Assistant jobs: how to position yourself in front of your manager?

Your manager is the key to your development as an assistant and within your company. Taking care of your relationship with the person who regularly assesses you is therefore essential. By positioning yourself intelligently, you'll contribute to a well-balanced professional relationship and gain maturity in your work. Whether it's a question of the right attitude to adopt or the right way of communicating, you can take concrete and easy action. Elisabeth Duverney-Prêt, a specialist in assistants and secretaries, outlines the ways in which you can do this.

The 14ᵉ edition of the Malakoff Humanis barometer is indisputable: the number of employees declaring themselves to be in good mental health continues to fall. This drop in morale is mainly attributed to the intensitý of working hours, but also to the deterioration in social relations within companies. However, this situation is far from inevitable. Fulfilment at work is entirely possible by following a few key pieces of advice. Do your job to the full, see it through to the end, take pride in what you do.... A series of good practices that are easy to put in place will encourage you to change your position and modify your relationship with work to make you more serene and efficient. Of course, you'll need to practise at first. By taking the time to congratulate yourself, for example. But little by little this new posture will become natural.

Clear communication

By deciding to devote yourself fully and energetically to your work, you will improve your performance, as will your team and your manager. It's an important step that will change the way your manager sees you. All the more so if you communicate clearly and honestly with your manager.
You expect your manager to listen, so you need to do the same. This will enable you to establish a way of working that suits both of you. By focusing on honesty and the precise expression of your thoughts, you'll be able to tell your manager everything, and do it properly. Bored at work? Tell them clearly, but suggest ways of improving the situation. Would you like a raise? Present your request as a matter of course, with evidence of productivity to back it up.

Read also: Communicating better to prevent burn-out

However, don't forget that your manager is still your superior: you will therefore sometimes have to accept criticism, and above all show your ability to learn from it in order to improve. It's not always easy, but it will make your manager feel particularly useful to your progress.

You should also note that if you need to express yourself about difficulties you are encountering in your professional relationship with him or her, don't wait for the situation to escalate: it's essential to learn how to tackle problems early on.

How would you define your manager?

So there you have it, the foundations of a good professional position. But your attitude towards your manager will depend very much on his character and the way he works. He may be manic, indecisive, careerist or creative.

Adapting to your manager's profile

There are simple techniques for identifying them. These will guide you towards different ways of working with him: reassuring him, helping him to sort out his ideas or working more independently... If he is worried, for example, you are undoubtedly dealing with a manic boss. So you'll need to learn to systematically provide him with validation and checks and balances, to support him in his decisions. You'll also need to be particularly serious and reliable, as a manic boss has a real phobia of unproductive employees. You can be sure that he'll be intrusive about the way you work, so try, as far as possible, to always be one step ahead of him.

Profiling your boss is a mine of information that will help you feel fully effective in your role.

You should also be aware that, generally speaking, human beings react in fairly similar ways in certain situations, and your manager is no exception. You can therefore prepare yourself in advance to adopt an appropriate attitude.

A few examples

If your manager is wrong, don't contradict him or her in public. Find the right moment during the day. Avoid doing so after an important meeting or appointment. Instead, do it in the early afternoon, after lunch. Talk to him humbly, putting forward evidence. Of course, don't expect him to admit he's wrong. Just let him think about the situation and leave. On reflection, if he needs you to change his plans, he'll let you know.

Similarly, if he gives you too much work, or if you don't understand the rationale behind a task he has given you, some simple advice can help you to react and communicate more easily with him. All employees have the right to tell their employer that they are facing a work overload. If he demands that you do a job in far too short a time, just say no. Finding the right words to express your refusal is not an easy exercise, but like many things in life, knowing how to say no can be learned.

The keys to a successful partnership

Finally, as you know, you have to be a good relay, both internally and externally. From positive communication, to putting ideas into shape, to representing the company on first contact with a customer... your role as "communicator" is vast. By relaying the instructions given to your teams by your manager in a positive way, you will contribute to the serene climate of your company. You are the reflection of his leadership and you'll often have to be diplomatic to get key messages across. At the same time, your role will also be to act as a barometer, reporting on the concerns and moods of your colleagues - and to do it properly!

And it's the way you communicate that largely influences your relationship with your manager. Especially as you act as a filter between the mass of information you receive and your N+1. By learning to communicate only what he needs to know, you'll make his job easier, and he'll thank you for it.

ORSYS training can help you on the road to personal fulfilment and efficiency in your work. Having the keys to forming a high-performance team with your manager and organising your department's activities in the best possible way is a major asset to your work. When you see the impact of this positioning in the eyes of your colleagues, you'll continue on the path of proactivity. So, when are you going to take the plunge?