by Beneth Perry

We secretaries often find ourselves doing so many different things in our offices that we lose sight of what the purpose of a secretary is really supposed to be. At the end of the day, we may wonder if we have really accomplished anything important. If we can remember the three main functions of a secretary—being a face, fielder, and funnel—we will more effectively be able to evaluate our day to see if we have truly been a good secretary.

First, we are to be the face of whatever or for whomever we work. Regardless of their personalities, our Christian bosses generally want to be thought of as friendly, kind, caring people. They need a secretary to help them present that picture. Because we are often the first face someone sees when stepping into our office area, we ought to have a genuine, welcoming smile for each person; and our demeanor ought to be one of friendliness. We must also present a sense of peace and calmness in the office. Even if we know life in the office is a bit chaotic at the moment, we must do our best to present a picture of orderliness, in order to help those waiting in our office to feel calm.

We have all had the awful experience of walking into a doctor’s office and being greeted (or not greeted at all) by a scowling face and gruff manner and being made to feel like we are just adding to the stress of the day for the office personnel. If we decide to stay and keep our appointment, we often find the doctor to actually be a nice, calm person. How much better we would have felt about that office visit if we had been greeted in a kind, calm, friendly manner! The same ought to be true of Christian secretaries. We must remember that we represent not only our boss but also our kind, loving, orderly Savior; therefore, we need a face that shows His character.

Second, we are to be a fielder of questions. Sometimes after trying to answer what seems like a zillion questions, I think to myself, “Do they think I know everything?” or “Am I my boss’s keeper?” And then I have to remind myself that we secretaries really are supposed to provide answers for people. Recently, I had to come up with a list of questions I ask my boss before he walks out of the office—questions like where are you going, how long will you be gone, are you going to be meeting with someone, will you be interruptible, and how may I get a hold of you if I need to. He and I have come to an understanding that it is okay for me to nag him for answers to these kinds of questions in order for me to help him better communicate with his team how and when they can talk to him. Being a fielder of questions keeps our bosses from having to answer quite so many questions and lets those coming into our offices, calling us on a radio or phone, or e-mailing us know that their questions are important and that someone is working to get them an answer.

Third, we are to be a funnel. We are the ones responsible to funnel notes, e-mails, and people past our desk and on to the right place at the right time and in the right way. This includes all kinds of things, from kindly stopping a guest from walking right into our boss’s office to giving our boss a heads-up on a phone call before just transferring it directly into his office. This also means that we need to be prepared to give a kind response to those who are not going to get the answer they want. For instance, when our boss does get a phone call that for some reason he is either not able to take or does not want to take at the moment, we need to be prepared with the right response for the caller—one that is kind and respects him but one that also respects our boss’s wishes. With all kinds of information coming across our desk, we must take extreme care to get that information to the correct person, not to several different people along our way of trying to track down the one person who needs to know. We must never be guilty of being a gossip or of being known as one to whom people can go to get information they do not need to have.

When we look back over our day and wonder whether or not we really accomplished anything of importance, if we can say that we have represented our boss well by presenting a good face for him, that we have effectively fielded questions, and that we have properly funneled
information, we can know that we have been a good secretary.