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The Power of One

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Welcome to May! Such a lovely time of year. I hope everyone has recuperated from an exciting Administrative Professionals Week. We did a lot of celebrating at Office Dynamics. On Wednesday, April 26 I hosted a Facebook Live where I spoke about what I love about the administrative profession and gave tips on how to shine in the profession. In case you missed it, you can access it here.

Well, last week was very exciting for me because once again, I witnessed The Power of One. For more than 2 decades I have been talking to assistants about The Power of One. The concept is that it only takes 1 person to create change or 1 person to create something awesome. I use a visual of candles on a table. I light the first candle. This represents 1 person who has an idea. They take action on their idea and talk to another assistant or someone else in the company. Then another candle is lit representing the spark created from the first person. Then those 2 people go out and talk to others and light the fire in them about their idea. And then those 4 or 6 people go out and light a spark in others and before you know it . . . BAM! Something wonderful occurs that can change the life of many. [Read more…]

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5 Ways To Amplify Your Personal Brand

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“In a crowded marketplace, fitting in is a failure. In a busy marketplace, not standing out is the same as being invisible.” ~ Seth Godin

It’s no secret the world has changed. You are doing more with less. Things are moving at the speed of light. And Google has become the new resume. The question is … what are you doing about it?

How are you standing out? What are your points of distinction? And most importantly, how are you articulating that to your clients, your prospects, your boss, and your leadership? [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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12 Days of Christmas Webinar: The Accelerated Assistant

In our program today we talked about seven ways to become an accelerated assistant. Below you will find our replay link, program notes, certificate download and access to our deal of the day. If you haven’t already registered for our 12 Days of Christmas Webinar Series, you can register here. Links to the programs will be sent daily.

Watch the Replay for The Accelerated Assistant

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What I Learned From 450 Revolutionary Assistants in Las Vegas

When I was asked to speak at the Office Dynamics Annual Conference for Administrative Excellence, I was ecstatic. It was the first time my company OfficeTeam was participating in the event. And in my nearly 20 years around the administrative staffing industry, I had heard only fantastic things about the conference. So did the revolutionary event live up to its billing? Without a doubt.

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Upon entering the opening session at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, I immediately sensed how warm and inviting the group was. It didn’t take me long to also appreciate the strength and knowledge that was in that room – from the speakers and attendees alike.

You Say You Want a Revolution …

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Revolutionary Insights Into Self-Leadership for Administrative Professionals

This is a replay of the free webinar offered June 2016 titled Revolutionary Insights Into Self-Leadership (for administrative professionals).

Administrative professionals don’t typically think of themselves as leaders; even the most successful struggle with the idea! After all, leaders are the people we work for, right? They guide the organization, make important decisions and steer the team toward success. We tend to discount our own leadership qualities and the many ways in which we already take the lead each and every day. As a result, our inner leader never gets the opportunity to really shine.

Administrative professionals don’t typically think of themselves as leaders; even the most successful struggle with the idea! After all, leaders are the people we work for, right? They guide the organization, make important decisions and steer the team toward success. We tend to discount our own leadership qualities and the many ways in which we already take the lead each and every day. As a result, our inner leader never gets the opportunity to really shine.

Only a rare few administrative professionals have learned to tap into the power of the most advanced leadership skill. Those who do, experience an elevated level of autonomy, credibility, and authority. We’re talking about “self-leadership,” a revolutionary concept that separates the everyday admin from the extraordinary one. By leveraging self-leadership, we distinguish ourselves as independent and competent trusted business partners.

This topic is near and dear to Joan Burge, CEO of Office Dynamics and former executive assistant. She’s witnessed its power first hand and helped hundreds of administrative professionals hone their self-leadership skills. She even has a full 2-day course on the subject! In this month’s free webinar, Joan will share some of her own experiences and revolutionary insights on the topic. Even those who have completed the course will gain new ideas and a fresh perspective—and those who haven’t will get a high-level peek into some of its most important elements.

Learning Highlights From This Webinar

As an attendee, you will learn…

  • What self-leadership actually means and how it differs from traditional “leadership.”
  • The 9 key areas where you need to focus, to become a masterful self-leader in the workplace. (Plus helpful resources for continued learning!)
  • Why self-leadership is the essential missing piece for revolutionizing your administrative career.
  • How to approach your work, career, and LIFE with intention and a sense of mission.Simple strategies to boldly embrace your inner leader—and enhance your productivity, collaboration, and creativity at the same time!
  • Simple strategies to boldly embrace your inner leader—and enhance your productivity, collaboration, and creativity at the same time!

 

revolutionary insights into self leadership webinar screenshot [Read more…]

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5575 South Durango Dr. Suite 106
Las Vegas, NV 89113
Phone: 800-STAR-139
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