Support Your Support Staff

(Adapted from Managing the Staff of the Local Church by David R. Pollock (Alston-Kline, 2003), p. 91-92.)

Support staff—also known as administrative assistants or secretaries—are indispensable to managers and nonprofit leaders. Because these invaluable staff members are heavily relied upon to carry out all-purpose administrative tasks, they can easily be overworked, under-appreciated and taken advantage of by well-intentioned managers who fail to communicate simple matters with them. Here are some tips for communicating effectively with your support staff.

• Treat administrative staff members as professionals, not servants.
• Involve your administrative assistant in daily planning. When assistants aren't involved, they have no control over the workload, which can lead to on-the-job frustration.
• Let your support staff know where you are and where you're going. If an urgent matter arises, they will know how to reach you. This will also diminish the problem of assistants being accused of being untruthful when they claim not to know where you are.
• Don't blame your support staff for your mistakes. This unfair action is a sign of your insecurity or incompetence.
• Communicate priorities so that your assistant doesn't work extra hours on "Project A" when you really needed "Project B" completed right away.
• Don't wait for Secretary's Day to roll around before thanking your support staff for their hard work and dependability. Acknowledge and appreciate your assistant's efforts frequently.

Good communication is essential to a productive, cooperative nonprofit environment. Keep communication lines open by being available to your staff, and guard against misunderstandings by clearly stating and explaining needs to staff members who directly support you.