I am 1000% dependent on my administrative right hand man. He is wise, intuitive, and nothing like me. So when he and I make collaborative decisions, they tend to be far better than a decision that I would make independently. He has a balance of common sense and good humor that makes him a joy to work with. That sounds a bit over the top, I know. But it is entirely true. He is also not afraid to tell me when he thinks I am wrong, and he is excellent at keeping me on track and out of trouble. We are decades apart in age and do not share a gender or much in the way of common interests, but that is entirely unnecessary for an idealic working relationship (from my standpoint. He may think I am impossible!).
So when my husband called me to say I needed to recognize him during this week of celebration of Administrative Professionals, I responded immediately. Lunch it would be. When I invited him, he said, "You know, this is Secretary's Week, renamed." Really? I had no idea. Well, he is definitely not my secretary. Not that I don't need that--I do, and I have a great one. But that wasn't my first thought when I heard the term--really, my administraive professional does nothing that I associate with secretarial duties. He doesn't answer my phone, take message, or organize my calendar. He is much more of a co-conspirator in keeping the organization on track. My expertise is in the area of what we provide, the content, whereas his is in finance and management. Without one, the other is more or less powerless to go on for any length of time. That is an administrative professional, in my mind.
So, how did a holiday get so successfully renamed that almost no one recognizes it? No idea. But I took him out to lunch--which was only partially successful--the lunch was very good, but he ruined his tie in the process, so financially it may actually have cost him more than he gained. Next year? I am thinking a gift certificate.
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