April 2012

Gatekeeping Strategies for Administrative Assistants

© 2011 Administrative Assistant Resource, a division of Lorman Business Center. All Rights Reserved.

Gatekeeping Strategies for Administrative Assistants

Aside from ensuring the office is running smoothly, gatekeeping is one more thing administrative professionals have to do and have to be great at. As an administrative assistant, you decide what gets through the administrative gate. Keep in mind that countless marketers and individuals with dubious motives are constantly developing ways to slip through every gate they can. Effective gatekeeping strategies allow administrative assistants to become better at what they do and to become more valuable to their bosses and supervisors. A gate is a cinematic term that applies to part of a camera that acts like a filter and determines what is displayed. Gatekeeping is not merely deciding who and what enters the boss's office. A fundamental principle of effective gatekeeping is getting to know your boss's schedule, habits and communication preferences. As a gatekeeper, it's in an administrative assistant's job to minimize intrusions, to maintain a high level of security, to protect your boss's valuable time and to filter information by assessing its value and importance. The Importance of Effective Gatekeeping Strategies Virtually anyone who calls a company or business wants to get in contact with the big cheese. Executives only have so much time in their day, so it's the administrative assistant's responsibility to decide what information is important and what can be ignored or taken care of later. Effective gatekeeping strategies are indispensable. According to the National Association of Working Women, more than

800,000 individuals perform the ambiguous and arduous work of an administrative assistant. Each and every day, administrative assistants must perform the duties of a secretary, receptionist, manager, security guard, public relations guru and many other positions. Effective gatekeeping strategies rely on a spoken or unspoken understanding with the boss or executive being served. Becoming a great gatekeeper is an essential part of professional development for any administrative assistant. These filtering skills will make you indispensable to your boss. Developing effective gatekeeping strategies tailored to your boss demands loyalty, attention to detail and being alert at all times. The higher you are in the field, the more security is required. Understanding Your Boss This is the first step to implementing effective gatekeeping strategies. An administrative assistant needs to know what information the boss wants, when they want it and in what order. However, understanding what information they don't need is equally important. Gatekeepers need to be intimately familiar with their boss's habits and preferences. This type of information can be gleaned by asking questions. Always ask. Never guess, and always trust your instincts. If something seems suspicious or irregular, it probably is. As an administrative assistant, you know your employer better than anyone, and many people will try to use your power and influence to get what they want. page 1

Gatekeeping Strategies for Administrative Assistants

Establishing Communication Ground Rules Gatekeepers manage the flow of information to and from the office. Administrative assistants decide what information the boss handles and what communications are broadcast from the office. In addition to screening communications, the gatekeeper needs to establish preferred communication methods. Does your boss use text messages and email exclusively, or are phone calls preferred? These types of preferences and protocols can be established in your face-toface communications. This is the most valuable time you have with your boss and must be used effectively. Administrative assistants are responsible for establishing communications ground rules. When a certain person calls, what is the protocol? Should the call be put through always, put through sometimes or never put through. When information is received, the gatekeeper needs to determine the level of importance as well as the level of urgency. Gatekeepers also need to establish what kind of information can be shared. Does a stranger really need to know if your boss is in the office or when he or she is coming back? Protocols for handling difficult situations can be established together with your boss in a face-to-face meeting. Handling Multimedia Communications Today, there are many methods that salespeople and motivated individuals use to get your boss's ear. Here's what you need to know about managing all office communications.

• In many cases, an administrative assistant will manage the boss's email account so that irrelevant communications can be filtered. Many executives receive hundreds of emails every day, so managing email communications and deciding what's important and what's not is a big job. • Digital communications bring certain risks. Laptops can be stolen, and information transmitted over wireless networks can easily be intercepted. As the overseer of communications, it might be your responsibility to work with the IT department to see if appropriate safeguards are in place. Administrative assistants frequently work as inter-departmental liaisons determining whether wireless networks need to be encrypted and whether laptops and PCs need password protection to secure sensitive data and proprietary information. • Snail mail must also be handled appropriately according to your boss's preferences. Many marketers attempt to get past the gatekeeper by putting confidential stamps on sales materials or sending packages by carriers that attract attention. To minimize interruptions, it's important to establish general communications preferences as well as specific directions for items marked confidential and documents that require different handling procedures. Evaluating Contact Credentials Effectively screening calls is an essential strategy that will make your job easier. The first steps are establishing who is calling and page 2

Gatekeeping Strategies for Administrative Assistants

what the caller wants while keeping in mind that many marketers and callers provide duplicitous information. Call screening strategies are an important part of security and effective gatekeeping. It's your job to see through the duplicity and to establish a caller's true intentions. When establishing a caller's credentials, individuals often become annoyed and may ask why you need this information. This is a great opportunity to act in their best interest by saying that the boss requests this information so that the call can be directed to the right person or so that the caller can get the answers they need more quickly. Getting information from the caller and politely declining their requests to speak to your boss is an art. Maintaining an air of politeness and tact is essential when handling the most obnoxious calls in a professional and respectful manner. Don't forget that a little humor goes a very long way.

require immediate attention include communications about activities, networking, business opportunities and sales. • Communications that must be handled promptly but may not be important include phone calls, emails, reports and information about impending meetings. • There are also quite a few items that are neither important nor urgent. These include unsolicited phone calls or emails, sales letters and trivial communications. Dirty Tricks Marketers Use To Get Through the Gate

Assessing the Importance of Information Communications have various levels of urgency and importance that determine their priority. In order to minimize interruptions, gatekeepers need to accurately assess the urgency and importance of all communications. • Items that are urgent and must be pushed through immediately include documents related to crises, major business issues, delays and deadline-driven projects. • Documents that are important but don't

Gatecrashers are an inevitable part of the job. These strategies will help you recognize intruders, combat their actions and safely avert disaster. Gatecrashers are annoying at the least and criminally dangerous at worst. Telemarketers, stalkers and all types of people try to get to the gatekeeper, through the gatekeeper and to circumvent your mighty gatekeeping power. page 3

Gatekeeping Strategies for Administrative Assistants

• Everyone is trying to get a piece of your boss's time. It's your responsibility to determine their motives. Don't succumb to flattery. Some marketers will stop at nothing to get to key executives and decision-makers. • Be wary of calls for lower level managers. Marketers often try to access lower level executives and have sneaky ways for inventing referrals. • Desperate telemarketers might try to sell a product to you because they know how valuable your opinion is. Don't let a marketer convince you to involve a buyer by indicating that you're taking all the risk. • If callers are particularly troublesome and persistent, try searching online for the name given to see what kind of history they have. In severe cases, pictures can be distributed to security guards in the building. Law enforcement agencies can also be contacted.

• Many marketers invent outlandish questions that administrative assistants cannot answer. If practical, establish a protocol with your boss for dealing with situations like this. Strategies for Gatekeeping Success Every day in the office brings new challenges that can be handled with these strategies, a little creativity and a little ingenuity. Part of being a great gatekeeper is being resourceful, instinctive and using the same tricks outsiders play. As a gatekeeper, it's your job to protect your boss and the company from threats, invasions of privacy, time-wasters and weirdoes by effectively and efficiently filtering information. At the end of the day, your boss will thank you for doing such a great job and dealing with problems that he or she didn't realize existed.

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Gatekeeping Strategies for Administrative Assistants

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