EDITORIAL
Jo Jones
Deputy chief of staff , Institute and Faculty of Actuaries
“ Basically , the PA / EA / project manager / chief of staff roles all have very similar skill sets and all operate from the birds ’ eye view of an organisation , seeing everything and saying nothing . The evolution of the position is down to a change in an organisation ’ s mindset and culture , and a recognition , from the leadership team of the importance of ‘ that ’ position in playing a pivotal role in the company ’ s success .
When I tell people that I ’ m a deputy chief of staff , the first thing I ’ m asked is : ‘ Do you work for the military ?’ I think it ’ s natural for people to make that assumption . Although the chief of staff ( COS ) role dates back centuries and actually originated in the military and / or government , the position nowadays is becoming much more common in many organisations .
Being COS you have a high number of activities to balance . I see the position as one that trades on trust and makes the absolute most of our time . We ’ re the air traffic controller , communicator and problem solver . You take ownership for the principal ’ s routine matters and are the decision maker for the day-to-day activities . And you act as a buffer between the principal and his / her direct reports , while offering advice , guidance and a space for the leadership team to think , discuss and vent where necessary . Diplomatic and sensitive , we have a values culture mindset and , I ’ m sure fellow COS will agree when I say we have masses of emotional intelligence and humility – two vital qualities to be competent in the job !
I was an EA for a long time and , in a previous role , my boss recognised me more as a COS – but when it was suggested to the chief operating officer that I perhaps had a review of my job specification and title , I was faced with negativity . I was told that he could see how I saw the roles being similar but said the organisation didn ’ t warrant having a COS at that time … Even though I was essentially doing that role ! Years later , that company has now introduced the COS position , which makes me giggle .
In my opinion , the EA is , whether recognised or not , acting more like the COS role and has been for some time . But it seems to depend on the leadership of the organisation you work for whether they recognise the value of having the COS , whether they know what the role means and if they ‘ get ’ what it can help the leadership team achieve . It has been my experience throughout my career that leadership generally doesn ’ t know what good support looks like until they get it . Then they wonder how they ever survived without it !
Going back in time , when I started out as a PA a million years ago it was definitely more of a reactive role , supporting one person with specific tasks – calendar management , events , some budget management , meetings , expenses and so on . Now , the traditional PA role seems an old-fashioned approach , especially with the advancement of IT . The PA now generally supports multiple individuals and is no longer ‘ personal ’ to any one individual .
At my current organisation , we recently discussed whether all five directors need one-to-one PA support or not . My view is that they do not , and it led to a very interesting
conversation where input ranged from ‘ I ’ m a director and should have a PA ’ ( status ) to ‘ Well , my PA doesn ’ t really do PA duties ’ ( not understanding what support is required ) to ‘ I couldn ’ t function without my PA ’ ( recognising the value of this skill set but perhaps the role needs redefining ).
In one PA position , my boss thought it hilarious to refer to me as a rottweiler . I didn ’ t like it – I wasn ’ t rude or aggressive but I was a very good gatekeeper and this was achieved by building a good , reliable reputation with my stakeholder group . My previous boss ’ approach , though , shows how misunderstood the role was / is . Years ago , I think it was accepted that a PA may let gatekeeping go to their head and , dare I say it , approach their day-to-day with a large ego . But as a COS who is satisfied with making an impact for the greater good while very rarely being in the spotlight , there ’ s no room for ego .
Next step up , the EA is more of a proactive , strategic role and is relied upon as such . There are still the specific tasks as above but throw into the mix email management , time management and decision-making on the activities and focus of your boss . You ’ re seen as a trusted partner and often parachuted into various groups , departments or functions to give direction or advice . Then you ’ re out again and moving on to the next thing !
Project manager is another title we ’ re often given – and it ’ s nor surprising as managing projects has always played a part in the role of PA and EA . My current organisation has just introduced a ‘ PM office ’ with a ‘ head of ’ and several programme managers . These programme managers look after a variety of major operational projects within the business but , at the end of the day , we all have a very similar skill set .” S
Summer Issue 2023 | Executive PA 21