Your career should be a work in progress whether you are climbing the corporate ladder or staying in your current position and wanting to increase your effectiveness.
There is a difference between having an occupation and a career. In an occupation, you are stagnant. A career is taken seriously; you continually seek out ways to grow and improve. An occupation is short term; it is drudgery, draining and just something you do until something better comes along. A profession is taken seriously and you seek growth. If you have made the administrative profession your chosen career, then keep reading.
Fortunately in today’s world you have many options to choose from when it comes to your education and professional development. When I founded Office Dynamics in 1990, there were very few companies who offered specialized training for administrative support staff and executive assistants. We did not have all the wonderful technology to offer online courses and webinars. There is no excuse to not develop yourself because you have every option available to you at every price range. You just have to want it and be committed to a plan.
BE IN THE LEAD! You should seriously think about your professional development and having a plan. I have been working with several large companies throughout the United States who are talking about succession planning for their administrative community. Just like a company has a succession plan for management employees who will be groomed to move into the VP positions and eventually a President or CEO, companies are realizing they should mirror that concept for their administrative community. They realize that within 5 years, 85% of their top seasoned senior executive assistants can retire. Who are the executive or administrative assistants who have star potential and should be groomed to support the executive team? Well, it is the executive or administrative assistant who is definitely working on his or her career and invests time and money in education and professional development on a regular basis.
When you take control of your professional development, you become more confident and will be presented with new opportunities. Don’t leave your career up to chance; own it, create it with a solid plan and see new doors open to you.
I am very excited to announce our first FREE webinar of the year in honor of Office Dynamics 25th Year Anniversary! You won’t want to miss this as our topic will be: Build Your 2015 Professional Development Plan. Mark your calendar and register today for the upcoming event: Friday, January 30, 2015. This is an awesome way to kick off the New Year.
You will learn:
- Why you need a professional development plan
- Why you need to take control of your administrative career
- A surefire 10-step process
- Which administrative and business skills should be a part of your plan.
- How to make smart decisions about your administrative career and your overall professional development plan
- The importance of execution
- To keep your administrative career in “permanent beta” mode
You can access more free information about Creating a Career Portfolio, Break Through a Career Plateau, Why is Certification Important? And Are Star Assistants Born or Made? – Claim your free copy of Turbocharge Your Career.
Joan Burge