Candice Burningham’s excellent viral post over the weekend about why the title ‘Assistant’ is becoming a cage for talented professionals, shackling them to outdated and demeaning perceptions has had over half a million impressions to date.
One comment stood out for me and hit me between the eyes: “It’s easier to treat an Executive Assistant like a maid than a Strategic Business Partner or Chief Administrative Officer. Then ‘traditional’ Executives won’t have to apologize.”
This isn’t just an astute observation—it’s a reality I’ve seen too many times.
One assistant attending my Business Strategy Training had spent the previous afternoon cleaning the office windows and she’s not alone. Plenty report being seen as office housekeepers, expected to clean up after their colleagues. In several companies, I have seen assistants lumped in with the cleaners & drivers on the org chart. Many ask me how to deal with ‘traditional’ executives who still think of their assistant as a status symbol who exists to handle the mundane tasks they’d rather not deal with.
These examples are more than just misguided; they’re emblematic of a pervasive, archaic mentality.
We need to be clear: we are not maids, and this is not a subservient role any more. The ‘traditional’ executives who still see their assistants as status symbols—relics of the “take a letter, Miss Jones” era—are clinging to a master/servant dynamic that has no place in modern business. This mentality diminishes the true value Assistants bring to the table.
There’s an ongoing misconception around the role of the ‘Assistant’, which confuses service with subservience.
While the role undeniably involves service—supporting executives, facilitating operations, and ensuring business continuity—this does not equate to being subservient. Service in this context is about adding strategic value, using specialized skills, and making high-impact contributions that drive the business forward. Being subservient implies a lesser status, a hierarchy where the assistant is merely a follower rather than a leader in their own right. It’s crucial to understand that Executive Assistants provide a service that is collaborative and integral to the success of the organization, not subservient to outdated power dynamics. Reframing this understanding is key to elevating the role to where it belongs.
Executive Assistants are strategic thinkers, operational leaders, and key decision-makers. We drive business initiatives, manage critical relationships, and ensure smooth operations—often with more impact than some of the executives themselves. This isn’t about semantics; it’s about the need to change titles and perceptions to reflect the actual business value we provide.
We need to dismantle these archaic perceptions and break free from the outdated titles that perpetuate them. We are not subservient; we are business professionals. And it’s high time our titles—and the respect we’re afforded—reflect that reality.
