I’m so thrilled to introduce this month’s EA Showcase. I have had the privilege of seeing Liz in action and have been nothing more than impressed by her delivery technique, the upmost professionalism she displays at all times and her dedication to the EA sector.

Liz is a highly regarded valued advocate of this career, one that has personally supported me as a fellow EA and one I know will unequivocally encourage and support her team and any EA that is willing to learn and develop to be more successful in this hugely rewarding role.

We have a great teacher here and I am super proud to put her name under the spotlight. Please take a moment whilst reading to think about the EAs that have supported you along the way and/or any EAs you wish to advocate yourself, show them some kudos and give them a shout out! We wouldn’t all be where we are today without their support, guidance, mentorship and advocacy!

Ursula x

ELIZABETH BUTLER

Name your current role?
Executive Assistant to Dr Heather Smith PSM, Secretary of the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science.

Do you remember the first day you became an EA?
As an 18 year old newly arrived in Canberra from country New South Wales, I joined the Department of Defence in a corporate administrative role. After a few months, I was offered the opportunity to act as APS 3 Executive Assistant to the Director-General of Aerospace Surveillance Systems in the then Defence Acquisition Organisation. While it was rather daunting, not knowing much at all about Aerospace projects, military rank or the multitude of acronyms that exist in Defence, I was excited about the opportunity. It took no time at all to settle into the role, and to gain an understanding of the DAO mandate. I very quickly established the need for a mentor and sought out another Executive Assistant colleague, also a former member of the ADF, who was able to impart an enormous amount of corporate knowledge that enabled me to grow into my role and adapt to the Military and Civilian environment. That was the beginning of a long career working as an Executive Assistant, and I have never looked back!

How long have you been an EA?
I was a junior Executive Assistant with Defence for 5 years before seeking further EA opportunities within the Australian Public Service. I have now been an EA for close to twenty years in a range of Government Departments, including the Embassy of Australia in Washington DC, the Australian Taxation Office, the Office of National Assessments, the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, the former Department of Climate Change (and Energy Efficiency), the former Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism and the Department of Health. I have directly supported Departmental Secretaries since 2009.

What would you consider to be the most challenging part of your day?
Constantly revisiting task prioritisation to optimise my Executives time, allocating responsibilities within the Department and chasing up responses is easily the most demanding aspect of my role.

I have found that the challenge is to quickly develop an understanding of organisational structure and mandate, be aware of individual roles and responsibilities within the Department, and know and develop relationships with external stakeholders. It is critical, in my experience, to instinctively know where and who to go to when an immediate response is required. An established routine is critical to achieving this level of situational awareness.

Programming structured communication with your Executive, the Chief of Staff (or equivalent) is a major contributor to the success of my current office environment, and has been in every highly-functioning office I have worked in. Reprogramming a meeting, informing stakeholders of an alternative point of contact or simply being able to advise on current priorities is much easier if you possess the knowledge that comes from regular and direct contact with the decision makers in the organisation.

I find that it is much easier to manage multiple priorities by using a task list. I manage my daily short-turnaround tasks on a written list that sits on my desk within eye-shot. Everything else goes in the outlook diary with an appropriate reminder either a day before it is due, or a week in advance, if I expect the task to require a bit of time and I need to engage others to ensure completion. I brief my daily key tasks during the morning sync with the Secretary and Chief of Staff. This ensures that the Executive are aware of my priorities for the day and therefore acknowledge that any additional tasking comes at the expense of an established priority, but more importantly, it enables the executive to realign my key tasks to ensure that I cover priority Departmental outputs.

What would you consider to be the most rewarding part of your position as an EA?
I love the challenge and diversity of the EA role and consider myself to be a career Executive Assistant. I am passionate about my responsibilities in developing and mentoring junior Executive Assistants, and educating the Senior Executive Service to enable them to fully realise the potential of their Executive support staff. Additionally, I feel so privileged to have had opportunity to work with some of the most inspiring, intellectual and supportive Senior Executives within the Australian Public Service.

What was a role that you have owned or an experience you have had, that helped shaped your success in your current position?
I have consistently found that investing in the personal and professional development of Executive and Personal Assistants across an organisation is not only a rewarding experience, it is also critical to achieving organisational efficiencies and outcomes. I have chaired the Executive Assistant Network in the last five departments I have worked in and I am currently on the IPAA EA Series Committee. Professional development can be approached in a variety of ways: through introducing mentoring and buddy programs, conducting offsite workshops, convening EA/PA networking activities or funding (and encouraging) attendance at professional workshops and conferences. For larger organisations a formal EA/PA network that meets regularly and engages in formal mentoring and training is a valuable tool to develop organisational capacity and resilience. My personal and professional networks across the Australian Public Service are extremely well developed as a result, and are of great use in my current and previous roles.

What skills do you possess that you believe is crucial to your role?
Resilience, proactivity, confidence and discretion are four attributes I consider critical to all Executive Assistant roles, but especially working to Departmental Secretaries. Resilience is the capacity to absorb vast amounts of work, manage the pressures created by competing demands, consistently deliver timely, accurate results; and then quickly move onto the next demanding task; proactivity refers to the ability to act within the Executive’s intent without requiring direction at every turn; and confidence is the ability to engage knowledgeably and with authority, with the full range of internal and external stakeholders. To do this effectively you need to be comfortable in your role, but also be strategically aware. Discretion is a critical attribute that goes hand-in-hand with trust. When working to a Senior Executive you may often be exposed to sensitive information of a personal, personnel, commercial or political nature. It is critical to your credibility and the integrity of your Executive that you maintain tact and discretion and treat all sensitive matters on a ‘need-to-know’ basis. Trust is a critical currency as an EA.  Many of these attributes are developed over time and require significant investment on your behalf. You need to know your organisation and ensure that you are fully across the strategic intent, organisational vision, and the roles and responsibilities of your key executives and external stakeholders.

What do you do in your spare time?
I enjoy spending time with family and friends, whether it be breakfast / lunch / dinner or drinks, catching a movie or just an impromptu coffee catch-up. I’m currently without pets, but we usually have cats roaming the house. My husband and I also love to travel the world and experience different cultures and cuisines.

Any tips you’d like to share with your fellow EAs?
As you progress in your respective careers and develop the many professional skillsets required of an EA – ensure that you pass them on. Train others to the same standards that you value in the workplace and encourage others to achieve their potential. Mentoring junior EAs not only develops your individual competencies and resilience, but it also embeds positive attributes into the organisation and assists to build organisational resilience. As a career Executive Assistant, I encourage you to be passionate about what you do; respect and invest in your personal and professional development and acknowledge that that the work you do each and every day is critical to the effective functioning of your organisation.