Credit the success of your fearless leader, in part, to his or her executive assistant. Plus: Is social business dead—and does it really matter?

Behind every strong leader is the equally important, doubly determined sidekick. He or she goes by the title executive assistant.

The details and more in today’s Social Media Roundup:

The Indispensable Assistant

Who is The Most Powerful Person in your Office? via #WSJ http://t.co/JuJYzpxGsq #mpi #eventprofs #imex #bizbash #asae

— Geri (@Geri_Bell) October 31, 2013

Executive suite: Batman’s legacy will be forever marked by the hand of his sidekick, Robin. Now think: How would your CEO fare without his or her executive assistant? “The schedulers, gatekeepers, and caretakers of the corporate world are rarely seen, but they have a profound effect on the daily lives of the executives they serve,” writes The Wall Street Journal’s Rachel Feintzeig. From booking business trips to scheduling pet care, Feintzeig notes, “these workers wield subtle influence at a company’s highest levels—and no small amount of power.” The assistant’s career path is largely dependent on the success of the executive he or she serves—but for those who brave the demanding workload, the rewards can be high (including salaries ranging from $75,000 to $175,000). How can you snag the job? Bosses want assistants with knowledge about global affairs and economic trends who can help guide the big decisions, Feintzeig writes. What role does your organization’s executive assistant play? (ht @EproGeri)

In Lingo

Is Social Business Dead? http://t.co/F26wOqoOgc

— Maddie Grant (@maddiegrant) October 31, 2013

Social shift: Is it time to scrap social business from your organization’s vocabulary? Yes and no—depending on whether you even think it matters, writes Jamie Notter. His point: “We often get lost in the words during these debates and end up missing the opportunities to actually do something differently,” he writes. Notter cites a post written by Alynd CEO Chris Heuer, who argues that social business is dead because nobody has succeeded in describing what social business is. But while the concept hasn’t revolutionized any workplace practices, that doesn’t mean organizations should step back from advancing business strategy, argues GigaOm’s Stowe Boyd. Bottom line: Don’t get bogged down by how to define social business and instead tap into how you can innovate your management practices, Notter says. “We can worry about what to call it later.” (ht @maddiegrant)

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