac bail-out Money Management
Forbes - Wall Street Journal Blogsall 5,654 news articles

Management enters divine domain
Times of India, India - 5 hours ago
AHMEDABAD: Spiritual leaders spouting cool management jargon at discourses is obsolete. With temples mushrooming across the country, and their coffers ...

Waste Management bidding for parent of local No. 2, Saguaro
Arizona Daily Star, AZ - 11 hours ago
Houston-based Waste Management Inc. wants to buy Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Republic Services Inc., parent company of local trash hauler Saguaro ...
New Trash Collection Company May Come To Putnam County WOWK
all 7 news articles

China Daily
Tyler Emergency Management Officials Eyeing Ike
KETK, TX - 2 hours ago
By Brady Douglas Forecasters say Ike could make landfall along the Gulf Coast later this week or along the Florida Keys as early as Monday night. ...
Video: Raw Video: Ike Nearing Fla.'s Key West AssociatedPress
UPDATE 1-Ike seen as severe hurricane in Gulf of Mexico Reuters UK
all 1,184 news articles

SilkRoad technology Expands Global Footprint in Asia Pacific ...
MarketWatch - 3 hours ago
He brings a deep knowledge of enterprise software with experience in the HR/Talent Management Software space gained during his time at Vurv as the ...

New York Daily News
Shelter is battered...Haiti sees setback...Under new management ...
KXMC, ND - 8 hours ago
AP NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) On an island in the Bahamas, dozens of people who took shelter in a church from Hurricane Ike have been listening to the wind ...
Video: Returning Storm Evacuees Face Hurricane Ike AssociatedPress
Eyewitness: Waiting for Ike BBC News
Tropical storm watch issued Cay Compass
Anguilla LNT - CNN Internationalall 3,898 news articles

Wind Chimes and more...

Windchimes for great gifts!

Change or Die! To Change Your Organization, Hire a Business Coach