Mgr/Asst Team Archives - Office Dynamics - Executive And Administrative Assistant Training

November 15, 2019 By Joan Burge Leave a Comment

7 Ways Executives Can Improve Communicating with Their Assistants

I have been fortunate to gain a three-dimensional view of communication between executives and assistants:

I was an assistant for 20 years thus understanding what I needed from my executive so I could be effective. I worked with a variety of managers and executives, each with different personalities and communication styles.

Since 1990, I have been the CEO of my own company and have worked with several of my own assistants. I have noticed the impact my communication (or lack of) has on my assistant’s ability to do a great job. [Read more…]

August 28, 2019 By Brian Burge 2 Comments

Too Many Meetings!! – Managing My Executives Calendar – Ask an Admin

Ask an Admin was created by Office Dynamics to help administrative professionals with their problems through the help of their peers. We don’t always have an answer to each individuals problem but we know some of you might. Please read the question and comment below.

April M. asks:

My executive’s calendar is jam-packed on a daily basis & she’s asking me to come up with a better solution to managing her calendar. She needs time to do work, answer emails, etc, but the requests for meetings are constant and a lot of them are at her request. They are needed. They are necessary to schedule. But how do you balance ‘free’ time with meeting times? I block out time on her calendar, but inevitably a meeting gets put in its place. We’ve tried to do only 5 meetings per day, but more often than not it winds up being 7 or 8 or more! I made the suggestion that decisions/discussions happen over email vs. in person in a meeting – but that’s not possible either most of the time. Does anyone have a good meeting/scheduling hack they use? Any good tips for me?

Thank you!

Office Dynamics actually has some info on this subject (see below) but we’d love to hear what tips or advice you have. Please leave a comment below.

We have an eBook called, Mastering Your Executive’s Calendar, a blog Calendar Management for Executive Assistants, videos, Calendar Management for Executive Assistants—the Holistic Approach, Administrative Assistant – Complex Calendar Control, Executives & Assistants Working In Partnership: The Definitive Guide to Success and Managing Your Executive’s Day.

July 23, 2019 By Joan Burge 2 Comments

Calling All Assistants—Secret to Building a Strategic Partnership

For more than 15 years I have been teaching assistants how to build a strategic partnership with their executives. I especially spend a lot of time on this topic in my World Class Assistant™ designation course. A strategic partnership is quite different from just building a partnership with your executive or just working as a team. An example of how they would be different is that in a partnership the assistant and executive will have weekly or daily huddles. In a strategic partnership, the assistant and executive meet quarterly to discuss (in detail) the upcoming quarter. They look at every facet of what is expected to occur, new projects, how much time might they be involved, who is going to manage what, and more. This quarterly meeting will last 2 – 3 hours.

There is a secret I want to share with you. As I reflect on my 20-year career as an assistant, I know something special takes place when you have a strategic partnership. It is more than the work you do. I call it The Anatomy of a Strategic Partnership. [Read more…]

July 11, 2019 By Brian Burge 12 Comments

My Boss is Leaving: How Can I best Help her Transition Out? – Ask an Admin

Alice S. asks:

My beloved manager/leader/friend is leaving our company at the end of July. Her departure is going to be shocking to her peers and direct reports. She is well-loved, unique in her approach and will be missed. My question is, how can I help make her transition smooth? What things should I focus on? Processes to create or follow? I’m anticipating a lot of stress around this for our company once they find out next week, and want to help her prepare for it. I almost don’t know where to begin. In over 20 years of experience, this is a first for me.

Please share your thoughts and advice in the comments below.

Want to learn more about Ask an Admin and how to submit your own question? Click here!

May 23, 2019 By Brian Burge 5 Comments

Being an Administrative Assistant for Two Different Types of Managers – Ask an Admin

Ask an Admin was created by Office Dynamics to help administrative professionals with their problems through the help of their peers. We don’t always have the best answer to each individuals problem but someone else might! That’s why we invite you to voice your opinion and thoughts with each post that is submitted to us.

This week Carrie S. asks us:

[Read more…]

May 2, 2019 By Brian Burge 8 Comments

How Do I Tactfully Voice My Concern? – Ask an Admin

Executive Assistants and Administrative Assistants have to deal with a lot. Whether that is working remotely, working with several managers or executives, and sometimes supporting an entire floor of employees! Usually, these difficult situations bring up situations that leave them asking, “how do I tactfully voice my concern?”

[Read more…]