C-Level Assistants - What Do You Do?

[Clark]

I recently started a new job as EA to the CEO of a mid-sized organization.  Great pay, great boss, but the job itself is quite boring.  I manage the CEO's calendar and personal appointments, vet emails and incoming correspondence, directing out to other staff as necessary.  I format the odd report, draft routine correspondence (not much) and file.

Anyone else out there work with a CEO?  If so, what do you do for the majority of your day?  Is it mostly calendar and travel management?  I feel like I should be doing more there doesn't even seem to be any projects I can take on!

[Cathy S]

Hello Clark and welcome

Firstly I am not in an equivalent role so cannot directly answer with like for like ... BUT ... you say you have started the job recently and I have only been in my post 5 months.

It is not uncommon for bosses to overestimate how much time a report needs to settle into their role ... so a few questions or suggestions you may not already have pondered:

• You say "good boss" - have you sat down in a face to face meeting and asked whether you are already doing all the tasks expected of you?
• If this wasn't a newly created role do you have either a predecessor's desk manual or an office manual that might give you pointers as to whether you are currently undertaking all the anticipated tasks?
• Do you feel that you know your way well round the organisation? If not take some time to explore and make strategical allies
• Do you see tasks that you consider yourself capable of undertaking but that boss seems reluctant to let go of? This might be a matter of confidence or it might be a bad habit on your bosses part

Probably at this level more than any other you need to demonstrate your proactiveness and initiative ... it might turn out that this role with this company is as limited as you are currently experiencing ... but hopefully you will simply find out that they are letting you find your feet, in which case gently let them know you are stood fairly and squarely on them and ready to take everything your role promises.

Hope you will let us know how you get on and I am sure there will be several EAs to CEOs along soon to share their role specific experiences with you.

Cathy

[Clark]

Cathy, thank you for your response.  Your suggestions are all actions that I've been taking to assess the "true nature" of the position.

I meet with my boss at least once a day to debrief, receive instructions, convey information, etc.  I follow up with him after meetings for action items for me, etc.  There are two other senior executives that I occassionally help out as well. 

I've met with all the major reports to my boss and their assistants and have read all the organization's publications.

My boss and I met last week at my request to specifically discuss my duties and he indicated that I am doing everything required of me and that he is happy with the work I'm doing.  I explained my concerns regarding the difference between how the job was described to me and how it has unfolded to date, but he reassured me again that I was on top of everything.  I suggested one minor project that I would be happy to take on and he gave me the go ahead, but it is very minor.  There don't seem to be any other task that I can take on for him.

I also met with HR last week to discuss my confusion as to why the position was much quieter than I was led to believe during the interview process.  There seems to have been a major gap in what my predecessor described the position as and what it actually is.  It's a bit of an odd situation.  I don't want to seem unappreciative, because it is a wonderful organization - it's just so different from what I was told it would be that I thought I was somehow missing a huge chunk of my duties.  But, apparently I'm not!  I hope that it gets busier in the Fall.

In the meantime, I'll keep filing and reading and watching for projects I can volunteer for.

[gee4]

Being PA to a CEO is very much a 1:1 role and it involves as you say diary management and travel but there are other aspects.

Eg.  the PA to my CEO has set up a Secretaries folder where we house and track movements of the exec team, save minutes and agendas as well as action trackers to weekly meetings.

Do you access these kind of documents and print them out for your boss, hightlighting his actions before each meeting?

The CEO's PA is also responsible for collating monthly reports and gathering the necessary info from each business area.  As an Exec PA it is my responsbility to assist my boss to submit his report each month.

Have you digested your company's org chart and ascertained where you boss sits in terms of your overall organisation?  Do you know what boards/meetings he regularly attends and what paperwork/reports he is required to submit?

It think it depends on the size of your organisation and what line of business you are in.  My company is very fast-moving - one minute you think everything is in place for a meeting, the next it all changes.

Are there regular events your boss attends throughout the year?  Do you have reminders in your calendar to make the necessary arrangements in advance?

Are there other processes and procedures you could introduce that aren't already in place?  Are you regularly updating your bosses contact list and creating one for yourself eg.  your own personal contact list of other PA's who support individuals that your boss does business with regularly?

You don't say how long have you been in this role/company so hard to ascertain your status.  However if it's 6-12 months then give it some time as it's still early days.

[Cathy S]

It sounds as if what might be happening is that your predecessor had established duties that were over and above the company job description ... this often happens when a proactive person is in role for sometime - they spot something that needs doing, take care of it and it just goes right ahead and slots itself in to the role ... often without anyone being aware it has happened.  Your predecessor has described the role with those additions in but since the organisation has never considered them an official part of the role you are doing everything they expect of you.

The other factor is that often when a boss and support work together for sometime and confidence grows additional things might start to be included eg: collecting dry cleaning - it is something I have never subscribed to in my career, but I have worked with colleagues for whom it was a twice weekly duty. 

It sounds as if you are doing all the right things, finding out about the organisation, clarifying that your work is to an acceptable standard so I think you have to wait it out and see what happens - perhaps set yourself a timescale that if things haven't changed in 6 months you will start looking at the job market? 

In the mean time I hope you will become a regular on DDNet and share your experiences with others.

Cathy

[Clark]

Gee, thanks for your input.  Those are things that I do in my current role.  I've only been here for a few months, so I think I just need to cut myself a little slack and enjoy the quiet while it lasts!  I'm told things are much busier in the fall and winter in my organization, so at the six month mark I'll be able to better assess the situation.

My predecessor did indeed take the role to another level, but it seems that level was in supporting other people in the organization to the point of exhaustion.  My boss wasn't aware of how much work she was taking on for other people.  I think she actually did the bulk of a lower level management person's job, which I have been told firmly not to do.

What it comes down to, I think, is that my last job was very document production heavy and this one is more calendar/meeting management related, so I'm struggling mentally with the lack of tangible results of my daily efforts!  I have things to do all day, its just a very different sort of work.

[gee4]

If it's any consolation I've been in various positions that haven't been busy and yet at interview the panel indicated they needed someone yesterday - always the way.

When I started with my current employer, I was bored out of my mind, for quite some months.  Then after 12 months during a re-organisation, I moved departments and wow was I busy.  Some days I hardly have time for lunch but I do enjoy it and would rather be busy than have nothing to do.

Many of my previous jobs have included document production, but now like you, this role is very much diary management and travel which I would not swap for sitting in board meetings taking minutes any day.

I think you what you need to realise is, sometimes at your level, the role is challenging but in different ways.  I wouldn't worry too much.  Stick it out for a while yet and see how you feel in 3-6 months time.  I agree with you though, it's a different type of role.

[msmarieh]

Are there any company wide committees you could participate in? Any company events you could assist with planning (company picnic in summer, holiday party this winter, new product launches)?

Are there any outside roles where you could represent the company, for instance, the chamber of commerce? In one of my past roles, I represented the company for the city postal services group (local businesses met with the post office to discuss things that could be done to enhance service on both sides, etc. - that was a publishing company so we did a ton of mailings).

Could you take on maintenance of company wide contracts (such as vendors for office equipment, catering, hotels, etc.)? How about writing articles for the company newsletter (or starting one if it doesn't exist) or teaching lunch and learn training sessions to your co-workers?

Can you take on any responsibility related to disaster planning? Updating (or creating) the company's disaster planning manual, stocking the first aid kit, organizing CPR training for employees?

Some of these roles may already be taken care of, of course, but in some companies these kinds of responsibilities slip to the side when people don't have enough time to focus on them. Look around for areas where you can contribute or areas where you would like to learn more and improve your skills.

Could you go back to school and use work time for studying or preparing for classes? Could you do some certification exams (like Microsoft Office) and study at work? Do you hold an office in a professional association and would you be allowed to use some of your work time to work on projects for that association? As long as you have quiet time and if no one is able to give you more work to do, you might as well look for opportunities to be productive for yourself anyway.

Good luck. I actually understand completely. I left a job supporting a CEO because I was bored out of my mind. I do understand how monotonous the day can become if you can't find additional responsibilities to fill the time.