Administrative professionals are placed in a complicated leadership role. Employees look up to them for guidance and structure; business owners look to them to provide results with respect to corporate agendas and employee efficiency. In order to be a good administrator, you have to be able to work effectively with people at all levels of your company's hierarchy.

Employees

Administrators are placed in charge of a team of employees. How the administrator relates to these employees will determine how successful they will be in their role. A good administrator is able to be friendly with employees, earning their trust, while also maintaining an authoritative role. Administrators have to be able to understand the needs and concerns of their employees as well as recognize their potential and foster their talents. A good administrator should treat their employees with the same kindness and respect that they expect to receive from their superiors. It is possible to remain authoritative without coming across to employees as mean or aggressive.

Upper Management

Part of an administrator's job is to make sure that their department or team of employees runs smoothly and meets corporate expectations. Administrators have to answer to upper management and business owners, and upper management looks to administrators to manage the day to day operations of the company. Good administrators must be able to hold themselves and their departments accountable for meeting the goals set for them by upper management. They also must be able to communicate on a professional level with upper management. Administrators are the direct link between upper management and their employees. Thus, upper management trusts their administrative staff to be able to accurately convey their expectations and policies to their employees.

Organization

Administrators are tasked with not only organizing their own work life, but that of their employees as well. Develop a strategic plan that organizes your department's work load in an efficient manner. Assign tasks according to employee abilities. Good administrators not only work toward the short-term, day-to-day goals of the company, but also work to develop long term goals that continuously lead their employees in a positive direction. Effective administrators should lead by example. When employees are organized into a cohesive structure by a trusted administrator, they work to push themselves harder to meet their goals.

Flexibility

One thing that all good administrators have in common is that they maintain flexibility and their sense of humor. Things constantly change in the workplace, and the goals of upper management change often, as well. A good administrator knows how to roll with the punches and prioritize issues that need to be addressed while remaining objective. Maintaining a sense of humor is integral to remaining flexible in the workplace, and it sets a good example to others. When unforeseen circumstances occur, keeping a sense of humor helps everyone from employees to upper management tackle the issues in a productive manner.