DEVELOPMENT
“ When you need to work on a change of mindset you must make sure all preconditions are in place , otherwise it can be a big flop .”
Working together to promote highlevel assistants
Is it worth a company investing time and internal resources in leveraging the competences of EAs and PAs ? Yes , urges Milan-based Eliana Bertassello , Executive PA reader , former PA at CBRE and now PA and office manager at Vailog Segro . Here , she tells Claire Muir why …
THE EXPERT
Born in Turin , Italy , Eliana completed her studies with a diploma in foreign languages and a bachelor degree in economics . Before choosing to consolidate her career as an EA and PA , she spent a few years in the commercial and customer care fields . Since 2011 she ’ s been working as an EA and PA for top worldwide companies such as IKEA , Amazon , CBRE and Segro .
When I reached CBRE , back in 2015 , I noticed assistants where mostly confined to secretary roles and that was the reality of many national and international companies in Italy , of all sizes and industries . I immediately felt like doing something to change things but as they say , Rome wasn ’ t built in a day ! When you need to work on a change of mindset you must make sure all preconditions are in place , otherwise it can be a big flop , with frustration , rage , and regrets .
It took me six years to take the first deep breath and make my proposal . It happened after a particularly illuminated and trustful people manager joined our organisation . When I started planning my program , I relied on all that I had learnt at IKEA , the previous company I had worked for , covering a double role of EA and internal communicator . I had also been trained in communication and change management , which became crucial for me .
The first tool I used was the stakeholder mapping , answering questions like who could be my sponsor , who would support me and who would resist my proposal ? It flew quite naturally – during the meeting to set my objectives for 2022 I proposed my idea to my CEO . It was well-received and he referred me to our people manager who was enthusiastic . She immediately turned into my main sponsor and the person who made all happen .
A meeting with our COO followed and , finally , I got a ten-minute slot at a management meeting . That was the crucial moment as I had to sell my program to all the line managers of my fellow assistants . I was excited and scared at the same time . I love presenting but believe me , I ’ d never dedicated so much time to a presentation ! When the day came , I knew every word and pause by heart . My enthusiasm and deep belief were clear and I got positive feedback from 100 % of the management team .
The program came as a total surprise to my colleagues ( I had kept it secret in case of a negative outcome ). To make it inclusive from the beginning , the first action was a survey to collect their learning needs and suggestions on future initiatives . Everyone answered with interesting and enthusiastic inputs .
The outcome was huge and , once again , developed with our people team . We introduced :
w Meeting stakeholders w A bi-monthly meeting to discuss various topics w Mini training sessions , held by me , on soft skills such as assertiveness , handling emotions and communication w A job description equal to business teams to guarantee a clear career path w A learning program focused on hard skills , such as Excel , PowerPoint and other corporate tools ( hosted by colleagues who are subject matter experts ).
Results were outstanding and 2023 brought us a new wave of developments including the subscription for the entire group to Unassyst ( the Italian EA association recognised by government ) and the promotion of two colleagues to senior levels .
It was hard to leave CBRE and although I no longer work with them , I ’ m confident my colleagues have everything needed to continue a successful journey in their assistant careers . S
58 Executive PA | Summer Issue 2024