Let’s celebrate the contribution Administrative Professionals make this entire next week

Published in the Kankakee Daily Jurnal on April 20, 2022 by Dr. Don daake

“You can run the office without a boss, but you can’t run an office without secretaries.  “

Jane Fonda

Please remember April 27^th is National Administrative Professional’s Day (formerly National Secretaries Day.) This gives you plenty of time to make arrangements for special recognition.  But consider using this next whole week to give special attention to these exceptional people.  To paraphrase (carefully) Willie Nelson, “To all the professional assistants who have served us in the past and present too, we sing our praises to you.”  Even for those who have retired or changed jobs, it would be a nice gesture to recognize those in our past who made such a difference for us with a card or note.

Over the last 25-30 years, the number of secretaries and administrative assistants has dropped as technology makes more and more managers responsible for their own work products.  Still, currently, there are 1,524,710 secretaries employed in the United States.  While traditionally populated by women, there is a growing trend for men (now about 12%) to fill these positions, according to Zippa.com, a career expert company.  The total employment of secretaries and administrative assistants is projected to decline 7 percent from 2020 to 2030.

But I think this can be a mistake to reduce too many Secretary/Administrative Professional (S/A) positions.  Shifting work from highly efficient expert secretaries and assistants who earn $15-20 an hour to “hunt and peck managers” (yes, we are still out there) who earn $30-60 an hour or more, from an economic perspective, is counterproductive.  Even with the reduction in the number of positions, I believe the role is growing even more important in this information world.

What do these people all have in common?  Janet Z., Rita F., Connie K., Gloria J., Diane I., Kay Z., Pam W., Carole B., Mindy N., Sheila R., and Jana S. All 11 of these are former secretaries and administrative assistants I have had the privilege to work with over my 40-year career.  (Actually, there have been more, but my memory has faded a bit.) What success and accomplishments I’ve had were partially based on their hard work, commitment, and dedication. 

Next week we will focus on what S/As want and deserve at their jobs from their perspective.  This time I’d like to reflect on a common set of characteristics these people have.  But of course, each of these professionals is a unique person and has different strengths.

First of all, is technical competence.  Just think of the dramatic changes we have gone through from the age of Dictaphones, little pink, “while you were out slips,” stenography, and serving the boss’s every whim.  Thankfully not only have the S/As become more professional, but our culture demands that bosses and co-workers treat every employee with dignity and respect.  Most of us have had Neanderthal bosses and co-workers who refused to learn the new technology.  The S/A had to pick up the slack not only doing their own job but also the bosses’ job, who refused to touch a keyboard.  Across the years, these faithful employees learned everything from VisiCalc, Lotus 1-2-3, Excel-Versions 1-thru Infinity, WordPerfect, Word, dBase Access, Harvard Graphics, PowerPoint, and various web-based programs.

Secondly, the best S/As are respectful to the professionals they serve and, maybe even more critical to the customers, students, and other employees.  But respectful does not mean never speaking up.  A few years ago, I encountered a situation where a few of my co-workers were putting down one of our secretaries.  According to them, she had not done what they thought she should have done.  In fact, the problem was these self-important ninnies had not done their own fair share, and they wanted to blame the secretary.  When this happens, stand up and call out these ninnies for their boorish behavior!

Thirdly, accuracy and punctuality are common characteristics of these people.  But here is the modern-day problem in offices.  Very few except the highest level executives have an exclusive person dedicated to them.  So that requires them to multi-task and balance competing demands.  Accuracy in their work products is indispensable.  In the end, they reflect not only their managers but themselves and the very organization.

Fourthly, they are loyal to the boss, managers, co-workers, and the organization.  But loyalty is a two-way street.  Furthermore, loyalty does not mean covering up for bad or incompetent behavior.  I believe it is incumbent for senior-level managers (beyond the boss) to create accountability if a S/A is asked to do something questionable or unethical.  Relative power differences can be a big problem.  So it may take a more senior manager beyond their immediate boss to stand up for S/As and not let them get run over.

Fifthly, having a sense of humor is indispensable.  Work should be fun (well, at least some of the time.) The people I have worked with could laugh and see the humor even in sometimes difficult situations.

Finally, these people express upbeat attitudes.  This is mandatory because they are the front line of your organization in many cases.  And the best of the best are always willing to learn.  It was a privilege to have worked with the 11 people mentioned earlier!

Next week Dr. Piatt and I will celebrate the actual April 27^th National Administrative Professionals Day.  Our column will to sharing what S/As  need, want, deserve, and appreciate in their jobs.

“No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others.  The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude.”  Alfred North Whitehead

Dr. Don Daake, MBA, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus at Olivet.  He holds an MBA from the University of Iowa and a Ph.D. from Florida State University.  He has worked in the private manufacturing sector, the University of Iowa, Eastern Iowa Community District, Florida State University, and Olivet Nazarene University and has numerous consulting projects.

Small talk can Pay Big Dividends

“Small talk may seem trivial, but it’s a natural way for people to connect.  It may seem like a waste of time.  But it serves a vital role in our social interactions.  Big relationships are built on small talk.”  Lindy Pleger

Small talk is often slammed with disdain, cursed, avoided, laughed at, and for many people, who want to get right to the point is a waste of time.  Yet other people find it a good thing and essential to success in relationships.  Extroverts love small talk, and many Introverts will sometimes evade going to events to avoid it.  Small talk, or put another way, is that getting to know one another is critical in international business and relationships. 

A few years ago, many Americans simply did not understand its importance in Asian cultures.  For example, deals were ruined or never got off the ground because American men and women did not understand cultural differences and plunged right into top serious negotiations.  Fortunately, American higher education, especially business schools, have begun to recognize this.

If your company does any international business or even if you just travel internationally, there is a great free tool you can use to get an overview of the six vital cultural dimensions, and it is really insightful.  When teaching global marketing, I found it invaluable for students.  https://www.hofstede-insights.com/fi/product/compare-countries/

Small talk with friends, those we are meeting for the first time, and even family members is important.  On the other hand, endless babble that lasts too long without substance or, in any way is vulgar, degrading, and putting down others is never appropriate. 

The art, and yes, even the science of small talk, is a skill that can be developed.  Frankly, you may be limiting your career or the number of friends you have without it.  Working out win/win deals or persuading others of your viewpoints can pay big dividends.  It can be learned and developed by anyone.  Think of each day as a chance to experiment in a real-world laboratory.  The tips below from Ms. Pleger and Leil Lowndes give you the right attitude and specific fun ways to do this.

With the advent of so much communication via the Internet, social media, Twitter, e-mail, and ZOOM during the last two years, face-to-face contact has been dramatically reduced, and we may have become a bit rusty.  And frankly, across the last 5-10 years, I have found the ability of many Millennials and now Generation Z’ers to lack these essential skills to communicate face to face with others.

Ms. Pleger, in her article on small talk cities nine crucial rules of engagement.  They are:

1) Aim to make the other person feel at ease; 2) Listen carefully; 3) Stick to safe topics; 4) Let the other person speak first; 5) Ask meaningful questions; 6) Show genuine interest; 7) Be enthusiastic; 8) Reveal something slightly personal about yourself; 9) Stay off your phone.  I highly recommend you read her free article at:

https://medium.com/swlh/the-importance-of-small-talk-and-how-to-perfect-it-5685fb611083 In summary, she says: “Small talk may seem trivial, but it’s a natural way for people to connect.  It may seem like a waste of time.  But it serves a vital role in our social interactions.  Big relationships are built on small talk.”

Sometimes we go into a situation and feel like we are the only ones uncomfortable and afraid others might reject our overtures.  But in many situations, more than half the room feels that way.  You have to get up your courage and plunge in.  Will you be rebuffed by certain self-important people?  Sure, but they are not worth wasting your time on.  Although a caution here.  Read the situation carefully.  They may not be rejecting you at all.  They, too, may feel uncomfortable with small talk, so the more expert you can become in learning this art, the more likely you’ll make the connection.

Because of the profession and jobs I’ve had, I can tell you that many genuinely important people are the most gracious, considerate, and friendly.  That is one of the reasons they have become prominent.  But often, these people are so busy and in demand that you need to adjust the time you speak to them based on reading their body language.

Beyond Pleger’s advice, most of the need to build confidence and the skills to be great small talkers that then transition into substantive conversations.  I highly recommend Leil Lowndes’s book “How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships.” You can buy copies online for about $10.  She is fun to read!  Written with a sense of humor with real examples.  Also, there is a clever eight-minute video on her first 31 at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3UODz5O8zo The only criticism I have is that some of these can be perceived as a bit manipulative.  So you can judge which ones fit your style and your principled goals of connecting with others.

These are standalone suggestions, so you can pick and choose the one or few you want to start with.  Here are but five of the 92 suggestions I like: 1)How to make your smile magically different; 2) How to make someone feel like an old friend at once; 3) How to know what to say after you say hi; 4) How to avoid sounding like a jerk; 5) How to win their hearts by being an undercover complimenter.

Small talk opens the gates to valuable conversations.  Ralph Waldo Emerson reminds us, “The best of life is conversation, and the greatest success is confidence, or perfect understanding between sincere people.”

Dr. Don Daake, MBA, Ph.D. is a professor emeritus at Olivet Nazarene University, where he taught for 22 years.  He can be contacted directly at ddaake@olivet.edu.