Recognize smaller accomplishments
Most managers know to recognize a big achievement around the office -- landing a new account, for example, or signing a major client. However, odds are that your assistant is often equally grateful for smaller accomplishments around the office, such as the IT manager making everyone's email work more efficiently. Because assistants usually work on smaller-scale projects, they’re more likely to call attention to a particularly well-written bit of flap copy or how a new headline color makes the text pop better.

An occasional "great job!" email from someone at the top does wonders for anyone who feels like their work doesn't get appreciated. This also applies to occasionally letting your assistant know she's appreciated or doing a good job. "You have to delegate, but you also have to empower," says Jeremy Feinstein, managing director of EMPsight, a human resources consulting firm. "You give someone a responsibility, but you don't have to tell them how to do it. Make it clear that you trust them."

Notice the tone and mood around the company
Some managers don't get to interact with people on every level of their company. That's where your assistant comes in -- he can be your eyes and ears around the office. While you’re stuck in an all-day meeting, your assistant is likely chatting colleagues up as he grabs a cup of coffee from the office cafeteria, or talking with those who sit by the fax machine. At larger companies, assistants are the ones relaying messages between departments, so your assistant might be able to provide insight into company morale or inform you about minor office problems.

Don't expect your assistant to be a mole for you, though. It's one thing for them to bring business issues to your attention, but it shouldn't be your assistant's job to keep you up on office gossip. A good rule of thumb: If it affects the company, it’s fair game. If two colleagues’ personal dislike of each other is affecting their working environment or making other employees uncomfortable, this is something a manager needs to know. However, if someone had one mojito too many at happy hour and had to get helped into a cab, it’s not relevant.

Experiment with new ideas
Thanks to technology’s constant leaps forward, the generation gap is ever-widening. Your assistant has probably never known a world without email, iTunes, and 400 cable TV channels. This means your assistant is probably far more tech-savvy than you. You may be adept with your BlackBerry, but your assistant is likely to know the latest innovations and updates in all aspects of technology. Let her clue you in.

In addition, your assistant -- being newer to the industry -- may have novel ideas that haven’t yet been attempted at your company. It never hurts to get a new perspective on the business you’ve been in for years, and assistants introduce fresh ways of getting things done. They might not all be usable, but they’re absolutely worth listening to. Kimba Hart, an advertising and communications major who landed a newspaper sales job after graduation, had done lots of coursework related to targeted marketing. Her manager, however, was still dividing up sales regions geographically. "I suggested that [sales team members] divide up our list by industry, rather than geography," she says. "It made more sense to me, because then we could target our approach." Hart's new idea led her employer to re-evaluate the way the business ran.

Keep up with pop culture trends
Of course, not every manager is a dinosaur, and not every assistant is a super-connected trend junkie. That said, you never know when your assistant will point you toward a great new Web site or suggest the perfect celebrity spokesperson for your company. However, don't assume your assistant is the perfect representation of your market. A better idea is to rely on your assistant as a resource. Ask him what TV shows he’s watching, what podcasts he’s downloading, and what music he’s listening to. Furthermore, pay attention to what kinds of media he prefers. Does he get his national news online or from the newspaper? If he relies on blogs for information, which ones and why? Chances are, your assistant will be more than happy to take a break from talking about tomorrow's presentation to talk about what movie he’s planning to see this weekend. The key is making sure your assistant knows that your interest in his outside-of-work life has to do with mapping trends, not prying into his personal life.

Remember there's always someone in your corner
Be loyal to your assistant and your assistant will be loyal to you. Steve Sargent, a Web and video producer, has seen many bosses who didn't value their assistants. "At my last corporate gig, the assistant for our department (who, mind you, had been with the company for years) was tortured by the vice president to the point where, once she left, it became impossible for him to find a replacement. He'd built up such a reputation that, even temps refused to work with him. It ultimately affected his standing and... left him absolutely miserable." Vincent McHugh, with HR consultants EMPsight, agrees that a good boss/assistant relationship is good for business, noting that "the nature of the results determines the process. An ideal situation is where you have an effective partnership standard." In insular industries like media, it’s not uncommon for current and former assistants to meet each other. The last thing any manager wants is her current assistant and former assistant swapping horror stories and undermining her credibility.

Regain perspective
Most managers began as assistants, and you’re probably no exception. Maybe you stayed up all night to get the perfect minute of footage, championed the unknown author whose book wound up selling for six figures, or came up with the ad concept that the client loved. Now that you’re in a position of authority and reaping the benefits of your hard work, it's easy to forget what it was like at early in your career. Your assistant can remind you of the good and bad things you did early on, and help you keep your current role in perspective. He or she might also remind you of what it was like to be scrambling for rent money, so maybe you'll be inspired to spring for coffee a little more often.

[Lilit Marcus is co-founder of SaveTheAssistants.com. Her writing has appeared in Newsweek, The Forward, Q-News, American Jewish Life, and other publications.]