How indispensable are you?

It sounds like a compliment, doesn’t it?

“I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Ask my EA — she knows everything.”

“It’ll all fall apart while you’re away!”

And, if we’re honest, there’s a certain amount of professional pride that comes with that.

Because being indispensable feels like proof that we’re good at what we do. But I’ve been thinking about this from the EA’s perspective. And I’m not sure being indispensable is something we should be aspiring to.

Because there’s a flip side.

If everything really does fall apart when you’re not there, what happens when you want to take two weeks’ annual leave? When you’re ill? When your child needs you? When you have an appointment? Or when you simply want to finish work at the time you’re contracted to finish?

Suddenly, being indispensable doesn’t feel quite so flattering.

It feels like responsibility. And guilt. And pressure. And a phone you keep checking from the sun lounger because “it’ll only take me five minutes to sort it.”

There’s another uncomfortable question too.

Have we sometimes helped create this ourselves?

Experienced EAs are brilliant problem-solvers.

We anticipate.

We remember.

We notice.

We know who to call, which process doesn’t quite work the way the process document says it does, who needs handling carefully and where the metaphorical bodies are buried. And because it’s often quicker to sort something ourselves than explain it to somebody else, we do.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Until an enormous amount of organisational knowledge exists inside one person’s head.

Ours.

That might make us indispensable.

But I’m increasingly convinced that the mark of an exceptional EA isn’t how badly everything functions when they’re away.

It’s how well everything continues to function without them.

Documenting the process.

Building relationships that don’t rely entirely on you.

Creating effective cover.

Sharing knowledge.

Delegating where possible.

Allowing other people to solve problems rather than automatically stepping in.

That’s not making yourself less valuable. It’s demonstrating something much more valuable:  leadership.

Because there’s a difference between being trusted and being depended upon. There’s a difference between being important and being permanently available. And there’s a difference between doing your job exceptionally well and building a job that only you can possibly do.

Perhaps the ultimate sign that you’ve mastered the EA role isn’t hearing “We couldn’t cope without you.”

Perhaps it’s being able to switch your phone off, go on holiday and know that they absolutely can.

And then come back to:

“We managed. But we’re very glad you’re back.”

I’ll take that.

From the EA’s Perspective.