EA PROFILE any prior relationships with staff or direction from her boss , it was up to Gemma to rely on her EA instincts to figure out her new role .
“ I just … took it upon myself to start setting up absolutely everything from phone lists to committees to mailing lists to every single office system to folders , electronic and hardcopy folders , and then we opened . And here we are two and a half years later , and I don ’ t really know where those two and half years went .”
Gemma has been flourishing in her latest EA role , and she believes it ’ s all down to her experience behind the front desk way back in her teen years .
“ If I didn ’ t have the operational background and understanding of how a hotel operates , I ’ d absolutely not be able to provide the support that I do . Coming from some of those entry level positions , there ’ s obviously quite a big gap between that and the general manager and executive level team . So , I kind of feel like I can bridge that gap because it wasn ’ t that long ago that I was there , and I understand the systems and the processes ,” explains Gemma .
“ It has completely had a huge impact on how I do my role . And also understanding what ’ s important , in terms of communication . It ’ s very easy for communication to get lost in the hierarchy of things . I ’ m privy to the high-level visions and goals and strategies and then can ensure that message is getting passed through the levels .”
Gemma ’ s background in the operations side of the hotel business means she can communicate and provide her executive with a level of understanding that is unique .
“ For instance , we get guest complaints coming through to the general manager ’ s office every day and with my operational background I have the ability to understand those issues and can drill into what went wrong . Then the general manager has to phone that guest and apologise or resolve the complaint , and without that understanding of what has gone wrong he can ’ t really talk to the guest . So , I ’ ve found that really helpful to be able to investigate and understand what ’ s gone wrong , what the issue is , and what we need to fix .” And while her opinion is always welcome , a good relationship between an EA and their executive doesn ’ t appear overnight .
“ I think it takes a while to build an understanding of your executive , and that trust and respect . And I think he knows that I would never give him information that I didn ’ t feel was of high importance . Just through time , experience and that mutual respect and trust . Everything I feel the need to be vocal about is received in a serious manner .”
But that level of communication and trust hasn ’ t always been expected of EAs . Gemma believes that the role has shifted from the idea of EAs as a gatekeeper , someone that answers the phone and schedules the diary . It ’ s changed into something that ’ s like a business partner and someone that can be there to bounce ideas off . These days , EAs must have an understanding of their executive ’ s goals and vision , KPIs , and changing priorities to understand and provide the best possible support .
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“ Often , he bounces ideas off me and asks for my feedback on certain things . I can absolutely disagree with him and he definitely appreciates that . So , I think it ’ s become more of a partnership / confidant type role . Not in all cases but that ’ s definitely what people look for in EAs more so than maybe 10 years ago when it was much more traditional .”
But with more trust , comes more responsibility . And for an EA , dealing with a crisis is a regular occurrence . Whether it ’ s a serious crisis like the bushfires or coronavirus , or someone double booking the meeting room , EAs must know how to handle crises under pressure .
“ I think I ’ m lucky to have a background where I automatically know who to contact and who to communicate with straight away ... And working with the same general manager for the last two years I have a complete understanding of how he works and his reaction to everything . So , it ’ s really good to have that understanding so you can get on the front foot and start implementing things before he ’ s even alerted .” Gemma is an ambitious young woman who ’ s found her place in the world and while she ’ s happy with her position , she ’ s always striving to develop her skills and grow as an EA — something that is an individual effort in this particular industry .
“ For me , developing is something that ’ s really important and if I don ’ t keep learning then I ’ m going to get bored and lose motivation . I think as an EA you really need to take control of your own learning and development because it ’ s not really the focus of your boss . Your boss has much bigger priorities than your development . You really need to take control of that yourself ,” says Gemma .
As someone who holds development highly , Gemma has big plans for the future .
“ For the moment I absolutely love being an EA and I can ’ t foresee myself doing anything else … I think for me the next step would be … to work in our corporate offices for Accor hotels and support the COO of the Pacific region ... I ’ m now using the person who ’ s in that role currently , and has been in that role for 13 years , as a mentor .”
In 2019 Gemma was recognised as the runner-up Up and Coming EA of the Year at the Executive PA Awards and she highly recommends nominating either yourself or your EA . “ I didn ’ t expect to be a runner-up and it was exciting to be recognised . I ’ ve been recognised within Accor Hotels for other awards , but they ’ ve all been hotel specific . So , to be recognised on a level that wasn ’ t industry specific was super exciting and I think it was really good exposure ,” says Gemma .
“ It ’ s a fantastic evening , very inspiring , and you can learn from other EAs . It gives the EA role a little bit more recognition and it helps people perceive the role in a greater light . I think we can easily be forgotten and it ’ s important to recognise the success of other EAs and the work that we ’ re doing .”
Since our chat in February , Gemma ’ s excited to announce a new adventure in the AccorHotels corporate office supporting the Senior VP Commercial , Pacific .
“ Given the challenges of this year , especially for hospitality , it ’ s some good news for me and I ’ m excited to stay working for the same company .” S
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