Administrative Assistant's Update

OCTOBER 2015 2 Administrative Assistant's Update is published once a month by Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. Director, Carswell Media: Karen Lorimer Publisher: John Hobel Editor: George Pearson george@adminupdate.ca Associate Editor: Jennifer Lewington jennifer@adminupdate.ca EDITORIAL OFFICE (519) 271-6000 Administrative Assistant's Update Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. 1 Corporate Plaza, 2075 Kennedy Road Toronto, ON M1T 3V4 CUSTOMER SERVICE (416) 609-3800 (800) 387-5164 FAX (416) 298-5082 (877) 750-9041 carswell.customerrelations@ thomsonreuters.com Contents copyright. All rights reserved. © 2015 Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. Contents may not be reproduced without written permission. Brief extracts may be made with due acknowledgement. Annual subscription: $189. Publications Mail Registration No. 40065782 GST# 897176350 UPDATE Administrative Assistant's E D I TO R ' S N OT E George Pearson A short-sighted boss with a grand vision Elon Musk is the CEO and driving force behind the Tesla electric luxury motorcar and SpaceX, a company that designs, manufactures and launches rockets and spacecraft. He has a burning desire to bring solar power to the masses and to colonize Mars. His net worth has been estimated at $10 billion. Musk has also been known as a "confrontational know-it-all" (in the words of Ashlee Vance, author of Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future) and a controlling micro-manager who was ousted from two early startups because he was a terrible boss. His sacking of Mary Beth Brown, his loyal and highly competent executive assistant of 14 years, is well known to those who have followed his career, but not necessarily to others. By all accounts, Brown was a bridge to Musk for people inside his organizations as well as outsiders seeking to get his attention. Her knowledge of Musk and his business interests, as well as her calm, competent demeanour, smoothed the way for many and impressed all who knew her. According to Musk lore widely reported, Brown asked for a raise and Musk told her to take several weeks off while he determined whether he really needed her or could get along without her. He decided he could do her job, so she left the organization. This shocked the people who knew her well and knew how she had contributed to Musk's enterprises. They couldn't comprehend that he couldn't see (or perhaps admit) how valuable she had been. So here is a high-profile example of a boss who benefits from the services of a highly capable executive assistant and then not only fails to reward her appropriately but also fails to recognize the depth and scope of her services to the enterprise. Have you ever had an experience with a difficult boss like Elon Musk? Perhaps you have had the opposite experience — a great boss who understood your value and helped you succeed in your career. Either way, we invite you to share your experience with us: george@ adminupdate.ca. Career conversations key to employee retention A surprising 51 per cent of em- ployees say they receive little or no input from supervisors on how to perform better on the job, accord- ing to a survey by Mercer, global consultants on talent, health, re- tirement and investment. As well, according to the survey of 1,520 employees in the United States and Canada, 28 per cent of participants report they considered leaving their employer and moving to a competitor in the last 12 months. "Clearly, lack of communica- tion from managers along with lack of transparency about career progression within the organiza- tion is impacting employee loyalty and hampering retention efforts," Ilene Siscovick, a Mercer partner and North American talent and career leader stated in a press release. The consulting firm recently developed Mercer Career View, an employee-focused app that assists employees and their managers in matching an individual's skills and talents with the needs of the organization. To download the survey high - lights visit: www.mercer.com/ services/talent/career-framework. html.

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