Secretaries' Week is here

again. The days of having secretaries has concluded for

most downsized businesses across America. For those

fortunate few that have secretaries consider yourself

lucky.

We would probably make more

people feel appreciated if we did away with Secretaries

Week and renamed it, "Administrative Assistant"

week. Administrative assistants now form the backbone of

most organizations in the world.

Years ago, I had a

secretary and above her head hung this poster. It said,

"Men who say it can't be done should get out of the

way of women who are doing it." This wouldn't be

politically correct in today's workplace, but nonetheless

it was true.

Over the years I've held

many leadership positions. At one time I was naive enough

to think I held the power and influence in my

organization. I was wrong. Someone else held the real

seat of power in my office. It was my secretary. Any

success I've gained as a leader, consultant, and writer,

could not have been possible without the assistance,

thinking power, and skill of the almighty secretary.

Another memory of another

secretary stands out clearly in my mind. My stepfather

had been ill, suddenly passing away. I was out of the

office in a meeting across town. Gail, my secretary, took

the call from my sister. Gail drove her car across town

and found me. Quietly entering the room, she touched my

arm, telling me the bad news. Gail had many options

before her.

Instead of driving across

town, she could have called me at the meeting. She could

have sent a driver with a note, but she personally

assumed the painful mission. The remainder of the day was

blurry, but what she did for me that day would never be

forgotten.

Whether you call it

Secretaries' Week or Administrative Assistant Week this

is a time to get down on our hands and knees and pay

homage to the people who really get the work done.

Secretaries' Week causes a

lot of problems for bosses. How do you show appreciation

for this person and be fair for the rest of the team?

Gloria, my mother-in-law, owns a florist shop here in

Atlanta. Each year I get a kick out of what some

misguided bosses ask her to do with flower arrangements.

I could write a best-selling book about some of the

requests. For your enjoyment, I've outlined some of my

favorite stories.

Story 1-A lady bank branch

manager ordered 15 bud vases with one flower each. She

insisted it had to be delivered Thursday because after

she gave them to her secretaries she was going to take

them back from her staff on Friday so she could use them

for her dinner party that evening at her home.

Story 2-A lawyer's office

called and ordered six bud vases for six secretaries.

Like a legal brief, they hammered out the detailed

instructions. They wanted a flower, a ribbon and a card

for each. "No red flowers allowed," came the

order. It in no way could resemble something a husband

would give his wife. "Oh by the way, we don't want

to spend more than $6.00 each and we will not pay more

than $5.00 for the entire delivery."

Each of the six legal

secretaries received their "non-red flowers."

Then the phone rang again when the lawyers realized they

forgot someone. Sheepishly, another order came in for one

more "non-red flower," but they refused to pay

for delivery. So they sent a clerk on a 30-minute trip

across town to pick it up.

Story 3-The boss sent his

wife to the florist to pick out an arrangement for his

secretary. The wife was not excited about the task. She

stormed into the florist in a huff saying, "she

doesn't need these flowers. She is paid enough as it

is." Finally, the decision was made and the deal was

sealed with her final words, "Make sure it dies in a

week!"

I conducted my own random

survey asking a few secretaries what would they really

appreciate during Secretary's week. No one said flowers,

they all wanted time off.

Gregory P. Smith shows

businesses how to build productive and profitable work

environments that attract, keep and motivate their

workforce. He speaks at conferences, conducts management

training and is the President of a management-consulting

firm called Chart Your Course International located in

Conyers, Georgia. Phone him at (770)860-9464 or send an

email at [email protected] . More information and articles are

available at www.ChartCourse.com .