Do you ever get the feeling that all your friends and your family think you do is answer phones and make coffee? Do you think sometimes that even though they say they get how busy you are, that they really have no idea? And do you think sometimes even though you bear your frustrations to them about certain challenges and frustrations that you have, that deep down inside they think its not a 'real' job?
I conducted a survey with you all not too long ago and one of the questions I asked you was if you thought your friends and family actually understood what you did as an EA/PA? 73 per cent of you told me that you didn't think your friends and family really understood what it is that you did each day, and 20 per cent of you said that they had NO idea whatsoever. These stats don't surprise me one bit, and I'm sure they probably don't surprise you either. As much as we can tell them all about the extremities of what we can be faced with on any one day, you're sure in their minds that they see you just sitting there like that image of a 1950s secretary, looking pretty at your typewriter and perhaps filing your nails, saying, "yes Sir" as your boss asks you to 'take a memo'. As much as we try to escape these archaic stereotypes of the assistant image, they have somehow attached themselves to us, leaving everyone who is close to us to believe that we are nothing but a paper pusher and glorified tea lady.
So what are we going to do about this? Because I kind of get the feeling that many of us are just sort of happy to live with these incorrect myths flying around about what we do and the value that we add. Call it complacency, or perhaps maybe enough of you feel valued and you think this isn't a reality for you, but the reality is that this isn't about how you are actually treated in your workplace and whether you get the respect you deserve, this is about what others think of us and what we do. And I hear you say, "why should we care what others think?". Well we absolutely should care about what others think and as EAs/PAs we have a responsibility to the role to create and sustain a positive image of it so that it's a great role for anyone that does it.
To me there is a re-education piece required around our roles, and who better to do the re-education than ourselves. For too long we have sat back whining and complaining that people don't respect us and see us for all the value we add, but meanwhile we aren't willing to stand up and make change for the better. No one else cares enough to change these out of date stereotypes associated with our roles, so it's time we stood up and took control of the situation once and for all.
You may have noticed recently I have posted some images on my social media and LinkedIn group asking you all to 'join the movement', and then I've also posted subsequent 'myths' associated with our roles that I label as being 'BUSTED'. I've labelled all these posts with the hash tag #demolishnegativeEAPAstereotypesforgood. And my plan is to continue to put up these myths every other day with my explanation of why they're busted and will continue to hash tag them with the handle so everyone is aware that they form part of a bigger movement. If you too feel passionately about this, and are fed up of the untrue images that others have of us, then I ask you to get on board with me. Anything you see online like this, that is a re-education piece for others, then re-post it with the handle, #demolishnegativeEAPAstereotypesforgood. Re-educating is up to US, and nothing will ever change unless we are bold enough to stand up and make it happen. So I encourage you to join this movement and help to re-educate others. Re-post my posts to your own friends and followers and spread the word of the busted myths associated with our roles! If enough of us can spread the word then we can ultimately re-paint a new image of ourselves as leaders and managers in our own right, and managers of our Executives, as that is what we really are.
But there are other things you can also do within your own circle to re-educate your family and your friends, so that they start to understand what it is we REALLY do:
1. Talk about your role - Speak up, tell stories and get creative!
Although our role is hard to define and no two days are never the same, it doesn't mean we can't talk about what happened in our lives on any given day so that others understand better some of the challenges we face. How many times have you caught up with friends or family and you're asked the obligatory question, "how's work?" and you respond, "yeah busy, as always, really busy!". But that's where you stop. Mainly because so many things happened that you wouldn't dare bore them with all things you've been asked to do this week, and nothing really happened of great significance (in your eyes) so you find yourself asking them instead 'how's work going for them?'. And the particular accountant or lawyer you're speaking to starts talking about some big case they're working on and how they're working around the clock because of a particular challenging client that they're dealing with etc etc etc. Sound familiar? And as they're telling this to you, you're thinking to yourself, my job is JUST as challenging. But the thing is they'll never know that, because you didn't speak up. So I challenge you the next time someone asks you 'how's work?' to actually tell them. Tell them how your boss sent you out on a mission to find a venue for an off-site for 150 people with a 3-day turn around, and all because of the need to get the team together after some team announcements. Or maybe you could tell them about how you were up until midnight the night before last working on some PowerPoint slides for your boss because he/she insists upon leaving everything to the last minute, even though you had been asking them about them for weeks? Or maybe you could tell them about the training you had to coordinate for 1000 people ensuring that every single on of them completed it within a set time frame and it was you that had to follow up every individual personally? Get my drift here? We get asked to do such a variety of different things, that to us don't seem that mind-blowing or interesting, but it all comes down to your words and how you describe it. So speak up, tell stories and get creative the next time you're asked 'how's work?'.
2. Call others out - Be bold enough to defend the role
Have you ever been in a situation where you find yourself at the butt of a joke about 'secretaries' and how we just make coffee all day? You know that its just a joke, but behind every joke really is an element of truth, especially when we get represented this way on TV and in movies. And we really have two choices when put in these situations, we can laugh and say nothing, or we can speak up and call the person out on it. Now you might think, 'well come on, it's just a joke, lighten up!' and you may very well find yourselves on the end of that response. But if you really want others to value what you do, then be prepared to stand up for yourself. You don't have to be rude, but instead maybe just re-direct the joke and ask "is that really what you think we do?". Many a time I've found myself asking that when put in that situation and then asking them something 'stereotypical' about their job instead. Nobody likes to be stereotyped as we are all individuals, so instead hand out a taste of 'their own medicine' as the best remedy for unnecessary jokes.
3. Share positive stories - Online and verbally
Often enough there will be really great articles shared online about how wonderful EA/PAs can be, and the one that springs to mind here is the one that did the rounds recently about how Richard Branson said he wouldn't be where he was today without the help/support of the assistants he has had throughout his career. And it's all very well for us to 'like' these stories and feel all warm and fuzzy inside about it, but rather than just keep stories like this to ourselves, share them around on your social media with bold enough headline posts that encourage your friends to open them and read them, and I'm talking about friends here who aren't fellow assistants, and have no idea about the role and all we do. Similarly, if you hear a good story about how a fellow assistant was recognised for their good work, then share it with others and spread the word. Others might deem your 'stories' as being insignificant, but who cares, you're doing your due diligence to the role, so tell your stories with pride.
They're just 3 of the things we can all do to start re-educating others towards this common goal and movement, and I encourage you to do them. Together we can make this role truly great for all that do it and #demolishnegativeEAPAstereotypesforgood !!!!
Labels: Advice
