Office Dynamics

Finding your mojo, dream big and how to identify 'When Life Works'

Gina D. — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 03:55:00 GMT

"As a creative person I sometimes go through times of frustration when I don't feel creative or can't find my spark. It should be something we can just tap into but it doesn't work that way. I found today's resource to be helpful to me in finding my clear purpose and vision. If you aren't sure how or where to get started on "dreaming big" please listen to our huddle today and share with us your thoughts."

We are here to get the ball rolling if need be and to help you realize those dreams!

Get Some Skin In The Game!

Gina D. — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 17:08:00 GMT

Today in our (sneak peak) huddle we are talking about failure and listening to a track from Robin Sharma's audio book, The Greatness Guide.

How do you personally feel about failure? Do you play poor me? Are you a victim? Do you agonize over your failures? Or do you look at your failures as another step toward your success? Failure is an essential ingredient of high achievement. Did you know that the more risks you take in pursuit of your dreams the closer you are to success and the more you will experience failure?

We hope you enjoy taking part in our huddle with us today. Please leave your thoughts on failure and success in the comments below or join our conversation on Facebook.

The Best Bar In Town

Gina D. — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 06:45:00 GMT

As you have probably noticed, our website has a brand new look and feel. If you look at the bottom of the site you will see a bar that has all kinds of icons on it. It's called a wibiya bar and I have created 3 short videos that explain how you can use this incredibly interactive tool we have provided for you. After viewing the videos I would love to hear back from you any thoughts or questions you have regarding this really fun and powerful tool.

How about that translate tool!

Check out the next video to see how the Office Dynamics site is a central hub for all administrative professionals.

There you have it. Don't be shy, step up to the bar and join the party!

Just Snagit!

Gina D. — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 21:04:00 GMT

I love that I get to write The Best of The Web blog series for Office Dynamics. I get to research and play with all kinds of fun, creative and useful tools. This week I have been playing with Snagit, a screen capture software.

What's so fun about Snagit is it makes it so easy to add annotations, highlights, arrows etc. to my image that I capture from my desktop. This makes the communication process so much shorter when I need to share an idea with someone. They say a picture is worth a thousand words so why not enhance your screenshots with the right tools to convey your message right the first time. Aside from being fun to use it will save you time in the long run to make sure the right information is conveyed the first time.

Whether you need to share something with your executive, a co-worker or a vendor this will increase your productivity and enhance your professional image as well.

Give it a try.

You CAN edit that PDF easily

Gina D. — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 20:22:00 GMT

I don't know about you but I can't stand it when I am sent a PDF that has fields that need to be filed out and is not editable. Well Adobe has a very simple solution to the problem. The Adobe ExportPDF online application does the simplest thing. It converts any PDF file into and editable Word (DOCX) document. This is not only helpful for PDFs that you may need to fill in fields but it is very helpful for PowerPoint PDF's to be converted to Word.

If you have used PDF versions of PowerPoint presentations to refer to for notes, you may have noticed that often when you go to print the document the images are very small. That's because it was created to be viewed on a large screen. By converting to Word you can take important information that you would like to use and refer to and enlarge it or edit it so you can get the information that you find most useful.

Perhaps your manager wants to use information that is in a PDF file for her own presentation or document. If you use Adobe ExportPDF you can convert that file to Word and reformat it, edit it or add to it. Then you can either keep it as a Word document or save it as a PDF and reuse it.

It is a nominal yearly fee, $24.99, and could be a very useful tool in your administrative kit. For $99 yearly there is an upgraded account that will additionally convert PDF's to Excel and help create PDF's from other files. Happy editing!

The Voice of Google

Gina D. — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 15:47:00 GMT

This week I have a new favorite tool and of course it is with the webs biggest player, Google. If you use gmail, you may have noticed that when you open an email the contact information for the sender will appear on the right of your screen. Also there are some icons on ways to contact that person. The one I have started using this week is the phone icon which is known as Google Voice.

It is really cool to be able to read an email from someone and just hit the phone icon to dial them up and talk with them via your computer. All you need is to have speakers and a mic, both of which are usually built in on the new laptops and some desktops. If you are familiar with Skype it is very similar in that the national calls are free and you can also buy credit for international calls as well. There is also video calling available as well.

I have found that I will be prompted to make that phone call that I might be putting off because my phone is not handy or I will make the call because I can view my desktop easily and discuss with the person the email or document that I want to refer to. Also, its helps on saving me money with my mobile phone by not using up my minutes. All your calls are documented in a history and can be transcribed as well. The set up for this is very similar to your email inbox.

I know the majority of assistants use Outlook but if you are into the Google thing this is awesome.This is one of those little things that make my work life a little more streamlined and fun. I hope you check it out and comment on your experience here. Have fun!

What Are You Doing to Help the Person Next to You?

Gina D. — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 06:49:00 GMT

Since We are all gearing up for our 18th Annual Conference for Administrative Excellence I have been watching a lot of videos from other conferences that I like and admire. You've heard us all talk about the 99% Conference and the 99% webste here before. It is an annual conference mostly for design professionals but it focuses on making ideas happen.

The speaker video I watched today was truly inspiring and really made me think about how helping others at work is what creates the feeling of fulfillment. Simon Sinek has held a life-long curiosity as to why people and organizations do what they do and aside from being an engaging speaker he really hit a universal theme with "If You Don't Understand People, You Don't Understand Business".

The video is about 30 mins and is really a great way to take a break and be inspired about what makes work really fulfilling. As I watched the second half of the video I thought "wow, this is a fantastic message for anyone who works in an office and how we all need to express the human act of generosity to truly be fulfilled". So let me be fulfilled by sharing this with you.

If you have trouble viewing the video click here

Is Your Executive A Tech Fan?

Gina D. — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 06:07:00 GMT

Mashable is a fantastic online blog /resource for you to stay on top of what the latest tech gadgets, social media trends and what might be the latest and greatest in business & marketing

Maybe you work for a tech company or for an executive that is highly interested in some of the above mentioned topics. If you want to stay in the know so you can either do research for your executive on what the latest idevice might be or what's new in social media or just be able to have a conversation with her and other admins on the hot new items, Mashable is the place to go.

Another added plus to this site is the section on social good. The blogs are on subjects like 4 Ways iPads are Changing the Lives of People With Disabilities to How to Launch a Mobile Campaign for Non-Profits. So while you are trying to keep up on all the latest tech lingo you could also find some inspiration on how you may want to help others.

99% Are Creative

Gina D. — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 06:43:00 GMT

The kind of work I do is what most people consider part of the creative part of a business, helping to design website content, producing videos and audio, co-producing a conference etc. But I think that just about everybody has to be creative in their workday in order to get things done and stay motivated. Especially those of you who are administrative assistants and executive assistants.

I want to share with you this week a website that is built for people who are in the "creative fields" called The99%.com. It is full of great tips and articles that will help just about anyone who is interested in getting stuff done. We've actually written about some other work that has been created by the same individual who started 99%. His name is Scott Belsky and the Office Dynamics team is a big fan of his book Making Ideas Happen and The Action Method.

Just today I saw a really interesting pdf. they created regarding the result to an audit they did called the 2011 Idea Execution Audit. It reveals how most creative people are spending their working hours and the results really do apply to many fields with the most obvious time sucker being e-mail. I have it here for you to download and take a look at.

While some of the articles may be geared towards freelance creative artists a lot of them will be very useful to you. Plus I love how creative the site itself is with the images they use and I find it visually pleasing. I bet at least 99% of you will too!

Facebook

Gina D. — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 19:49:00 GMT

Ok, so maybe this seems obvious but it is very true that one of the best things about the web these days is still Facebook. Not only do you get to connect to family and friends anywhere in the world for free, you get to share photos, videos, party invitations and even start a social revolution.

The one thing I find myself doing more and more though is connecting to businesses on Facebook. This is a great way to really get to know the personallity of a business and connect with other clients and customers. More and more businesses have fan pages and are using their Facebook fan pages to advertise special discounts and products that you may not know about.

As an admiinistrative assistant you may be asked to participate in your company's Facebook creation and may be at a loss as to what to write about. Think about your company's mission statement and begin to develop converstation from that place. Office Dynamic's mission statement is "to promote workplace effectiveness, administrative excellence and personal improvement thru Star Performance". So often we will post items that will help our Facebook fans with these goals.

Remember that it is about being social, so jump in and make friends with your business clients and let the businesses that you frequent know what is on your mind.

Are you a fan of Office Dynamics on Facebook?

Creativity Gets You Noticed

Gina D. — Wed, 25 May 2011 06:12:00 GMT

Hello everyone! This week's entry has probably been seen by many of you since it is the most famous video on YouTube right now reaching over 12 million hits. Although it has nothing to do with careers or administrative assistants I thought it would be fun to share with you just to bring a smile to your face and also to inspire you to think about something that you would like to do for yourself or someone else in the most creative way you can.

Here it is: The Greatest Marriage Proposal Ever!!!

If you want to follow this couple they have their own website: mattandginny.com

Have It All. When & Wherever You Need It.

Gina D. — Wed, 18 May 2011 06:36:00 GMT

While so many companies are moving their servers to "cloud" servers ( an internet based server) there are still plenty of us that do not have access to all our work files from anywhere other than the office. I bet the following scenario happened to a least one of the readers out there in the last week. You were working on a project that needed to be worked on somewhere outside of the office, most likely in the evening at home. You packed up your files on your little thumb drive and after a nice dinner went to pop it in to your laptop to just quickly finish up the project before tomorrow mornings deadline. Everything was there except that one file, image or folder that would make the project complete. Now you will have to get up early and get into the office to finish it before that deadline hits.

There is a great tool called Dropbox that could have saved you from this little scenario. If you have a Dropbox account (free accounts available) you can upload your files, images, videos etc. and have them accessible to you on any computer or even smartphone, and you can share these folders or files with friends or colleagues. Dropbox is like having your own personal server. You can use the website or you can have an app installed on your computer that makes it super easy to use. You can even see when others have added to or changed any shared items.

Check out this video for a fun and simple explanation on how it all works.

The Dropbox application may be prevented from installing or from syncing over corporate networks. If you are not sure if Dropbox is supported on your corporate network, contact your company's network administrator to find out.

Too Big to Send? Not Anymore.

Gina D. — Wed, 11 May 2011 06:41:00 GMT

First of all congratulations to all of you for participating in our Blog-a-thon this year. It was really nice to read all your coments. I consider all your contributions a best of the web experience!

Today I want to share with you a service called YouSendIt. This service helps you to send those files, images, videos that may be too large to send thru an email. We all are becoming more aware that the work we create on the computer is becoming more sophisticated and with that comes bigger files.

The service allows you to upload your files to your YouSendIt account and then generate an email to send to your recipient with a direct link to the file and the ability for them to download it to their computer. It is a very simple solution. The files are stored temporarily and securely and they have many plan options to choose from including a free account which is perfect if you only need it occasionally. They also have company plans available.

We use this tool often because of all the video and photos we create for Office Dynamics. Now you dont have to waste time figuring out how to send that document, image or video.

Are You A PowerPoint Presentation Designer?

Gina D. — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 06:44:00 GMT

One of my favorite blogs is by Garr Reynolds entitled Presentation Zen. Garr is an Associate Professor of Management at Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka Japan. He teaches Marketing, Global Marketing and Multimedia Presentation Design. The last class title is so interesting to me. Did you ever think about presentation design? If not you should.

Whether it is for you executive or yourself, your PowerPoint presentations are important. The reason for them is to help put emphasis on talking points while keeping your audience engaged in what you are saying. The purpose is not to put bullet points on a screen. The purpose is to enhance the story that you are trying to convey so that the audience will walk away with a memorable experience an take away your key points.

So you open up PowerPoint and begin to do what...DESIGN! On Garrs website and in his blog you will learn many simple and engaging techniques to create great, impactful presentations and begin designing presentations that make a difference.

He also has written several books on the subject and his book Presentation Zen has influenced many high level presentations world wide.

Recently Garr has been posting several entries regarding the Japanese people and how they are handling the recent tragedies that they have been dealt. I find this a bonus from reading his blog because it shows the incredible resilience that the people of Japan have and what we can learn from it as well.

Not "Just a Secretary"

Gina D. — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 05:14:00 GMT

by Joanne Linden...

One of Joan’s readers asked “How do I get them to realize that I am not "Just a Secretary?” What approach would you recommend to change the general executive's perspective of this role as "just a secretary”?

For years when people asked what I did for a living, I was embarrassed to admit that I was a secretary; often times saying “I’m just a secretary.” Before you can change the executive’s perspective of your role, you must first change your own perspective. I did this by becoming a member of IAAP. That is where I finally met peers who understood that the career I had chosen was more than just a job, it was a profession.

My self-esteem grew by leaps and bounds as I became more active in IAAP. I went from a follower to a leader taking on more and more responsibilities. Ultimately, these leadership skills directly translated to my job. My manager noticed the difference in my professional demeanor. I was more vocal and went from just taking directions to asking questions, and making suggestions. I asked about the company direction and our department’s role in the company. I then asked how my manager’s role fit into the company’s goals. Once I had that information, I was able to make suggestions on how to help my manager meet his objectives. Eventually, my manager’s perception of me changed from secretary to partner.

You don’t have to take the same route I did to get to that point. Start by becoming more involved in your manager’s daily activities. If you’re not having regular one-on-ones, I suggest you begin there either daily or weekly. Take that time to ask questions about his meetings, are there any action items you can follow up on from the meetings, are there any impending phone calls or situations you need to be aware of, can you create a template for his staff meeting agenda. These are just a few ideas to show your manager that you understand how business works and you want to be part of it. I have also written an article in the PlanetAdmin newsletter, Planetary Motion, on how to become a leader in your field, which may help you change the perception of a “secretary” in your company.

Also start referring to yourself as an administrative professional or as an assistant. If your manager is still using the term secretary, correct him and let him know how to properly refer to you when introducing you to someone in person or in email. For example, “My assistant, Joanne, will be following up with you to schedule that meeting.”

Lastly, don’t underestimate the importance of dressing professionally. If you arrive at work dressed as if you could go to the beach or the nightclub directly from work, you will not be taken seriously. You will be perceived as someone who is only there to collect a paycheck until they can go do what they would really rather be doing. However, don’t go in the opposite direction of being “dowdy” either. Some women have a preconceived notion that an assistant
must dress conservatively to the point of looking like a schoolmarm from 1935. This does not mean you have to spend hundreds of dollars on a wardrobe. What it does mean is that you dress appropriately for the office.

Just realize that this process of changing your manager’s perception will not happen overnight. But be patient, even if he never gets to that point, I believe you will feel the difference in yourself.

Joanne Linden is a seasoned administrative professional with over 25 years of experience working with CEO's of global billion dollar enterprises. Author and guest lecturer, Joanne brings years of experience and organizational skills that set the standard for clarity of mission and excellence in execution.

Co-Author of "Sitting on a File Cabinet, Naked, WIth a Gun", Joanne is also Founder and
Senior Trainer with PlanetAdmin LLC.

For Information see: http://www.PlanetAdmin.net

For more information and to request a CV from Joanne, write: connect@PlanetAdmin.net

Are You Looking for Freedom?

Gina D. — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 02:54:00 GMT

Earlier this week Joan wrote about email usage in her Monday Motivators blog. I know that one of the points she made was that we often check our inbox every time we hear a notification and that is too many times during the course of a day. It just ends up distracting us and disrupting our workflow. I turned my email notification setting off a long time ago but I still find myself checking in far too frequently (not to mention the amount of times I check Facebook and twitter). While all the new technology on staying connected is wonderful it does distract me from doing tasks like writing, creating web site content, editing and all the other offline things that I need to focus on.

Well, there is a great tool out there that I found called Freedom. . Its an internet blocking software that you download to your computer (Windows & MAC). You set the amount of time you would like to be free from internet and it actually cuts you off from all internet activity.

Freedom will not allow you to go back online until the time is up. If you absolutely have to go back online you must reboot your computer. I am actually using the tool right now as I write this. Its a simple yet wonderful tool that helps cut down on multitasking and distractions that can keep you from being productive and doing your best work.

Anything that promotes freedom is okay in my book!