Leah Warwick: Hi, everyone. I’m Leah Warwick, and you’re listening to The Admin Edge. This episode was recorded at the Administrative Professionals Conference 2025, in Seattle, with returning guest Robert Hosking from Robert Half. At the time of this recording, the Robert Half 2026 Salary Guide was not yet published, but good news: It is out now, and you can find it at roberthalf.com. Now, let’s get into my conversation with Rob about skill building from the show floor at APC.

00:00:42

Hi, I’m Leah Warwick, Senior Content Manager for the American Society of Administrative Professionals. My guest today is Robert Hosking, Executive Director for Administrative and Customer Support at Robert Half, a sponsor at this event, APC. Welcome back to the podcast, Rob.

Robert Hosking: Thank you very much. It’s great to be here.

Leah Warwick: Great to talk to you again. I’m so excited for your keynote presentation later. In your sessions at APC, you’ve been sharing about the human skills that matter more than ever, really, that AI is transforming admin work. What are the top soft skills administrative professionals will need to prioritize in this shift?

Robert Hosking: So it’s such a good question because it really is—I think everyone’s so focused on AI and the impact of AI and what that means, but don’t forget that those soft skills are so critically important, probably now more so than ever. So when you really dig into them, when you think about emotional intelligence and being able to work well with other people, collaboration, communication—I think communication more than ever, both written and in that interpersonal, face-to-face, being able to articulate well messages or being able to convey messages and clearly indicate what’s happening or what’s going on, not only in your job, but more broadly within the organization.

00:02:02

Having a seat at the table is so important for administrative professionals, to be able to speak to the things that they’re seeing and hearing and then articulate those so that there can be action taken on them. It’s a very interesting time. I’d also say team building and collaboration is particularly important because now, more than ever, more people are back in office. In many cases, you have non-hybrid five days a week, and working closely with people, which some people maybe haven’t done as much of, and so being able to help build and foster team and team spirit and energy and build culture is really critical.

Leah Warwick: Yes, and admins are often so critical to that, to the fabric of the organization, the company culture. And you’re so right, communication skills are just that: skills that can be built. Something that is often lost in this increasingly technological age we’re living in is the ability to be emotionally aware, situationally aware, and also to navigate tension and work through that, because communication is hard.

00:03:10

Erica Keswin, who was one of our keynotes the other day, said the human stuff is the hard stuff. And so I’d love to get more into that with you, because skills like being adaptable, having a growth mindset, they’re only becoming more valuable for everyone. So what are some examples of how EAs and admins can stay curious and openminded during this time of radical change?

Robert Hosking: So, it’s so important to be curious. That’s one of my favorite words, actually, because it really speaks to asking questions and sort of digging in. What is the company going through? Better understanding the values but [also] the direction of the organization and what’s important to them. Companies are going through so much change and transformation right now when you think about how technology is change. But, just generally, people are moving at a faster pace. Companies are trying to do more with less, and that means that staying on top of what’s going on and staying current by asking those questioning and listen to what actually people are talking about, what leaders are talking about. And again, asking for that opportunity to be part of that change.

00:04:18

I think that adaptability piece and flexibility—jobs are no longer in a box. They’re not just, here’s my duties, and this is what I come in and I do every day. Organizations are looking for people that will enjoy doing other things or ask to do other things or participate in other things that maybe are outside of that job description, be willing to do it and have an openness to it.

Leah Warwick: Yes, we talk a lot at this event about future-proofing yourself because, in this time of change, you think, well, what do I need to lead into the future? For me, a big part of it is being able to learn at a fast pace. If you can learn at a fast pace, you will evolve the way that you need to evolve in the organization and help them with that, and find problems and then offer the solution for them.

00:05:09

Those types of people are so valuable to an organization. They’ll say, “Hey, I noticed this.” Maybe it’s a little bit outside your scope, but “I see this, and here are some ideas of a solution for it.” I think that is something that AI can’t just do for you. There is creative thinking involved, analytical thinking involved, and strategy involved in that, that you can then use AI as a tool to help you problem solve in other ways, build a framework, start getting an email ready, things like that. It really helps speed up processes, but, to be able to see something, especially when you’re working together with someone, when you’re working with an executive, when you’re working with an admin team, to have that knowledge is so very important.

00:05:53

Robert Hosking: Yes, I agree, and I would tell you that the critical-thinking piece really comes into it. Administrative professionals are the eyes and ears of the organization, so they know what’s going on at all levels with teams. Often, they’re looked upon to provide that information and insight. Because companies are moving so quickly, they’re dependent on everybody in the organization to have that place and really be able to think through those things critically so they can come up with recommendations and solutions.

Leah Warwick: Yes, they’re often the dot-connectors, the force-multipliers, and that’s just one of the things we love so much about administrative professionals. ASAP, because of this, we provide training in all types of areas, but definitely on strategic partnership, leadership and operational efficiency, which includes business acumen as part of that. So, with AI and automation tools already able to do tasks such as scheduling, meeting minutes and document creation, how would you recommend an admin professional today future-proof themselves by continuing to add value and align with businesses for years to come?

00:07:02

What is going to set them apart, not just today, but in the future?

Robert Hosking: Right. Well, it is—because the change is so rapid, it is that step of being involved and actually leading the change, or helping to lead the change, and putting your hand up to say, “I’d really like to help get through this.” Every organization is dealing with the impact of AI, and they’re all questioning: How’s it going to impact our company? How will it impact our people? How can we maximize, and how can we take advantage of it? But we need people to help lead that and make those recommendations, if it’s tools that we’re recommending or designing or deciding on “this is what we need to do.”

And then once those tools are in place, they still need people to be able to navigate and to think through and to manage through. Maybe there will be some time, once tools are put into place or there are some processes or tasks that are removed or maybe taken away, but that’s going to give people time back to do other things, more critical things or more revenue-focused or revenue-driving activities within the company, to really help the company move forward.

00:08:08

And so staying current, staying on top of it, training, being here at APC, is so important because you’re hearing from others what they’re doing and the change that they’re going through, but you’re also learning right at the forefront of things that are changing. So, taking advantage of that and letting your leaders know that you’re doing that. Here are some of the things that I’m doing to help stay current and ahead of it, and this is how I can then help others in the organization. So being that leader of that change.

Leah Warwick: Yes. I mean, admins are so crucial to ensuing that changing happens because, often, they get the change, the notice that there’s going to be a change, and now how are we going to implement it?

00:08:52

You ask a lot of questions. This goes back to your curiosity. Ask questions about the business. Try to understand your business as best you can, even though you’re not the CFO, you’re not the CEO. But if you understand as best you can, that’s going to help you problem-solve, find solutions, make change happen better or faster, and that is going to, again, show your value long term.

No matter what happens with technology changes, AI, businesses still have to find ways to work with people and help people to achieve what they need to achieve. So we were saying the other day, admins, one of their superpowers is their human connection skills, their communication skills, so leaning into those, which we have training on at this event, is going to be more important than ever.

And we have a listener question submitted by one of our community members. They wrote in: As an EA, I’ve seen big shifts in my role over the years. How do I know when to lean into AI tools, and when to lean more on my interpersonal and leadership skills?

00:10:02

Robert Hosking: Interesting. Definitely a balance, no question. I think there will continue to be a balance, which is one can’t live without the other. When you think about AI, it’s here, it’s here to stay, it will continue to evolve and change, but we’ll always need that human intelligence side of things or impact of human intelligence. So I think it’s—

When thinking about those duties and tasks that may be a little bit more process oriented or focused, hey, maybe there is some AI out there that can help me with this, maybe speed it up or help to make it more efficient, or help others to be more efficient. But, at the same time, I need to be critically thinking through: What do I need to do next? Or where do I go? Or going to your leaders and asking that question around: What else can I be involved with? Here are some things that I’ve always wanted to do, but I never had time to do because I was doing other things that maybe were a little bit more process oriented.

00:10:58

Now, as we look to AI to be able to take some of those things off my plate, here’s what I really see as my value or opportunity and things I’d like to participate in or be involved with.

Leah Warwick: I like that. That gets me thinking, because we’ve talked a lot about what you should do or could do to be more valued by your organization, being adaptable, being curious, being someone who asks a lot of questions, being a dot connector.

What about things that you would recommend not doing? The first thing that comes to mind to me is kind of the opposite of things like adaptable, like being very rigid, like, “This is how things have always been, so we’ve got to stick to this process.” What are some other things you would advise folks not to do for the future?

00:11:46

Robert Hosking: Definitely to have an open mind, so not have a closed mind. I think, to your point, where it’s—and sometimes it’s challenging your own assumptions as well, which is: This is something that I’m thinking about. Oh, no, that won’t work. Well, why? Maybe it will work? Maybe if we try it in a different way, or maybe we involve other people in those discussions. They might come up with some ideas.

I always love the concept, especially if somebody’s a little bit more tenured in their work, where they often will think, oh gosh, you know what? I’m not really as comfortable with it, or I’m not really as familiar. That’s where you want to challenge yourself to learn, and maybe that means leaning on somebody who’s very strong in that technology or has that skill. And that may be somebody who’s a little newer in [their] career within the organization, but having that mentor relationship or partnership relationship with somebody else. They’ll learn a tremendous amount from you, and you’ll learn a tremendous amount from them. It’s that reverse-mentor opportunity, because everyone’s in this together right now, and everyone’s trying to figure it out.

00:12:52

Everyone’s trying to learn what’s going on, but everybody has a different perspective or angle. We work in a multigenerational workforce, where you’ve got lots of different people, with different skills and experiences. Making sure you’re learning from one another and not being siloed in what you did, and sharing that learning and sharing that knowledge with others is so important.

Leah Warwick: Yes. And getting comfortable being uncomfortable. We’re in an uncomfortable time. I was listening to a podcast the other day where someone was talking about if you’re not feeling a little unsettled right now, that’s very unusual. It’s normal to feel a little unsettled right now, to be like, what’s going on? And, yes, leaning into the community of where you work, talking to other people [and] getting their perspectives is really great. And then also just being brave enough to live in the tension of all of that and try to be productive in it, and try to figure out: Okay, this change is hard. How are we going to work through this together and find a solution together? It sounds simple to say it like that, but it’s so easy to sort of close your mind and say, “Well, I don’t want think about that. I don’t want to deal with that,” and go into your silo, right

00:14:03

And I think this is a time where we can all come together and learn from each other. And vice versa, I think, executives, other people at the organization, HR professionals, have so much to learn from admin professionals as well, so if anyone who’s listening to this podcast who is not an admin takes anything away from this, I would hope that they would ask questions of the administrative professionals they work with, their EAs, their office manager, their administrative assistants, asking them, “Well, what are you seeing? What’s your take on this?”

Robert Hosking: Right. Well, I think that’s such an important point because often people won’t necessarily put their hands up and say, “Here’s what I am thinking or what I know, or here’s my experience,” until they’re asked. So you need to ask. Ask those questions. You’ll be surprised, I think, at how much you get back, which is so important for an organization.

Leah Warwick: Truly. I so agree. As always, it’s been a pleasure having you on the podcast, Rob.

Robert Hosking: Likewise, thank you.

Leah Warwick: Please tell folks where they can find you online and learn more about the Salary Guide.

00:15:01

Robert Hosking: Absolutely. So roberthalf.com. That’ll take you to our website. All of the information and content is there. Our new Salary Guide is about to launch in just a few weeks for 2026. The content for the 2025 guide is life and available, but you can look back in a couple of weeks for the 2026 data. We’re very excited about the guide this year.

Leah Warwick: Likewise. It’s an excellent resource. We thank you so much for being here.

Robert Hosking: Very welcome. Thank you.

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Leah Warwick: Thank you for listening to The Admin Edge, produced by the American Society of Administrative Professionals, original music and audio editing by Warwick Productions, with audio and video production by 5Tool Productions. If you liked this podcast, please leave us a nice review, five stars, and subscribe. If you’d like to submit a listener question, you may do so on our website at ASAPorg.com/podcast.