Admin Myths We Need to Stop Believing

I grew up believing something my parents taught me: If you work hard, do a good job, and give it your all, you will be rewarded. It was pretty simple, and I’m betting many of you were taught the same thing. Work hard. Be dependable. Do what you’re asked (and often a little bit more). Don’t complain. Be a good employee.

And honestly? I still believe in working hard, being dependable, doing more than what is asked when it makes sense, and staying positive about my workplace and colleagues.

But somewhere along the way, many of us took those lessons and added a few of our own.

Have you heard these?

• Never say no.
• The boss is always right.
• If I work hard enough, someone will notice.
• The company will take care of me.
• If I can just become indispensable, I’ll be safe.

Some of the things we believe about being a “good admin” aren’t actually rules. They’re myths.

And the funny thing about myths is that we can follow them for years without ever stopping to ask: “Wait… who made this rule?”

So, let’s bust a few.

Myth #1: Never Say No

This might be the granddaddy of all admin myths. You are helpful. You are the person who gets things done. Someone asks, “Can you just…?” and before they’ve even finished the sentence, you’ve said, “Sure!”

Then you look at your calendar and wonder why you have 47 things to do before lunch.

Reality: Saying “no” isn’t the same as being unhelpful. Sometimes saying no is actually the most responsible thing you can do.

If you already have five deadlines, taking on a sixth doesn’t magically make you more committed. It just means something will be late, rushed, or done poorly.

Reframe: Instead of thinking, “I can’t say no,” try reminding yourself (maybe with a helpful Post-It note) that you don’t have unlimited capacity and need to focus on your priorities.

That’s not being difficult; it’s professional.

Myth #2: The Boss Is Always Right (Or: Don’t Disagree With Them)

While we know this isn’t true, we also know our bosses are probably right about a lot of things. They may know more about the organization, have more experience in certain areas, or have information you don’t have. But they’re also human. Which means they can be wrong.

Reality: Your job isn’t to agree with everything your boss says. It’s to help your boss succeed, which might mean offering a different perspective rather than providing blind validation.

A good boss doesn’t need a professional yes-person. They need people around them who will tell them the truth before the truth becomes a problem.

Your boss may not always agree with your perspective, but that doesn’t mean they don’t want to hear it.

Reframe: Instead of assuming your boss doesn’t want or need your perspective, remind yourself that your expertise is in a different area (an area they may not have). You can contribute to their success by sharing what you see, what you know, and what you’re concerned about. It doesn’t mean you don’t respect them. In fact, offering your perspective can be one of the ways you help them succeed

Myth #3: If I Work Hard Enough, Someone Will Notice

This one takes me right back to my parents. Work hard, put in the effort, do your best, and somebody will notice. And sometimes they do! But sometimes they’re not even looking at what you do.

Reality: Hard work matters. But invisible hard work is still invisible.

If you quietly solve 37 problems every week, prevent five disasters, stay late, anticipate everyone’s needs and make everything look effortless, people often don’t stop to think about why everything is working, or who is making it work.

That’s the problem. Your greatest compliment can become your biggest career trap if nobody knows what it takes to make everything run smoothly. I wrote an entire article about this one issue recently: Your Biggest Strength Might Be Holding You Back.

Reframe: Don’t stop working hard. Instead, start communicating your contribution. This doesn’t mean bragging. It isn’t about keeping a running list of every favour you’ve ever done. It means making your work more visible, sending updates, mentioning what you’ve completed, resolved, improved, or identified, or letting people know when you’ve prevented a problem before it became a problem.

You don’t need to announce to everyone how great you are and how much you do. But you do need to be aware of the difference between your work being visible and invisible. Don’t hide your value.

Myth #4: Be Loyal to Your Company, and They Will Be Loyal to You

My dad worked for the same company for his entire career. He was an electrician, and we lived through union strikes, site shutdowns, and bad economic times. But through it all, he remained loyal to his employer, believing that when things changed, they would quickly take care of him.

Many of us assume that if we’re loyal to the company, the company will be loyal to us. And ideally, that’s exactly how a healthy employment relationship should feel.

Reality: Your employer, HR, and your boss aren’t your parents. And that’s okay.

Organizations have responsibilities to their employees, and good organizations take those responsibilities seriously. But organizations also have business decisions to make. And these decisions mean that budgets, leaders, departments, priorities, and needs change. And sometimes job functions change too. That doesn’t mean your company is bad.

It means employment is a business relationship.

Reframe: Instead of assuming you’re safe because your company cares about you, recognize that your career is your responsibility.

That means you need to keep learning, build relationships, keep your skills up to date, and value what you bring to the table. What we can’t do is confuse loyalty with surrendering responsibility for your own future.

 

I am guilty of believing this myth. When I worked for the real estate company, I was quick to attend any and all training they offered. I loved attending and learning workshops. But I didn’t invest any of my own time or money. My thought process was that they would give me all the skills that I needed to do my job.

 

And I was partially right. They gave me all the skills they needed me to have. When it came time to look for a new job due to downsizing, I realized I was perfectly qualified to work for that company. But I didn’t have the qualifications that other companies needed. I was shortsighted, thinking they were giving me a lot of skills that would be useful for my career.

That was a lesson I never forgot, and often share in my workshops.

Myth #5: Being Indispensable Is the Goal

Every admin has heard some version of: “I don’t know what we’d do without you!” And it feels fantastic. Until you realize that being indispensable can mean you’re the only person who knows how anything works.

Congratulations – you’ve created job security by becoming a hostage to your own processes.

Reality: The goal isn’t to be indispensable. The goal is to be valuable.

If everything collapses when you’re away for a week, that’s not necessarily evidence of how important you are. It may be evidence that your knowledge isn’t being shared.

The strongest administrative professionals don’t hoard information to prove their value. They document, cross-train, create systems, and procedures. They make things easier for everyone. And then they take a vacation without their phone vibrating every six minutes.

Reframe: Instead of being afraid the company can’t survive if you aren’t available, make sure you’ve created systems that allow everyone to succeed, even when you aren’t there.

That’s not making yourself less valuable. That’s demonstrating how valuable you really are.

Myth #6: Good Employees Don’t Complain

We’ve all heard some version of this one. We’ve been told not to complain, make waves, be negative, and just do what you are paid to do.

Reality: There’s a huge difference between complaining and raising a legitimate concern.

When we sit around with friends and colleagues and complain that everything is just more work for us, it’s unlikely that we’re going to change anything.

However, sharing feedback with the appropriate person, in a professional manner, isn’t complaining. It’s communication.

For example: “I’m concerned this process is creating duplicate work and increasing the risk of errors. Can we look at another approach?”

That’s not complaining, but it is problem-solving. Organizations need people who are willing to point out what’s not working. Otherwise, everyone politely continues doing something ridiculous because nobody wants to be “that person.”

Reframe: Ask yourself if you are identifying a problem or just venting? And if you can attach a solution to the conversation, you’re probably on the right track.

So, What Do We Do With These Myths?

We don’t throw out everything we’ve ever been taught. I still believe my parents were right about the value of hard work. I still believe in being dependable, helping others, being loyal, being professional, and doing a great job.

But I’ve learned that working hard doesn’t mean saying yes to everything. Being helpful doesn’t mean being endlessly available. Respecting your boss doesn’t mean never questioning a decision. Being loyal doesn’t mean putting your entire career in someone else’s hands. And being valuable doesn’t mean making yourself indispensable.

Maybe the biggest myth of all is that someone else will give us permission to stop believing these things. They probably won’t. So, we have to.

The next time you catch yourself thinking, “But that’s just how it works…” Pause and ask yourself if this is actually a rule or an old workplace myth that you’ve been carrying around for years.

Because sometimes the most powerful career change we can make isn’t learning something new. It’s finally deciding to stop believing something that was never true in the first place.

And yes, Mom and Dad… I still believe in working hard. I just don’t think working hard means saying yes to everything anymore.