“There are two people in the unit you never want to piss off: the quartermaster and the pay-clerk. No beans, no bullets, and no cash for the bar.” — Sergeant B. L.
What my sergeant told me when I was a wet-behind-the-ears first Lieutenant can also be told as: “A person who is nice to you but rude to the waiter, isn’t nice.” This is true in a corporate environment as well. So-called “little people” have power. Yes, I’ve heard them called that by senior managers in a corporate environment, and it made me wonder what kind of person they really were. Administrators can book rooms, order supplies, know where to get coffee for your client after hours. They get things done.
Piss them off, and you’ll be wondering instead why you can’t seem to get anything done.
If your boss has an executive administrator or secretary this is one relationship you want to sincerely nurture and foster. He is your boss’s gatekeeper. He can make your life miserable if you give him reason to. Like, for example, mocking him for being a guy secretary.
Things you might want to consider when interacting with any administrator:
- Respect their desk and supplies. Don’t borrow their stapler without asking. It’s their desk, treat it with the respect you would for anybody else’s. Their office supplies are not public property. Do you go through your boss’s desk looking for a three-hole punch? No? Don’t do it to her admin either.
- Respect their personal space. Don’t lean on their desk and tower over them. At best it’s an obnoxious power play. That’s how they’ll perceive it, even if that wasn’t your intention. Remember that communication is what the listener does: if somebody thinks you’re being creepy, it’s because you’re doing something creepy.
- Look them in the eye, not at their cleavage. This one is so obvious, but there are still men who do this. Yes, they can tell. Even when you think they’re not looking. If you’re lucky they’re just laughing at you behind your back because you think they can’t tell.
- Be nice to them all the time, not only when you need something from them. You know when people are sucking up to you just because they need something from you. That means other people can tell when you’re doing it to them.
- The best and fastest way to build a relationship with somebody is to learn their name. If it’s your first day, learn the boss’s secretary’s name, and as many of the other administrators as you’ll be dealing with. If it’s not your first day, get on it now.
- Be nice to all of them, they talk to each other. I’m not condoning gossip here but they do compare notes. Who’s good to work for, who isn’t, who’s an asshole. If you’re polite to one and not the other, you’re not polite.
Your boss’s administrator has tremendous influence. A good receptionist/administrator is worth their weight in gold. If you’ve ever worked with a bad one you know what I mean. If you treat them with contempt your boss is going to know, and so are all the other administrators and their bosses.
If you get an administrator on your side, learn their name, do them favours, and generally treat them with respect then you’ll be in their network. When you need a favour from him (and you will eventually), they will go to their network to help you. Isn’t it be good to have all the administrators in a company on your side?
