The document defines the role of a secretary as someone who assists an executive by mastering office skills and assuming responsibility without direct supervision. A secretary is typically seated close to the executive and relieves them of administrative tasks like scheduling, coordinating projects, and following up. Key responsibilities include taking minutes, filing documents, communicating notifications, and ensuring proper legal filings are made. Ideal personality traits for a secretary include the ability to build goodwill, demonstrate loyalty, communicate effectively, reflect company objectives, act tactfully, maintain high moral values, and think independently. A secretary should always maintain a clean, neat, and professional appearance.

2. DEFENITION
O The National Secretaries Association (International) defines the
SECRETARY this way: "As an assistant to an executive possessing a
mastery of office skills and ability to assume responsibility without direct
supervision, who displays initiative, exercises judgment, and makes
decisions within the scope of authority.”
O The term “SECRETARY” really means keeper of secrets.
O The secretary is the first one to learn about the many confidential
developments involving the office staff and company policies thru
meetings, letters, and memos she types, in her filing, and dictation given
by her boss, etc.
O The secretary in the office is usually seated closest to the executive. She
relieves her boss of such office details plan, to coordinate future
activities, and to follow through the various projects.

3. Typical work Activities
Common tasks for the majority of
secretaries/administrators include
word processing, audio and copy
typing, letter writing, dealing with
telephone and email
enquiries, creating and maintaining
filing systems, keeping
diaries, arranging
meetings/appointments and
organizing travel for The Manager.

4. SPECIFIC DUTIES
Filing of Documents
Minutes • The Secretary may be the registered
agent with respect to the laws of the
• The secretary is responsible for jurisdiction.; the person upon whom
ensuring that accurate minutes of legal notice to the corporation is
meetings are taken and approved.. served, and responsible for ensuring
Requirements of minutes may vary that documents necessary to
with the jurisdiction but should maintain the corporation are filed.
include at a minimum:
Communication
 Date, time, location of meeting;
 list of those present and absent; • The Secretary ensures that proper
 list of items discussed;
notification is given of directors' and
 list of reports presented;
members' meetings as specified in
the bylaws. The Secretary manages
 Text of motions presented and
description of their disposition. the general correspondence of the
Board of Directors except for such
correspondence assigned to others.

5. PERSONALITY TRAITS
REQUIRED
Ability to build goodwill
• A good secretary is a good public
relation person of her immediate
superior as well as the company.
• She should always make her boss
looks good to his subordinates,
fellow executives, and other people
especially to clients and customers.
• She should create a good image of
the boss and the company where she
belongs

6. PERSONALITY TRAITS
REQUIRED
Loyalty
• Person who is loyal sticks to someone or to the
company not only in times of “plenty” but also in
times of “crisis” until it can recover and in due time
bounce back to prosperity.
• A loyal secretary understands her boss’s
weaknesses and does not reveal them to others.
Ability to communicate idea effectively
• A loyal secretary should defend her boss, if need
be, to anyone who question his motives.
• The secretary should be able to express her idea
clearly.
• A loyal secretary should believe in the company as • Since the secretary often speaks for her boss, she
a whole –in its objectives and its management. should communicate her ideas effectively.
• Having a pleasant voice is not enough, although
• A loyal secretary should be dedicated to her work that is very important for a secretary. She should
always by giving an honest work for a day’s pay. learn to put ideas into words what she want to say
or communicate.

7. PERSONALITY TRAITS
REQUIRED
Ability to reflect company objectives and
policies
• The secretary being part of the management
team should help interpret the
management’s point of view to her co-
workers, to the clients or customers, and to
the public. To do this, she should be
thoroughly familiar with the objectives and
policies under which the company operates. Tactfulness
• As an assistant to the executive, the • The word “tact” means doing and saying the
secretary should be a “model” because of right thing at the right time and in the right
her attitude, work habits, and the way she place.
interprets the rules and regulations of the
company will influence the attitude of the
other members of the organization.
• She should not only know the right thing to
say and do, but equally important is knowing
how and where to do it.

8. PERSONALITY TRAITS
REQUIRED
Sense of moral value
• A good secretary should have a high
sense of moral values and not
easily overcome by temptations.
• She should do everything well even
without an observer because she
knows it is her duty and she values
highly every job assigned to her.
• She is tolerant and understanding
about gossips, criticisms, jealousies,
and shortcomings of others.

9. PERSONALITY TRAITS
REQUIRED
Independent mind
• An alert secretary should have
a mind of her own
• A secretary should promptly
and tactfully speaks up her
ideas, and is not even afraid to
say “NO” tactfully whenever
she is not in agreement with
the other person’s point of
view.

10. GROOMING
• A secretary should always have a clean, neat, and businesslike appearance from the head down to
the feet.2.
• She should always look her best and presentable at all times
• She should show that she is an organized person by her appearance. This is obviously true because
how can you as a secretary organize your work properly if you can not even make yourself
presentable
• Dress should be simple and appropriate for office wear
• She should be sweet-smelling at all times with the right fragrance
• Jewelries and other accessories should be simple and well-coordinated with her basic wardrobe
• Fingernails are well cared and properly trimmed
• Make-up should be suitable and evenly applied

11. CAREER DEVELOPMENT

12. TEN COMMANDENT OF HUMAN
RELATION
SPEAK TO PEOPLE • There is nothing as nice as cheerful word of greeting.
SMILE AT PEOPLE • It takes 65 muscles to frown: only 15 to smile.
CALL PEOPLE BY NAME • The sweetest music to anyone’s ears is the sound of his own
name.
BE FRIENDLY AND HELPFUL • If you would like to have friends, be friendly.
BE CORDIAL • Speak and act as if everything you do were a genuine pleasure.
BE GENUINELY INTERESTED IN PEOPLE • You can like everybody if you try.
BE GENEROUS WITH PRAISE; CAUTIOUS WITH CRITICISMS.
BE CONSIDERATE WITH THE FEELINGS OF OTHERS. IT WILL BE APPRECIATED.
• There are three-sides to controversy: yours, the other fellow’s, and the
BE THOUGHTFUL OPINION OF OTHERS right one.
BE ALERT TO GIVE SERVICE • What counts most in life is what we do for others.

13. A key of Success is 99%
Attitude and 1% Altitude