Executive Secretaries: Who Were They?

Like many professions, the one of Executive Support has been transformed by the changing workplace and the full utilization of technology. 

In former times, the trusted Executive Secretary was almost always someone who managed a high volume of clerical work, waited for instructions and requests from her male boss who was far  more powerful and knowledgeable than she.  Those of us of a certain age remember fondly "Our Miss Brooks", the Executive Secretary who was the star of the one of the first TV series and represented a classic stereotype of this old model.  The powerful male boss was often on the verge of bungling or forgetting something important and Miss Brooks was his invisible savior who always made sure he was on top of his game and he always got credit for her handiwork. 

While on memory lane searching for support models, will any of us ever forget "Radar O'Reilly" of Mash?  I have often used Radar's name in ads, because even today, most people remember Radar as the  prototype for someone whose support was legendary.  Ever present and patient, ever willing, an endless well of creative solutions right at his fingertips, unflappable and born to serve, Radar's focus was always at the highest level of creative problem solving with a well honed ability to anticipate needs, fill those needs before any deadline or emergency, and keep track of all the details and follow through required by his officer who also would have had somewhat of a hard time doing his job without Radar's remarkable support.

Executive Assistants and Executive Support Professionals: Who Are They?

Fifteen or more years ago, first with the impact of word processing and then, once technology, was fully utilized, the role of Executive Secretary began to transmute into a powerful new profession which is changing and growing on a daily basis.

Technology diminished the high volume of clerical work.  Technology increased the need for a high level of "partnership" focus in the Assistant's role as he/she is now required more and more to become strategically focused in the area of support.  "Proactive" replaced "reactive" and although the role has retained a certain amount of reactive and administrative function, it is often at a level which is far more defined by a partnership than a servant model. 

The professionals who are at the top of this profession still have the wonderfully flexible support of Radar and the invisible "save the day" focus of Our Miss Brooks.  What has changed is that the "save the day" focus of today's Executive Assistant has information gleaned from sitting at the table of executive meetings and asking questions which direct prioritization of people, information and projects at the executive level rather than at the traditional clerical or administrative level.

The result is that people like the CEO of Cisco, John Chambers, once said to me: "I can't imagine running Cisco without Debbie Gross, my Executive Assistant".  David Pottruck, the former CEO of Charles Schwab Company has said to me: "If you ever find out Colleen Bagan McGill, my Chief of Staff, is looking for a job, please call me first.   I can't live without her!"  Both relationships span many years and have grown into invaluable partnerships.

Executive Assistants and Executive Support Professionals: Who Will They Be Tomorrow?

It's hard to imagine, where the profession will be tomorrow, but what we know for sure, is that because  of great support,  the leaders of today will have the time to contribute at an even higher level to the creation of  our new world.  All we know for sure is that the way the world used to be, is not the way it is today. 

The global nature of interdependent systems and economies are making demands on today's executives which were unfathomable ten years ago.  The escalated need for creative thinking and problem solving will demand even deeper levels of executive support from those people in the Executive Support profession.  It is not possible to be creative and stressed at the same time.  

One of the biggest gifts delivered by great support, is "The Gift of Time".