We’ve all heard the sayings, “It’s lonely at the top” and “heavy is the head that wears the crown”, but what about the person behind the crown? The one making sure that the crown – in this case the CEO, or other senior leader – is the best that they can be? The ones who are silently, diligently, soldiering away in the background, often unnoticed, until Ayo Edebiri stood up on stage at the Golden Globes and publicly thanked them…
I’m talking about the Executive Assistant.
Look at your own company org chart; you will have the CEO at the top, below them their direct reports, and below them, their teams… and so on. Where is the Executive Assistant? Likely stuck off to the side of the CEO like an island.
One of the very qualities that make us so good at our jobs, is our discretion, but that also means we can’t talk to anyone about our jobs. Having a bad week? Moaning to a co-worker about a particular issue? Not possible for the EA. We are frequently privy to highly sensitive information, often under NDA, that other people aren’t aware of. We don’t have anyone that they can discuss their work with, as to do so would be a breach of confidentiality.
Then there’s the work friendships. We never truly know whether people want to cultivate a friendship with us because of who we are as people, or whether it is because of what we are; a direct line to the c-suite.
The more senior an EA becomes, the more isolating their role can also become. I’d go as far as to say in some cases the EA to the CEO role is potentially the loneliest in the company. Especially post-Covid in this new hybrid/remote working landscape. I personally can go for weeks without physically interacting with another colleague. Throw into the mix that I am not technically part of any specific team either, and it can be hugely isolating. Luckily, that my C-Suite understand this, and allow me to manage my own diary such that if I need to have some ‘in-person’ time then I can set this up, and they trust me to speak up when I need to.
It takes a certain kind of person to be an EA, and an even smaller cohort make it to ‘the top’: to CEO level. We are the type of person who, when the metaphorical building is on fire, and people are evacuating, can be seen striding purposefully towards the flames, confident in our ability to calm the chaos and restore order. And we do it (mostly) alone. The work is demanding, high pressured, confidential, regularly thankless, and lonely. But it can be oh so rewarding in the right circumstances.
The greatest gift an organisation can give an EA is to recognise the value that they bring to the company and the teams they interact with. Recognise that they are not just a ‘gatekeeper’ or a conduit to the c-suite; they are a vital member of the organisation in their own right. They might not be the highest performing sales team member, they may not have the corner office, or the C-suite title and salary, but without them, many critical business elements would suffer.
How do we solve the isolation? The answer to these depends on the type of organisation and working arrangements, but it starts with awareness, making us feel seen, and a simple “thank you” goes an awfully long way…