Category: Managing the Boss

Remember that feedback should travel up the ladder as well as down.

Maria Scala is a legal assistant at Scarinci Hollenbeck, which has locations in New York, New Jersey and Washington, D.C. She started there a year and a half ago on the recommendation of a friend with whom she worked at another law firm.

A workaholic boss can make you feel the need to constantly work, but understanding your job, limits, and boundaries will help you cope.

Your boss has a lot of say over your job, but what happens when you’re pretty sure you know better?

Question: “Five months ago I was hired as an admin at a telecommunications company. Recently I’ve come to realize that while my boss and I do get along, he’s kind of a classic jerk—and everyone warned me about it. He’s rude, condescending, argumentative and sometimes just plain mean, but he seems to get away with a lot because he’s apparently terrific at bringing in profits. Does anyone but me feel there’s something not right about working so hard for someone you find personally offensive, even if you need the paycheck and your work relationship is perfectly functional?” – Valerie, Administrative Assistant

Personal assistants help ensure suc­­cess­­ful executives stay on top of their work, writes Suzanne Locke for The National. Helen Clarke, personal assistant to Richard Branson (the founder of Virgin Group), knows just how much is expected in the job.

While it’s usually CEOs getting interviewed about their achievements, the people that help make those achievements possible are just as important, says April Capochino Myers for Greater Baton Rouge Business Report. Executive assistants have to stay organized and ready for any task their high-profile boss might throw at them. Here are a few executive assistants making headlines of their own.