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Gift Ideas For Administrative Professionals Day

 

Administrative Professionals_Day_Gift_IdeasFinding the perfect gift for your administrative assistant can be a daunting task since flowers and lunch no longer cut it. Today’s executive or administrative assistant wants a gift that is long-lasting. You might be thinking…. what about a cool coffee mug? Or what about a travel business tote or beautiful Levenger notepad and pen? Maybe you were considering a gift certificate to your assistant’s favorite restaurant or spa.

While those might be lovely gifts, they don’t really have the same impact as the gift of education. And the gift of education does not come easy or often for your assistant. In fact, thousands of administrative assistants will never attend an in-depth training program, conference, or take an online course because his or her company won’t pay for it. How sad is that when you consider organizations will easily fund training for their executives and managers? Yet, the administrative assistants who support them every day, rarely let them down and give with their heart, get little training.

If you want to be a stand-out executive with your assistant, I highly recommend giving one of the following gifts for Administrative Professionals Day or Week:

ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONALS WEEK IS APRIL 24 – 28, 2017.

If you’re an administrative professional, please leave a comment below and let the world know what you would like for Administrative Professionals Day!

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NOT, “Just An Admin!”

Have you ever said, or heard an admin say, “I’m just an admin?” I have. And I’ll admit it – I’ve said it too. Then one day I discovered that every admin is valued and the true value of the profession of the administrative assistant!

I’d like to share my journey of discovery with you. It began several years ago when I started working for Mr. H as a temp. What started out as a two-week assignment ended up lasting for seven years! During the first week, he asked me to take care of the accounts payable and receivable.

I told him, “I’ve never done this before. I’m happy to help but I’m not a bookkeeper, I’m JUST an admin.” He said, “Look through our records and see if you can figure it out.”

So I did!

Later he asked me to figure out our DOS Computer Programming.

I said, “Mr. H. I’m not a computer software expert, I’m JUST an admin.” He said, “I think you can do it and handed me the programmer’s binder.”

It took time, effort, mistakes and a lot of painful focus to learn and ultimately, I was successful. [Read more…]

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Joan’s Greatest Administrative Secrets Revealed!

Joan_BurgeWelcome to April. Wow, where is the time going?

April is one of my favorite months because, here at Office Dynamics, we get to celebrate the wonderful accomplishments of those in the administrative profession! In case you are not aware, Administrative Professionals Week is April 24 – 28. But we celebrate the entire month of April. One of the major ways we do that is to host our annual blog-a-thon whereby we post a blog every work day in the month of April. Aside from my blogs, we have several guest bloggers providing amazing information!

To kick off the celebration, I hosted a webinar yesterday for 5,000+ assistants worldwide whereby I revealed my secrets to success in the profession. I had 29 secrets! I would like to share just a few of them with you. If you would like to hear all of them, you can watch the replay of the live event.

1. I didn’t always play by the rules. That doesn’t mean I did things that were unethical or illegal. I liked breaking the status quo (and I still love doing that today.) Look at work and situations in a different light. Keep your eyes open for processes that need to be changed or new processes that need to be implemented. Shake things up! One way to stand out is to shake things up in a good way.

2. Inserted myself into my executive’s world. I didn’t wait for my executives to invite me into their world. When I was an assistant, I would take home the trade journals and periodicals my executive read so I could understand his world and understand the language. While I didn’t read every page, I certainly gained perspective. This is a strategy anyone in any profession can use.

3. Set healthy boundaries. It is really important to set healthy boundaries in the workplace. If someone is doing something or saying something that is unacceptable to you, then you need to speak up in a professional and assertive manner.

4. Thirst for knowledge. For some reason, I have always embraced a growth mindset. Since I got out of high school and went right into the workforce, I was hungry to learn in any way possible. I did not go to college by choice and it did not stop me from being successful in my work because I am a sponge.

I have identified 3 levels of learning.

  1. Peer to peer (Basic, Foundational)—these are the great tips you learn from your peers; the people who are in the same job family as you.
  2. Senior assistants (Advanced)—this is when we learn from people who are in our profession but a level or two above us. When I was new in the profession, I looked to the senior assistants. I watched everything they did and how they acted (good and bad).
  3. Outside of my profession (Master)—this is where you really gain an advantage over others. You have to step outside your narrow world and learn from subject matter experts. There are millions of them! Some of my favorite people are Daren Hardy, Brian Tracy, Tony Robbins, and Simon Sinek.

With my thirst for knowledge, I was willing to invest in myself. Thousands of employees tell me they can’t attend training because their company won’t pay for it. That is short-term thinking and it makes me sad because it tells me that an individual doesn’t think enough of themselves to invest in their own education. As Brian Tracy says, “Investing in yourself is the best investment you will ever make.” I agree 100%. When you invest in yourself, you will take what you learn with you the rest of your life. And no one can ever take it away from you!

5. Always took my administrative career seriously from early on and saw it as a profession. This is important for all assistants, managers and coworkers to remember the administrative profession is a true profession! These are the people who run the lives of top executives. These are the individuals who put up with all the stuff every day, put themselves second and third on the list, manage a multitude of responsibilities, make their executives look good, and are confidantes. They should be treated with courtesy and respect.

If you are an assistant reading this, I hope you have a fabulous month! Please sign up for the Blog-a-thon by subscribing to the blog in the upper right corner and you will automatically receive the daily post in your inbox. Comment on the blogs and share them so you can be entered to win prizes all month long.

If you are not an assistant and you’re reading this, please be sure to sincerely recognize the administrative support professionals in your organization. And remember to not ask your assistant to order her own flowers; which by the way, assistants don’t just want flowers and lunches. They want a long-lasting gift. If you are looking for ideas, go to the Office Dynamics Success Store.

Happy April everyone!

This blog is part of our 2017 Blog-A-Thon. Please leave a comment or share the blog for your chance to win one of our amazing giveaways! The more blogs you comment on and share, the more chances you have to win. If you’d like to learn more about our Blog-A-Thon you can do so here. Hint: Subscribe to our blog in the upper right-hand corner so you never miss a blog.

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The Top 3 Skills That Make Administrative Assistants Stand Out

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Administrative professionals are always asking us what it takes to really stand out in the workplace. After all, it’s a competitive market out there! If you really want to make a name for yourself and get ahead, it takes more than just skimming the surface. You have to dive deep within yourself to develop that “World Class” status that executives are looking for in their assistants.

For those who want to shine brighter and get recognized (and rewarded) for your contributions, consider these key strategies.

Shift Your Paradigm
First, you have to change how you see yourself in your role. A “paradigm” is simply a mindset, but it plays an important role in how you show up in the workplace.

If you think of yourself as an assistant, that’s perfectly fine. But in order to really stand out, you need to upgrade your mental image of who you are and what you do. You must begin seeing yourself as a strategic partner—a business ally for the executive(s) you support.

This subtle shift in thinking will filter through your actions and behaviors. It will boost your confidence and your professional presence. It will positively change the relationship you have with your leaders, and ultimately, it will help you establish a powerful new position in the executive “inner circle.”

Refine Your Communication
A savvy communicator knows how to get noticed and get their point across. This is one area where everyone always has more room to improve.

In order to really stand out, you must continuously hone your ability to communicate your point of view tactfully. You need to practice delivering tough messages in a way that other people can actually hear them. And you need to adapt your natural communication style to meet others where they are.

Learning to communicate at the executive level is absolutely essential for success and it’s extremely rare. When you have this kind of mastery, you gain a deeper level of respect. [Read more…]

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Developing Your “Wow” Factor

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Some assistants have it. Some assistants don’t.

What is it, you ask? That intangible, invaluable “wow” factor.

Here’s the good news: It’s a learnable trait! Anyone can develop their own unique wow factor. It has nothing to do with your title or pay grade; it’s about who you are as a professional.

The wow factor is a term we use in the World Class Assistant™ certificate program to describe the powerful executive presence that the most successful administrative professionals exude. These assistants know how to command a room. They remain poised even under the most intense pressure. They know how to make intelligent decisions on-the-spot.

In short, they possess abilities that make others say, “Wow!”

As a result, these assistants enjoy an increased level of respect and even reverence. People look up to them and listen when they speak. People ask for their opinions and guidance. People trust them. They are World Class Assistants.

Hopefully, you’re reading this and thinking, “Yep! That’s what I want!” If that’s the case, we have a few recommendations to help you get there. [Read more…]

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Fighting Office Dragons – Managers (1 of 3 part series)

problems_with_my_managerImage Designed by Freepik

Did my title get your attention? Last week I certified 7 people to teach my Star Achievement Series® curriculum for administrative professionals in their organizations. I spent 3 full days with these wonderful individuals who are going to create change in their companies. One of the modules in Star Achievement is all about attitude and events and feelings that affect our attitudes such as fear and intimidation.

One of the topics I cover in that module is called Fighting Office Dragons. Participants discuss 3 species of dragons: 1) Manager, 2) Co-workers, and 3) Themselves. I have participants discuss things people in those categories do that make them appear to be a dragon. Today, I will focus on the manager dragon. Here are some common responses I hear. See if any of your responses are like theirs. [Read more…]

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