Take a Letter, Mister...

As men are quite often told, women possess far superior organizational skills and are much better at multi-tasking than their male counterparts. Watch a guy trying to change channels while sipping beer at the same time and take the spillage down his shirt as justification enough.

It seems then that a woman would therefore make the ideal "coordinator of affairs" for a high-powered executive of either gender. Where else could those superior organizational and multi-tasking skills be utilized than in the role of personal assistant or secretary?

No one would think a man would be up to the task, right? Answering the phone while checking a schedule and signing for deliveries as invoices skip across the desk? Not a chance. One thing at a time, please.

Mister, not Missus, Schlichtmann

All of which makes the announcement on Thursday that the winner of Germany's best secretary award is none other than Marc-Oliver Schlichtmann -- that's Marc-Oliver…as in "a man" -- quite a surprise.

The 32-year-old, who said he often receives letters addressed to "Mrs. Schlichtmann," was the only male finalist and won over the jury with an excellent all-round performance, said office supplies maker and event organiser Leitz.

Schlichtmann, who saw off some stiff competition, later revealed that he used to watch his mother with wonder as she worked as a secretary and that thanks to his strong organisational skills and flair for foreign languages Schlichtmann had decided to follow in her footsteps.

For the past seven years Schlichtmann, one of the two percent of secretaries and office managers in Germany who are men, has worked as a personal assistant at international law firm Allen & Overy in the northern German city of Hamburg.

Rumors that he was intending to celebrate his win by getting his hair and nails done have been scotched as vicious stereotyping.