How Do Great Administrators Work with Their Secretaries?

by Michael Keany

August 2026

How Do Great Administrators Work With Their Secretaries?

In many schools, the secretary is the first person families call, the colleague teachers consult, and the professional who recognizes trouble before it reaches the administrator’s door. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that school secretaries often manage much of the communication among parents, students, community members, teachers, and administrators. Great administrators understand the implication: The secretary is not merely a keeper of calendars and forms, but a central partner in the school’s daily functioning.

Start With Clarity, Not Assumptions

Strong partnerships begin with an explicit conversation about responsibilities, authority, and priorities. Which decisions may the secretary make independently? What requires consultation? Which interruptions should reach the administrator immediately? What information is confidential? Without this clarity, leaders create either bottlenecks or risky improvisation.

A brief daily huddle can prevent both. Five or ten minutes each morning allows the administrator and secretary to review absences, visitors, deadlines, family concerns, staffing gaps, sensitive student matters, and changes to the day. The goal is not to control every task. It is to build a shared picture of what matters most.

They should agree on communication rhythms: what belongs in email, what deserves a quick conversation, and what must be documented. Predictable channels reduce duplication, prevent missed commitments, and keep the secretary from having to reconstruct decisions from messages and hallway exchanges.

Share Context, Not Just Assignments

Poor delegation sounds like, “Send this” or “Schedule that.” Effective delegation explains the purpose, audience, deadline, constraints, and desired result. Context allows an experienced secretary to anticipate problems, improve communication, and exercise sound judgment.

This matters because effective principals influence schools through organizational management, people development, productive climate, and instructional focus, according to Grissom, Egalite, and Lindsay’s synthesis of 219 studies. A secretary who understands the leader’s priorities can help protect time for classroom visits, coaching, family engagement, and urgent student needs.

Build Trust Through Consistency

Administrators should never ask secretaries to conceal mistakes, carry inappropriate messages, or absorb anger that belongs with the leader. They should support their secretary publicly, address concerns privately, and apply agreed-upon procedures consistently. Bryk and Schneider’s research identifies respect, competence, personal regard, and integrity as foundations of relational trust in schools. Those qualities are built through ordinary interactions: keeping promises, sharing credit, listening carefully, and correcting errors without humiliation.

Communication must travel both ways. Great administrators invite candid information, including news they may not want to hear. Secretaries often see patterns leaders miss: repeated parent confusion, a student visiting the office every morning, staff frustration with a procedure, or a calendar that makes priorities impossible. Leaders should treat these observations as valuable operational evidence while independently verifying sensitive concerns.

Protect Professionalism and Boundaries

Because secretaries handle private records, family circumstances, personnel issues, and emergencies, administrators must provide clear confidentiality protocols, appropriate technology access, and relevant training. They should also respect workload and working hours. Constantly labeling routine matters “urgent” erodes judgment and increases errors.

Great administrators invest in their secretaries’ growth through training, cross-functional experience, feedback, and participation in appropriate planning meetings. They also create backup systems so one person does not become the sole holder of essential knowledge.

Finally, effective leaders express specific appreciation. “Thank you for reorganizing today’s coverage so teachers could remain with students” carries more meaning than generic praise. It connects the work to the school’s mission.

The best administrator-secretary relationships are neither hierarchical performances nor informal friendships without boundaries. They are disciplined professional partnerships built on clarity, trust, judgment, respect, and shared purpose. When that partnership works, the office becomes calmer, communication becomes clearer, and the entire school is better able to focus on students.

References

Bryk, A. S., and Schneider, B. (2003). “Trust in Schools: A Core Resource for School Reform.” Educational Leadership, 60(6).

Grissom, J. A., Egalite, A. J., and Lindsay, C. A. (2021). How Principals Affect Students and Schools: A Systematic Synthesis of Two Decades of Research. The Wallace Foundation.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2025). “Secretaries and Administrative Assistants.” Occupational Outlook Handbook.

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Prepared with the assistance of AI software

OpenAI. (2026). ChatGPT (5.2) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com