I’m doing some organisational values and culture comms at the moment, and one of the aspects to this is a piece on respect for names, name changes and name pronunciation, and how we can all easily take the time to make sure we say our colleagues’ names correctly. 

It’s got me thinking about a conversation with a senior editor in my first journalism job, at a community newspaper. This senior editor’s advice – always make sure you get people’s names right – has been important all through my career. I can still remember her words: “People get upset when their names are spelled incorrectly. Even if you get everything else right in a complex article, spell their name incorrectly and you’ll hear about it from them in letters, phone calls and emails.”

I, too, get annoyed when people get my name wrong. My surname – short but deadly – has tripped many people up. (It’s pronounced “pole”, as in North Pole, by the way.) It drives me nuts when someone calls me Joanna, instead of Joanne. It’s not so much a pronunciation issue as it is about accuracy, with my first name, but no less agitating. 

I am touched when people I meet for the first time ask if I prefer “Jo” or “Joanne” (thank you for asking!). My response is usually, I don’t mind either “Joanne” or “Jo”, but please, never “Joanna”. You may as well call me “Gertrude” because it’s no more my name than “Joanna” is. I have since found that many Joannas I meet experience the reverse, being called Joanne – much to their equal frustration. 

The new LinkedIn functionality to record the pronunciation of your name is so timely, and I’ve recorded mine. I think it’s great that we now have the opportunity to help others in pronouncing our names.

Our names – spelling, pronunciation, or changes to our names – are deeply personal to us. They connect to family traditions, our cultures and histories. They are the words we use to define and identify our ‘self’. Let’s all take the time and make a little effort in showing each other the respect and courtesy of getting each others’ names right.

Far from being outliers in the talent pool of potential new hires, executive assistants’ skills could be a huge contribution to an IC team.

First published 30 November 2018 on Voice Online:

https://voice.ioic.org.uk/item/705-why-administrators-and-executive-assistants-make-great-ic-practitioners

I worked in admin before I made my career move into comms, and for many years worried that my time in support roles would disadvantage me. It felt like my would-be internal communications peers were racing ahead, getting a competitive edge with their experience of writing content, managing campaigns and relationships, and learning to become confident stakeholder managers.

By contrast, it felt like my time as an executive assistant (EA) wouldn’t add much to my offering as an IC practitioner.

As it turns out, I was totally wrong. I made my way into comms from admin (via a sideways move in investor relations and marketing) and came to see first-hand how my experience at the executive support coalface, far from holding me back, helped me hit the ground running in internal communications.

Conversations with fellow IC practitioners have borne the same conclusion: people with executive support and administration backgrounds aren’t disadvantaged by these previous roles. If anything, this experience has equipped them with a unique skillset which makes them great IC practitioners.

The skills that set you up for a rewarding IC career

Leah Bowden, head of internal communications at Close Brothers, spent some of her early career working as an EA and Senior EA to the Chief Executive at Santander, and believes that the experience has helped her IC career.

“Being an EA is one of the most intense forms of business partnership. The skills I developed in creative problem-solving, negotiating, influencing and prioritising effectively have served me well as an IC practitioner,” she says.

After moving into corporate communications and speechwriting at the bank, Leah became a key communications liaison and counsel for leaders and board-level executives – so she needed to be able to deal with very senior individuals, which her EA experience prepared her for.

“I believe being an EA is a great proving ground for the resilience you need for a rewarding career in IC,” she adds.

Lizzie Forbes, project communications manager at Balfour Beatty plc, has experienced this first-hand.

“Often personal assistants are advocates for the business; the ones in the know, much like IC practitioners, and are equipped or expected to share messages around the business.

“They are respected among their peers, have great networks and are trusted; all qualities of a great internal communicator! It was a natural transition for me as these were things I loved about my job, as well as writing,” she says.

Graham Barton heads up change enablement at Defra and was named best internal communications manager at IoIC’s 2017 Icon Awards.

Early on in his career he worked within office administration. “The role was at the Environment Agency, and I supported the leadership team and helped run the office,” he says.

Aside from teaching him how to communicate with a diverse group of colleagues, many of whom were based in the field, he says the role helped him learn how to package messages effectively.

“Striking that balance between including enough information to enable the recipient to make an informed decision, and keeping the communication as concise and clear as possible, was a very valuable skill to learn,” he says.

Transferable experiences

Backgrounds in administrative and executive support should make for sought-after candidates for internal communication managers looking to add to their teams, thanks to the wealth and depth of experience they can bring to the profession.

Organisational strategy and planning

EAs understand the importance of a company’s strategy

While EAs may not be involved in actively shaping an organisation’s strategy, they will often be working close to its development, evolution, implementation and – of course – how it is communicated. Working with directors and/or C-suite executives grants EAs an unusual degree of insight into the importance of a strong strategy. EAs will need little convincing of the pivotal role played by a company’s strategy in driving its actions and direction.

In my own experience as an executive assistant, I was plunged headfirst into the detail of how strategy was formulated, how it evolved, and how it was communicated from the MD to his direct reports and the wider company. The strategy was fundamental to everything: it underpinned our direction and gave guidance for challenging business decisions.

More than almost any other employee, EAs and PAs will have an appreciation for the strategy as a guiding light for the company.

EAs get to grips with a company’s structure and place in the market

Working as an EA, you are required to quickly grasp your organisation’s structure, and its place in the wider market. You need to know how the company works, in order to do your day-to-day job effectively, but also learn what kind of links and levers you can utilise to get projects, communications and activities signed off.

Georgina Carvell-Gough manages the UK and Ireland internal communications strategy for Baxi Heating, and formerly worked in internal communications at Aldi UK. She was a PA for five years and found that it gave her a greater understanding of how businesses work.

“PAs, EAs and administrators will have an in-depth knowledge of how a business works and an appreciation for how each layer of a business views a message differently,” says Georgina. “They also need to have a good understanding of how each level within a business works, and also have to be comfortable in engaging with stakeholders from each level.”

Of course, every company is different, and being an EA in one organisation doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily understand how all companies operate. But you will most likely have learned what sorts of conversations to have, and which functions you need to go to, to find out what you need to know.

Planning (usually) comes naturally

Finally, a good EA or administrator is good at planning. Their role requires ninja-level organisation, and so an EA worth their salt will have developed – and implemented – complex plans.

Even if these plans have been for detailed travel itineraries, high-profile site visits or an investor roadshow, the content of the planning isn’t what’s important: it’s the ability to plan ahead, set milestones and buffers for delays, and adapt the plan to changes, that are essential skills.

Carly Murray, internal communications specialist at design, digital and IC agency The Surgery started her career as a PA. After her beginnings in executive support, Carly went on to communications roles at T-Mobile and EE and internal communications business partner roles at EasyJet and British Gas.

“So many things in the world of the PA translate well into IC,” she states. “PAs tend to be naturally good at planning and organising: you’re not just organising yourself, but you’re making sure other people, in other parts of the business, are organised too. IC is often about having a well-thought-through plan and using your organisation skills to execute it.”

People and cultural understanding

EAs are good with people – at all levels of the organisation

Apart from a strong organisational understanding, an ability to plan and be meticulously organised, an EA needs to be good with people. This means being able to communicate confidently with colleagues at all levels – be it the leadership team, middle managers or junior employees.

It came as a surprise to me, having moved from executive support to communications, that some of my communications colleagues (not from an admin support background) were nervous at the prospect of having a discussion with, or sending an email to, senior leaders.

I’ve since realised that having the confidence to approach someone senior like the CEO to discuss an important communications matter or send an email to the senior leadership team doesn’t come naturally to everyone, least of all those unaccustomed to interacting with them.

Past experience of dealing with senior-level executives helps to build that confidence, because, as an EA, emailing the CEO is usually not an exception, but rather the rule.

They understand the ‘gulf’ between leaders and employee

“The ‘gulf’ between what employees think and what senior leaders think employees think is something you become acutely aware of when working in admin or executive support,” says Annique Simpson, internal communications manager at Close Brothers.

Before her roles in communications, which saw her deliver internal campaigns at Grant Thornton UK LLP and Moorfields Eye Hospital, Annique worked in administrative roles at the London Deanery and the Royal College of Anaesthetists.

Communicators who have had first-hand experience of seeing how senior leaders interpret employees’ beliefs have a powerful advantage.

“Being able to spot the ‘gulf’ – and provide helpful, evidence-based solutions to help bridge it – is critical to being an effective internal communicator,” she says.

Not just outliers in the talent pool

People with backgrounds in admin and support should not be viewed as having “only” been a PA. This view risks overlooking fundamental skills and experience that not only make them great internal communications practitioners, but can add real value to internal communications teams.

I spent too long labouring under the misconception that my comms career would be stunted by the years I spent working as an EA and office administrator. In fact, this experience has hugely helped, not hindered, my career – and I’m really pleased that many hiring managers are seeing this potential.

I went to the Picasso 1932 exhibition at the Tate Modern yesterday: an astounding compilation of works by the giant of modern art, from a particularly prolific time in his career. I was blown away by the art, and the fact that I had the opportunity to see the original works in the flesh.

Like so many Londoners, I am originally from somewhere else, and I am keenly aware that living in this city has afforded me opportunities to see, hear and experience so much more than I otherwise would have. From an exhibition of original Leonardo da Vinci drawings and a massive retrospective of Matisse’s cutouts, to performances of Elgar in the Royal Albert Hall and a live concert by Alanis Morisette at the Eventim Apollo, over the years I’ve been lucky to enjoy a formidable array of arts and cultural experiences.

The richness and variety hasn’t waned over the years, but what I have seen is the rise and rise of people experiencing these joys through their mobile phones: recording live events and photographing artwork.

At one point, as I made my way through the Picasso exhibition, there were more people snapping pics of the artworks and labels, than those not. What’s more, it seemed that most were stopping long enough just to take a photo, and moving on to the next artwork, without lingering to give the paintings much consideration.

Of course, I don’t believe it’s my place to dictate how people choose to engage with art (some might like to give each painting a lot of thought; others prefer to have a more fluid walk-through of an exhibition). And, if you read other articles on my website or see my Instagram feed, you’ll see I am certainly not innocent of the crime of snapping shots of artwork or recording music concerts.

Nonetheless, this trend – to be a videographer of our own lives – is a worrying and sad one. It speaks of a generation, or several generations (because yesterday’s snapping of art wasn’t limited to a single age group) either so afraid of missing out, or feeling compelled to keep a record of their every experience.

Here’s the thing: if the fear is of missing out, or missing something, then the mental focus that’s placed on recording the event – shooting a video of your favourite musical artist perform, or photographing artworks in the Tate – means we’re not in the moment, and not fully experiencing it. We will, ironically, be missing out.

If the obsession is with making a record of what we’ve done, seen, heard, tasted, experienced: well then, most of what we’ll be left with is a slightly grainy video, or a photo that just doesn’t do the original much justice.

Also, who this record is for, is an entirely separate can of worms. I doubt many of us go through all the photos and videos on our phones and enjoy these events retrospectively. And no, no-one on Facebook – except maybe your parents, but even that’s pushing it – cares as much as you do about the record you have made of your amazing evening at the Rolling Stones concert, or the photos you took at the Damien Hirst exhibition.

Why not just live in the moment? Why not put the phone away? We won’t be missing out if we do so. I’m as guilty of this as the next person, but the sight of so many people living through their phones was a moment of revelation.

Let’s try to limit ourselves to a maximum of 3 photos or 30 seconds of video, and then put the phone away. And then, you can enjoy the concert – be embraced by the beat and the bass – or see (really see) the artwork: get up close to it, pick out the brushstrokes, and take a moment to let the art speak to you – in whichever way it chooses to.