Administrative Assistant's Update

5 Administrative Assistant's UPDATE Bree Austen Career paths Taking the EA role to another level By Bree Austen When the position of executive as- sistant to the dean became available, I was already working in an admin- istrative role at Haskayne School of Business. While I was enjoying my work and had a very good rapport with my supervisor, I had confidence that I was professionally ready to step up and be successful in a new challenge. The interview process confirmed what I suspected: An opportunity to work within the dean's office would be a great fit – interesting, challenging and fun. Every day, I worked hard to be as thorough and consistent as possible in providing the support that my execu - tive needed to be productive in his role. Over time, though, I became interested in contributing to the school in more diverse ways. This came about partially because of my drive to further my career, but also because Dr. Jim Dewald, the dean, inspired my ambition through his pas- sion and commitment for the school's strategic direction, student experience, and staff and faculty culture. Building community relationships I found I was energized most with the community-relationship-building aspects of my role and needed more than once to be held accountable to stay on top of some of the adminis- trative tasks, like invoice payments, expense reporting, and even develop- ing standing meeting schedules. In time, the dean invited me to be a primary contact to his Management Advisory Council – a group of industry executives who volunteer their time in support of the School. I booked the meetings and distributed meet- ing materials, yes, but I also attended meetings with him, was asked for my contributions during discussions, and was able to travel with the dean to meet with prospective future members and learn about donor relations. Pushing beyond typical EA role Is this a typical EA/executive relationship? I'm not so sure. I feel that it was an exceptional situation because my executive was genuinely interested in finding ways for me to learn and be engaged in my work outside of the daily ongoing tasks like calendar management, mail and document preparation. Others may approach the EA role in a more traditional sense, prefer - ring to operate behind the scenes as a sounding board to their executive, a confidante and devil's advocate provid- ing consistently reliable, efficient and professional support. Front-facing, their goal is to repre- sent the organization as the first point of contact to their executive and as a "guardian of the door," tasks requiring a finely tuned mix of protecting the executive's time, redirecting inquiries to more suitable departments and maintaining positive relationships. Regardless of the type of EA you as- pire to be (and the type of EA that your executive needs you to be!), the one thing that I have found to separate suc- cessful EAs from great EAs is initiative, a drive to go beyond the expectations of the role. That could mean offering yourself as a lead participant in new initiatives, identifying and implementing efficien- cies in administrative procedures, or suggesting ways to reduce the number or length of meetings in your execu- tive's schedule. Self-understanding is basic Developing your core manifesto – your talents, skills, values, motivators and goals – will be a good first step in understanding yourself so you can take calculated steps towards increasing ini- tiative and better serve your executive. Taking initiative demonstrates career-level professionalism, maturity and a motivation to contribute to the improvement of your organization. It will help you stand out in professional development and performance man- agement processes within the organi- zation, and as an applicant in future recruiting processes. In my own case, having found pas- sion for post-secondary industry and the right fit at Haskayne School of Busi- ness, along with the encouragement and mentorship of my executive, I was able to gather up the confidence to define my ambitions and seek opportu- nities to realize them. About Bree Austen AAU interviewed Bree Austen for our coverage on mentoring and collaboration (Aug. 2016). Shortly after that Ms. Austen accepted a position as Manager, Operations and Facilities, at Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary, where she had been EA to the Haskayne dean. AAU thought Ms. Austen's career path would interest readers who are looking down the road at the potential for their own careers. So we asked her if she would describe that path from her entry into the office professional field up to her present position in management. Next month: Bree reflects on her new role as Manager, Operations and Facilities.

• Cover