Administrative Assistant's Update

JULY 2016 4 tive leadership" practiced by her boss. "When I woke up in the morning I never said 'oh my God I am going to work.' I was enthusiastic about the fact I was going to work with her." Part of Legault's enthusiasm fl owed from the respect for her ideas shown by her boss. "When I had a suggestion for improv- ing the work load, I would say 'what do you think if we do it this way?' and she [de Grandpré] would say 'you have a good idea, go ahead.'" Trust is key to building an effective relationship, say admins and managers. At Quartier Innovation Montreal, which works with city, business and academic offi cials to nurture startups in downtown Montreal, Mireille Behanzin serves as co-ordinator to the executive director, Damien Silès. "I have to be honest with her for her to be able to know me," Silès says, of his management style. "I have asked her to be frank. We need a good con- nection, and to have a good connection she has to know where I go and be a part of it." He counts on Behanzin to organize his daily calendar, or- ganize trips and carry out other typical sup- port functions. But he also relies on her, as one of fi ve employees in the non- profi t agency, to attend meetings and other events on his behalf to establish networks in the start-up community in Montreal. "She is part of everything because we are talking about a team member, not just an assis- tant," says Silès. "When we have activities she is coming with us." French-born Behanzin has two master degrees, including one in international law and politics from the Université de Quebec à Montréal, and had previous summer experience in France as an administrative assistant with Oxfam. Since joining the agency in January, 2016, Behanzin says she has been giv- en wide latitude to organize meetings for her boss in his absence. "I decide when to call the meetings and where it takes place," she says. "He trusts me." Moreover, and in contrast to many admins, Behanzin says she has not been pigeon-holed in her current role. Silès, she says, "doesn't want me to stay in the role of coordinator; he wants me to grow in my job for my career." Keys to partnering with your boss By Jennifer Lewington Not all admin-boss relationships run smoothly. Here's some advice from admins, managers and training experts. Build trust through discretion: "When I came into her offi ce and we closed the door, what we talked about stayed in that room." Lisette Legault, former administrative as- sistant to Lili de Grandpré. Adjust to millennials: "I am impressed with their capacity and speed of reaction but to manage that, my gosh. With Generation Y we don't have the loyalty our generation had before. They have a different relationship with the boss; I tell them something and they ask why…so I have to change the way I manage the team." Damien Silès, executive director of Quartier In- novation Montreal. Beware the manipulative boss: "Take care when you share informa- tion with them because you don't exactly know where it goes. We can trust them, but with the brakes on." Lisette Legault. Understand the life of the boss: "The admin has to be part of the reality of the boss; otherwise it is not possible to understand the stress. She has to be a guardian and help me build a window, not a wall, with others in my professional life." Damien Silès. Accept that some relationships won't be close: "One thing you can- not learn is chemistry…It is a ques- tion of feelings between two people. After that, the main thing is trust, communication, respect for you and your work." Caroline Mentha, former administrative assistant to Lili de Grandpré. Practice communication skills: "The key to communicating ef- fectively is not saying it, but saying it in a way that they will hear it." Marilyn Debora, certifi ed training practitioner. Delegate tasks best done by an admin: "I don't think young people take advantage of that enough…She [the admin] will catch all the mis- takes…It is costing the client much more than when you [managers] do it." Lili de Grandpré, managing director, Cenceo Conseil. Damien Silès Credit: Éva-Maude TC Mireille Behanzin Credit: Éva-Maude TC Lisette Legault Credit: Jean Pierre Lachevrotière Strong admin-boss relationship Continued from page 1

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