As someone who manages internal operations, you might think that it takes only hard skills to develop. These skills include data analysis, decision making, planning, and task delegation. But ever since I shifted from someone who manages the internal operations of a business to someone who became an Operations Executive Assistant, I learned that there are still a lot I didn't know about and skills that I need to be equipped as one.
I no longer worked behind the scenes supporting the fulfillment team. I do much more than that now. An Operations specialist manages the internal operations of a business. They set up systems and processes and prepare materials and tools needed for the fulfillment to be operational. Furthermore, they ensure that all systems, processes, materials, and tools are relevant, updated, and upgraded. Nothing falls through the cracks under the watch of an Operations Specialist. On the other hand, an Executive Assistant provides prominent administrative support to the Chief Executive Officer or the Managing Director.
Now you might think that an Operations Specialist and an Executive Assistant are similar. You are correct. There are similarities but putting “Operations” and “Executive Assistant” together gives us a completely different picture. An Operations Executive not only manages the internal operations: Administration and Human Resources, to name a few, but an Operations Executive Assistant also manages the daily operations of the organization's executive. They are the primary backbone. I became the primary backbone of the upper management, and I went from working and supporting the organization to primarily working and supporting the senior official.
Now, what is the difference, really? The difference is in how their daily operations look like. A fulfillment team's daily operations are standardized to look uniform. Everyone in the organization comes to work drawing a line between work and personal life. They wear a professional employee's hat while inside the workplace and remove it when they leave the workplace. An Operations Executive Assistant does not. They are executives inside the organization and outside. Their personal life and work-life usually bleed into each other. Thus, every day is a different challenge; every day requires different solutions. It's not as easy as you think to support the organization's executive.
That's why I believe it requires more skills than a regular Operations Specialist. It's easy and textbook knowledge to troubleshoot organizational problems. You check the systems, the processes, and standard operating procedures and check what created the error. Since it has been carefully studied, perfected, and standardized, troubleshooting is assured.
Being an Operations Executive Assistant, you have to embody the role of the executive – thinking, doing, and implementing like an executive. You must master soft skills like communication, empathy, time management, leadership, flexibility, and the right mindset. Those are just a few of the things you have to be equipped to be an Operations Executive Assistant. I could ramble on, but I believe the best way to make you see the actual difference is through experience.
About the Author:
Hazel Liane Cabayao is an executive assistant specializing in operations for a reforestation company. As an Industrial Engineer by profession, she quickly applied everything she knows and incorporated it into the current work she is doing. She is in charge of handling everything internal from building systems and creating SOPs. This helped the company focus on what they love doing: planting trees.
Hello! I know this is kinda off topic however I’d figured I’d ask.
Would you be interested in exchanging links or maybe guest writing a blog post or
vice-versa? My site addresses a lot of the same topics as yours and I feel we could greatly benefit
from each other. If you are interested feel free to shoot me an e-mail.
I look forward to hearing from you! Terrific blog by the way!
Wow that was odd. I just wrote an extremely long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t appear.
Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Anyhow, just wanted to say
wonderful blog!