Getting Past the Gatekeeper

How do you get through to the big cheese when you really have to? We asked the people who hold the keys to the inner sanctum

By Colleen Biondi
Photography by Patricio del Rio

I have to make sure Ron is in the right place at the right time with the right materials, fully briefed for the meeting,” says Calgary-based Madeleine Oxenham, executive assistant (EA) to the president and CEO of Petro-Canada, Ron Brenneman. Not only does this statement sum up the key responsibility of the role known as executive assistant, it also underlies a theme rarely discussed in administrative support circles: power.

In fact, at a recent party celebrating Oxenham’s 25th year with the company, Brenneman quipped that people think he runs the company. But the truth is Oxenham does. Behind the dizzying and demanding detail of the work – responding to dozens of e-mails a day, booking multiple flights and maintaining jam-packed calendars including constant rescheduling based on shifting priorities (if a visiting dignitary comes to town, everything gets dropped), organizing board materials, designing PowerPoint slides, digging up the latest statistics for a presentation by the boss – are organizational wizards who are fiercely loyal to the boss and the cause. They are critical to the success of both.

One of the ways EAs manage the time and talent of the big cheese is by deciding who gets to talk to him or her. “Everyone wants to put a product or idea in front of the CEO,” explains Oxenham. “Well, that doesn’t happen. I totally screen – calls, correspondence, everything.”

Alberta Venture went behind the scenes to talk to four EAs – from oil and gas to sport, from entertainment to philanthropy – and gleaned some secrets to getting your message to the person in charge. Here are some basic dos and don’ts.

Do: Be Prepared
You will likely be asked why you are calling, why you want to see the CEO, what the matter is about and to send a follow-up e-mail or fax. Don’t feel slighted. Having this information at the ready helps the EA in two ways: it will prepare the CEO as to what the business is about so she/he can respond to it properly or it will help determine if the CEO is the best person with whom to discuss the issue.

If it is an internal request from one of Brenneman’s vice-presidents, explains Oxenham, she will organize the meeting without hesitation. But if a politician or political operative wants time with him, she will check with the government relations department to see if he is the best person for this politician to connect with; perhaps the department head should take the meeting or join it. If the request has to do with pipelines in Western Canada, for example, she will transfer the call to the senior vice-president for the North American gas business, Kathleen Sendall.

Then there are the peculiar and unpredictable situations, like the streaking episode at this year’s Labour Day Classic, the popular annual match-up between the Calgary Stampeders and the Edmonton Eskimos. In that situation Maxine Ressler, EA to Ted Hellard, president and managing partner of the Calgary Stampeder Football Club, redirected irate callers. “It isn’t a Ted Hellard problem or a Stampeder Football Club problem,” explains Ressler. “It is a McMahon Stadium Society problem.”

Don’t: Try to be the CEO’s best friend
Once you try this stunt and the CEO looks perplexed at the mention of your name, you are toast.

“I often get calls from people who say that they are his very good friend and he might not have seen them for 20 years and probably doesn’t remember them,” says Barbara Surplus, EA for Jim Gray, founder and former chairman of Canadian Hunter Exploration and distinguished community leader. “People can be very persuasive.”

Ressler, with the Stampeders, has had the same experience. A gentleman once phoned asking to speak directly to Hellard. He said they had gone “way back,” even playing basketball together at the University of Calgary. He knew about Hellard’s involvement with web marketing company Critical Mass (Hellard was founder and remains chairman) and he knew Ressler by name. When she talked to Hellard about him, he didn’t recognize the name, so they looked up alumni documents. The man hadn’t even played at the university. “You have to be very careful. People are going to do anything to get to the person they want to speak to,” warns Ressler. And that includes using the Internet to get background information. But if you think your online research will be your ace in the hole, don’t be fooled. If you are not legitimate, you will be found out and blackballed.

Do: Be honest
If you are a charity looking for support, be clear about your goals. Know that if they do not align with the organization’s charitable direction (say yours are children’s health and safety and theirs are education and the environment), you will be recommended to another company. Save yourself some time and do your homework to make sure you and the company are on common ground. Companies spend considerable time deciding on community investment priorities – often tied in to their for-profit goals and objectives – so they have clarity in dealing with the multitudes of requests they receive from the community.

Jann Arden’s office, for example, receives over 500 charity requests a year, notes Chris Brunton, junior manager for the recording artist’s operation in Calgary. Arden is so accessible and open that many fans feel they should have access to her 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Some go so far as to call in and ask her to go for coffee. “If it was up to Jann, she would do absolutely everything,” says Brunton. But due to her rigorous recording and travel schedule – and her need for some private time – she has to pick and choose. Upfront information from callers helps with the decision-making, for example, when do you need her, for what reason, for how long and why Arden? This information will help offices like Arden’s make the best decision possible. Whatever you do, don’t pretend to be someone famous or important (unless you are).

If you are not that Paul Martin, say so. Oxenham recounts the story of a man who introduced himself as Paul Martin and said he wanted to talk to Ron Brenneman. She responded yes, Mr. Martin, she was on it – Brenneman had had meetings with the former prime minister in the past – and began to arrange a conversation before discovering that this Paul Martin was selling software.

Don’t: Try to do business on the street
Go through the office, recommends Brunton, rather than grabbing Arden on tour, when she is coming out of the dry cleaners or at a “meet and greet” with fans. Respect her privacy and do business in a businesslike way. This sentiment is echoed by Surplus as well. “Jim wants to be able to help people and the community. He is very approachable and very reachable.” But his time is finite, says Surplus. It is best to co-ordinate matters through a central location.

Do: Be realistic
Gray receives 100 e-mails per day on average. They consist of charitable requests, invitations to give speeches or to provide advice to charities, travel details and information related to business and board issues. His EA goes through them first and does any preliminary work necessary – checking his calendar, pulling a relevant report – before talking to Gray. But Gray is on several corporate and not-for-profit boards and travels for business up to seven days a month. Frankly, the boss is simply not around much of the time. (During these interviews, Ron Brenneman was in California on an investor relations tour, Jann Arden was on the road and Ted Hellard was getting ready for a team trip to Hamilton.)

Janine Violini, instructor in the administrative information management (AIM) program with SAIT Polytechnic’s business school, says that bosses may be in their offices as little as 10 minutes a day. An EA’s job is to “sell the caller’s passion” to the right person in the company, explains Violini, and that may not be the president.

Do: Know what is verboten
If you are selling a software product, a marketing tool or have a get-rich-quick scheme to pitch, forget about it. The first two calls will go to the department heads and as far as the scheme is concerned, says Surplus about her experience with Gray, “His integrity is unbelievable. I don’t want to and he doesn’t want to deal with people who would besmirch that.”

The job of the EA is a hectic one indeed and stress-busting is a must. Oxenham works out whenever possible, Brunton plays the piano, Surplus leaves her work literally and figuratively – at the office and Ressler looks at the positive in every negative situation. If everyone around her is getting uptight, she doesn’t take it personally. If she makes a mistake, she learns from that and doesn’t repeat it. And without exception, these EAs cite their bosses as the kinds of people for whom they’d willingly absorb a bit of stress.

If it sounds like EAs walk on water, they don’t. They are highly organized multi-taskers who have tremendous pride in their work and in the work of the organization. But they don’t succeed on their own. Says Oxenham, “I have the support of fantastic people [at Petro-Canada] and draw on other senior staff frequently for wise counsel.” In fact, the metaphor that comes to mind for Oxenham is one of an orchestra leader – the execution is a group effort, but the EA is ultimately responsible for getting the concert on the road.

Current Issue