A funny thing happened at the water cooler the other day (so a friend of mine was saying)... The CEO, creative director, account director and account manager were all standing together discussing the status on a project. The CEO asked the creative director what was happening, the creative director turned to the account director, the account director turned to the account manager, and then the account manager phoned his team PA. She told him what the status was, how the budget was
going and the flexibility on the timeframe. The account manager turned to the CEO and gave him the update – the CEO gave the account manager a wry look, but in the end everyone was happy.
Isn't that often the way of things for a PA? One more example of how valuable the role of the PA is to everyone. We're the silent partner, no one really knows what we do, or how we do it, or how much time and trouble we spend on doing it. It's just expected to be done. And when no one knows the answer, everyone turns to the PA, because they know she'll have all the information they need and get them out of an embarrassing situation with the boss.