行政助理 办公室最有影响力的人

If D'Andra Galarza were to come face to face with death, she knows whose life would flash before her eyes: the life of her boss, a president at NBCUniversal Inc.
即便是走到了生命的尽头，蒂安德拉?加拉尔萨(D'Andra Galarza)也知道她在弥留之际肯定忘不了她的上司：NBC环球(NBCUniversal Inc.)的一位总裁。

After 10 years as Edward Swindler's executive assistant, waking up at 4 a.m. to ensure he makes an early morning flight and keeping the office stocked with his favorite snacks -- oyster crackers, peppermint Life Savers and Honey Nut Cheerios -- Ms. Galarza says she's under no illusions about whose needs come first.
加拉尔萨在爱德华?斯温德勒(Edward Swindler)手下当了十年的行政助理，她常常早上4点起床以确保老板能赶上早班的飞机，并在办公桌里塞满他爱吃的零食——牡蛎苏打饼、薄荷味的Life Savers硬糖、还有蜂蜜燕麦圈——加拉尔萨说，她极其明确上司的需求应置于首位。

'You work very, very hard . . . so that they can shine and they can do their best, ' she says. 'You're kind of the stage mom.'
她说：你就像是童星们的那些经纪人老妈一样，非常卖命地干活来保证你的上司能顺利工作，表现出色。

The schedulers, gatekeepers and caretakers of the corporate world are rarely seen, but they have a profound effect on the daily lives of the executives they serve. They do everything from booking business trips, ordering anniversary gifts and arranging pet care to attending high-level meetings and deciding who can and can't meet with their boss. The work can be thankless and often comes at a cost to their own personal lives, but these workers wield subtle influence at a company's highest levels -- and no small amount of power.
尽管这些在大公司里专门负责制定日程、看管事务和照顾起居的员工很少出现在台前，但是他们的存在对公司高管们的生活却有着深远的意义。从订购商务机票、购买周年纪念礼物、照顾宠物，到参与高层会议以及决定谁能/不能会见他们的上司，这些人事无巨细无不负责。这种活往往吃力不讨好，还常以牺牲业余生活为代价，但这些人对公司的最高层发挥着微妙而不可小觑的作用。

The career path can be uncertain, however, and assistants' fortunes often hinge on their boss's trajectory. If the boss is fired, the assistant can end up in limbo or working for a less senior professional. Yet as automation claims many administrative jobs, the assistants are prized for their business savvy and treated as the boss's not-quite-equal partner.
但这些助理们的职业道路并不明晰，而且他们的未来与上司的未来通常联系在一起。如果上司被开除，助理要么一同走人，要么转而为一个更低层的职员工作。然而，尽管办公自动化包揽下许多的行政工作，助理们仍凭藉他们出色的业务能力而存在于职场中，并被上司视为非平起平坐的事业伙伴来对待。

Now, a new networking group aims to emphasize the 'executive' in executive assistant, pampering and pumping up these right-hand workers with nightclub parties, spa sessions and Behind Every Leader, a conference series that is coming next month to Newark, N.J. Among the scheduled sessions: 'Yoga & Meditation for the Executive Assistant' and a boss's recounting of how his EA saved the company after Hurricane Sandy.
现在一个新的社交团体正力图为行政助理博得更多的重视，该组织带领这些上司的得力助手们举办夜店派对，一起做SPA疗养，并举行“每个领导的背后”(Behind Every Leader)的系列会议（下个月将在新泽西州纽瓦克举行）。会议内容包括组织行政助理们一起练习瑜伽做冥想，以及请一位老板讲述他的助理在飓风桑迪(Sandy)席卷之后拯救公司于危难的故事。

Victoria Rabin, the 28-year-old founder of the Executive Assistants Organization and a former assistant at a London hedge fund, says the job deserves some cachet because assisting is an 'incredible career' that only a 'certain breed' can do.
28岁的维多利亚?雷宾(Victoria Rabin)是行政助理组织(Executive Assistants Organization, 简称EAO)的创始人，她也曾在伦敦的一家对冲基金公司担任助理，她说干那份活应该得到特别的褒奖，因为助理是一份常人无法胜任的工作，其艰苦难以想像。

Founded in 2012, the San Francisco-based networking group has some 1, 000 members, the majority of whom pay $500 to $1, 500 a year in dues to gain access to events and online webinars, and, for the highest-paying, a personal mentor.
该团体于2012年在旧金山成立，团体内约1,000名成员中，大多数每年会支付500美元到1500美元来参与活动和在线研讨会，以及聘请一位个人导师，导师费用最高。

Assistants need to bond with one another, Ms. Rabin says, because few others can understand the demands of the job, from tracking down car services in a far-flung city to dealing with a boss's infidelity. Groups such as the 71-year-old International Association of Administrative Professionals have long offered assistants educational and networking opportunities, but several executive assistants say the EAO, whose current members are all female, feels 'sexier' and fresher.
雷宾认为，行政助理之间应当多交流下感情，因为少有他人能体会到这份工作的艰辛：一会儿要在一个千里之外的城市租到车，一会儿又要想办法帮老板处理婚外情。类似已有71年的国际行政专业协会(International Association of Administrative Professionals)这样的组织，长期以来一直帮助行政助理寻求教育和交流机会，但一些行政助理更偏爱行政助理组织的氛围，觉得这个目前全部由女性组成的团体更新鲜，更“令人兴奋”。

Anikka Fragodt is considered a celebrity in the realm of executive assistants. Until last March, she was Mark Zuckerberg's right-hand woman. For more than seven years, she planned everything from a toga party for 350 people with 48 hours' notice to Mr. Zuckerberg's secret wedding to Priscilla Chan in 2012. (Only four people knew about it in advance, she says, and the fourth was Ms. Chan's assistant.)
安尼卡?弗拉戈特(Anikka Fragodt)被视作行政助理界的明星。直到今年3月份，她还是马克?扎克伯格(Mark Zuckerberg)的得力女助手。无论是在48小时内准备好350人的古罗马长袍派对，还是扎克伯格与普莉希拉?陈(Priscilla Chan)在2012年举行的秘密婚礼，七年多来，一切都由她来安排。（她说，只有四个人预先知道了这场婚礼，而第四个人是陈的助理。）

Ms. Fragodt describes herself as Mr. Zuckerberg's partner in business as well, helping him prepare for meetings and debriefing other staff members to ensure they understood his wishes. She also adopted her boss's signature hooded sweatshirts and says she could anticipate his needs at a glance.
弗拉戈特也将自己视作扎克伯格的生意伙伴，例如辅佐他为会议做好准备工作，并听取其他职员的汇报以确保他们正确理解扎克伯格的意思。她还有一件她老板签名图案的帽衫，并称自己对他的需要了如指掌。

'It's not like the old days of 'Mad Men, ' where the secretary wears the cute skirt, makes the coffee and does what she's supposed to do, ' says Ms. Fragodt. 'She goes to the meetings and represents the executive, and the partnership is stronger.'
弗拉戈特说，我的工作并不像电视剧《广告狂人》(Mad Men)里的秘书那样，穿着好看的裙子煮咖啡，只做秘书份内的活儿。我会代表高层出席会议，并且我们有着更强的伙伴关系。