She found her calling at 40 after years working across a wide mix of industries. The former national president of the Australian Institute of Office Professionals tells Executive PA why the executive and the EA are ‘the Dynamic Duo’ – and what one colleague’s question taught her about perception.
- You’ve had a long career supporting executives. How did you get into it and what did that first role look like?
For baby boomers who left school in the late 60s, a ‘career’ wasn’t something we would have contemplated. Very few went on to university. The rest of us got a job, and that was considered success.
I started as an office junior in a medical practice, learning administration on manual systems. Then I went to London at 18, working through an agency that kept me employed for the whole stay. Back home, we followed work on large construction projects around Australia and across to New Zealand, returning to Adelaide in the late 80s, and our family grew to four. Retrenchment raised its head twice in twelve months… Interesting times! Middle management was being stripped out of organisations, and my fall-back was temping.
After a while contracting becomes less fulfilling. So when a twelve-month maternity cover came up as secretary to the general manager of a large national insurance company, it was a dream come true.
From the first day I knew this was the role I’d been destined for. I’m an organiser, I can’t help myself, and I enjoy helping people, which is a terrific attribute for a secretary. The incumbent decided not to return and I was offered the position.
I had found my calling at 40. I could start designing the career I’d always aspired to but didn’t know was possible.
- Over the decades, what changed most about the role? What stayed the same?
Technology intensified the role. One person is now expected to be ambidextrous, keeping all the balls in the air. It’s not for the faint-hearted.
What hasn’t changed is that the role suits people with a passion for variety and for taking on the impossible and making it possible. It also lets you work in any industry, anywhere in the world. I recently heard Samantha Cox, former EA to Sir Richard Branson, speak. Like me she enjoyed rolling with the punches.
To get that satisfaction, we need to accept that the executive and the EA are a team. I call it the Dynamic Duo. Mutual respect builds rapport, which creates a team that can meet the high expectations of an executive office.
- Was there an executive or working relationship that shaped how you approached the rest of your career?
On busy days you don’t often get feedback. But once, at the annual Secretaries’ Day Breakfast, Graham, my executive, and I were interviewed by the media about the role. His response was spontaneous: “Catherine and I are a team.” It showed he valued my support. He knew my career aspirations in those early days and went out of his way to help.
His trust made me feel my role mattered. It also gave me a measure for what was acceptable in a working relationship. When I came across managers who didn’t meet my standards, I pursued other opportunities, because I believe trust is the keystone of any successful environment, even through the most demanding situations.
- Looking back, what’s a moment or achievement you’re proudest of?
We constantly achieve milestones and introduce new processes, but we tend not to celebrate them in case it looks egotistical. When someone else acknowledges you, that’s different.
In 2011 I was appointed national president and chair of the board of the Australian Institute of Office Professionals (AIOP), a role I held for two years. At the 2013 national conference in Adelaide we celebrated the Institute’s 50th anniversary with a dinner, where I was MC. It was a proud night, given the Institute had always been run by volunteers, and I was awarded honorary life membership for my contribution. I’d joined in 1992, when it was known as IPSA, and held many positions on the SA committee, including three terms as state president.
- What’s the hardest lesson you learned on the job?
Supervising a small group was part of my role. I had a deadline to meet and was probably putting on my busy face and not involving anyone in my mission. Out of the blue, one of my team said, “Why are you angry with me?”
I was just being me, but my demeanour had upset her. That’s when I learnt about perception: it’s a person’s reality, whether or not it’s accurate. From then on I became more inclusive.
The same applied when I first worked in the executive arena. General staff saw me as aloof, perhaps because I always wore a jacket with a skirt or pants. It was important to look the part, as it gave management confidence I knew my job, but it was only when people got to know me that our relationships improved.
- If you could go back and tell your younger self one thing, what would it be?
It took me a long time to realise my skills were invaluable. Being an organiser isn’t something to sweep under the carpet just because someone takes umbrage at it, and my experience helped businesses and executives work more efficiently. Today they call this imposter syndrome, which means many new ideas are being lost and talent isn’t being nurtured.
I should have been proud of what I could contribute. Having an opinion and presenting it to an executive takes courage, and you never know what their response will be, but it’s a feather in your cap when the idea is taken up. ‘Playing small’ will never get us where we want to go.
- What do you think today’s EAs get right that your generation had to learn the hard way? What’s been lost?
Years ago, secretaries were the norm. Yes, there was a perception of subservience, but personal secretaries were held in high esteem. The word actually meant keeper of secrets. It was a privilege, and there was a career path from junior to senior.
The term has been lost and EA has taken its place. The role has moved into a technological age but its purpose is the same: to support the executive to excel, which reflects on the EA’s capabilities.
The role is a career, and it takes years of slog to reach the top. I think there’s been a shift towards recognising titles, so that everyone is an EA, rather than a step up the ladder.
- Working EAs often ask about managing their executive. How would you help them do this confidently?
This is the most important part of the role and the reason it exists. Get it right and your ability to create win-win situations won’t be in question.
One CEO I worked with was a psychologist who took umbrage when someone said they felt unsettled around him because of his job. He responded, “I may be a psychologist but I am also a person.” We should never forget the people we support are people too.
Mutual respect builds trust, and once it’s established, you should have no problem confidently approaching your boss at any time to keep them on track. Managing up is as much a part of the role as diary management. Done tactfully but with purpose, it’s the basis of an excellent working relationship.
- How has retirement changed how you see the role?
I retired in 2013 and started my own business, OFFICE Dynamics Adelaide. When the pandemic stopped much of that, I moved to an online mentoring program. Talking to people highlighted that confidence in moving their careers forward was at a low ebb, which surprised me.
I feel assistants today are trying to be everything to everybody, rather than keeping to the core responsibilities of the role. That may be pressure from above, but it diminishes the strength of why the role exists. I’d like to see a renewed understanding of what an EA does, and how it can enhance the success not only of the executive but of the whole C-suite.
- What’s your advice for an EA who wants a career that lasts, and that they’re proud of at the end?
Administration is the cornerstone of every business, and the people working in it are the backbone of an organisation. Unfortunately, they aren’t always given the kudos they deserve and are often overlooked when professional development opportunities come along. That’s disappointing, because with the right support they will excel and keep growing.
It’s also up to the individual to be positive about how their expertise adds value, to raise awareness of their profession and not accept the status quo. If you truly want to manage your career, there is planning to be done, and an attitude that anything is possible if you apply strategies along the way.
Be open to opportunities. We all have aspirations when we start out, but life can throw us some curly ones. If you aim high and enjoy what you do, that’s worthwhile. And if you get the chance to be involved in something bigger than yourself, take it. It will broaden what’s possible.