CHAPTER XIV

THE SECRETARY-QUALIFICATIONS

The Secretary, and Association Success

The success of a trade association depends largely upon selecting the right man for secretary. The secretary need not be a "superman," but he must have a distinct talent for the sort of work which he must do. He must be able to work efficiently himself and to make it easy for other men to work well together.

The observations and suggestions given in this chapter have grown out of long and varied contact with many secretaries, and also out of their own statements in regard to the qualifications required in their work and the difficulties they must overcome. The specific items and incidents referred to, it may be added, are authentic; but in every case names, places, and circumstances have been altered.

Personality

A secretary should be distinctly a man's man, possessing such an appearance and with such manners and courtesy as will seem natural, unaffected, and genuine. He must be able to meet men, both individually and collectively, and discuss with them their problems. He must be able when necessary to speak in a convincing manner to an audience of men. He must possess above all that subtle quality which is almost impossible of cultivation, of instilling confidence in the minds of other men so that they will feel that he is one to whom they can trust their private affairs without a question as to his integrity or his sincerity. All this requires both personality and ability.

Personality is important, but it has its limitations. There

was a secretary of a small trade association with offices in Chicago who was without doubt one of the most charming men that anyone would care to meet; but his personality unfortunately was based upon such an exalted opinion of himself that he was unwilling to get down to earth and work. The members of the association after a while got tired of a man whose chief value was as an amusement artist, and although everybody liked him and there was nothing specific that could be said against him, yet he did not make a success of his position.

Another instance is that of the secretary of a certain state association. Everybody liked him and he did fairly good work, but he too failed to make a desirable executive for his organization. This man had plenty of industry but lacked the ability to divide essentials from non-essentials. He spent so much time in visiting and emphasized so much the social side of his work that several large considerations passed without his notice; and the members in less personal and more sober moments concluded that they had better get a secretary who was a business man and not a social lion.

These instances illustrate the important point that a man may have personality and be on very intimate terms with his members and yet not be a satisfactory secretary. To personality must be added ability and desire to work.

Secretarial Ability

The sort of ability required in a successful secretary is nothing unusual and yet it seems hard to define. There is many a successful business man who would have made an excellent secretary; but there are some secretaries who would never make business men, and their impotent associations are the best proof of the fact. The reason that not all secretaries nowadays have the qualities required is that as soon as one demonstrates his value he is attracted-generally by the offer

of a large salary-into business. It is a misfortune for a large trade association to lose its secretary, and an association, if satisfied with its secretary, should do everything possible to retain him.

The Relations Between Members and Secretaries

Some years ago the secretary of a prominent association was so busy running the association's business affairs that for a year or two he had no time to devote to the social side of his work. He was pleasant enough to the members, but he simply did not have an opportunity to get around and call on them and to be on as intimate terms as some of them would have liked. Therefore some of the more superficial felt that they were being neglected; they did not realize the real work which this man was doing and consequently so irritated him with their petty criticisms that he resigned. Since then that association has had seven secretaries in seven years and is still endeavoring to get the right kind of man. When the right secretary is finally placed in that position he will be a man who will make it clear to the members that there can be no repetition of their former childish attitude.

It is amusing to note that the association under discussion has tried a number of times to get its original secretary back. The members missed their chance once, and now they apparently have difficulty in getting a man who will be satisfactory. It is well for an association to be just as careful as the secretary himself to make sure that the relations between the secretary and members are always pleasant.

The Professional Secretary

It is most unfortunate for a man to be referred to as a "professional secretary," because business men then look upon him more or less askance. It is far better for him to be known as a business man serving as secretary; thereby he immediately

gets out of the professional class, and men think of him as one of their own kind.

It is for this reason that some secretaries are called “general managers" or "managing directors." In fact the word "secretary" is rather avoided since it seems to suggest a person who merely keeps minutes and writes letters. The title does not make the man, but it sometimes enables some people who are not familiar with his particular work, to have a higher regard for him. It is a general rule that as one thinks of the secretary, so one thinks of the association.

The title, however, is a mere matter of choice. If, as sometimes is the case, the actual secretary is called a manager, then someone else is given the title of secretary, as in a corporation, and has merely to go through the form of keeping the records.

On the other hand when we consider the subject more closely we must admit that since the business of being secretary now calls for special training it is becoming more and more of a profession. This is a good tendency. Successful secretaries are being recognized as authorities in their particular field and as a result are being compensated sufficiently to make the positions more attractive. In recent years changes among the leading trade secretaries of the country have been comparatively few.

Sources for Secretaries

Often secretaries or members of associations are asked where a new secretary may be procured. Such a question is hard to answer. No association wants to take a young man who has just come from college; although he may possess personality and latent ability, he has not had the business experience. On the other hand, not many associations feel financially able to bid away an experienced secretary from another association. A man who has served as an assistant

under an able secretary elsewhere is desirable and frequently receives chances of advancement.

A good place to get a secretary is among business men, provided a man can be found who knows, or is willing to learn quickly what an association can and cannot do. Most business men can doubtless find among their own acquaintances men who have such qualities and are so situated that they would be available for such a position.

A college education should not be an obstacle to the selection of a man for a secretary's position, except that some college men are apt to be a little too theoretical. Sometimes they have not had enough business experience to have unlearned some of the textbook information which still guides their decisions. By this it is not meant that a college education is not desirable on the part of the secretary; merely that the college man must also be a practical man and not try to impose his academic information upon practical business opinions.

The Business World the Best Source of Secretaries

And so it might be suggested that the best place to find men is in the business rather than in the academic world. It is undeniable that various schools of business throughout the country furnish excellent educational backgrounds for a secretary as well as for a business man; but it is impossible for any college or university, or school of business, to turn out a man for business life as a finished product in his particular line. The case is like that of a lawyer or a doctor. When you employ a lawyer or a doctor for an important matter, you generally want one who has had at least ten years' practicing experience. The same is true of a trade association secretary.

If possible, it is desirable for a trade association to select a man from within its own industry. But there is a danger in this that the association may select a man against whom