It used to be that noone liked the S word - Secretary. Now noone likes the A word - Assistant.
So many people used this in a pejoratory way. Many people, especially other agents, often call everyone on a team an Assistant, whether they are a buyer's agent, Director of Information, Director of Marketing, Closing Agent, etc. They call them Assistant, think of them as Assistant, and talk down to them (or refuse to discuss anything with them). How short sighted! First of all, it's downright stupid to talk down to anyone, but we're talking results here. Often the "assistant" has more education and experience than the one talking down; the "assistant" may have a broker's license as well as a college education. The "assistant" may be more updated on a client file than the Rainmaker, who has been out of the office all day.
Who do you think the "assistant" is going to go out of her way to do research for, while waiting for the agent to return - one who appreciates her or one who belittles her. Whose messages are going to be on the top of the stack? Whose listings are going to be promoted? Who's going to get a Thanks A Latte?
We live in a small world and what goes around, comes around. You never know Who knows Who. Your team is everyone you work with, your colleagues, your vendors, everyone. Treat them with respect and work together.
My former secretary/assistant and I have been close friends for 25 years. She did stuff that always pleased me and the clients. She was super and worked for me for 10 years before retiring.
Now, she's a widow and I'm trying to get her to do some part-time work for me.
The key is knowing how to hire and how to train.