As an administrative professional, you develop a close working relationship with your executive. Over time you’ll learn both personal and professional things about them. As an administrative professional, knowing the boundaries is key to maintaining a professional relationship.
When you know sensitive things about your executive it can be very easy to try and voice your opinion about their personal life. You may feel that you have the type of relationship where you can be honest and open with them like you would with a close friend or family member. Your executive may welcome this, but then again, they may not.
It’s best to air on the side of professionalism. Keep the mindset that even though you may be privileged to private information, it’s not your place to voice your opinions about your executive’s personal life. No matter how positive and close your relationship might be with your executive, it’s helpful to remember that it’s still a business relationship.
The line goes both ways as well. Your executive doesn’t need to know all the personal details of your private life nor voice their opinion. Establishing these boundaries early on will help both you and your executive have a great, healthy working relationship.
When you’re in an administrative role, you often take on a different persona than you would in your personal life. Not only is that completely normal, separating the two helps you to keep balance in your work and home life.
While you may play a supportive role both at work and at home, you often do so naturally with a different attitude and personality. In a business support role, you attend high level meetings, take minutes and represent your executive in a very professional way.
Your supportive role at home is still very important, but it’s often more relaxed. You don’t have to worry about professional dress or professional mannerism in quite the same way.
By establishing clear boundaries with your executive early on you can create that key balance between your professional life and personal life.
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